Basics of Making Your Own Stock

The foundation of any soup or sauce is a good, flavorful stock and nothing beats the flavor of homemade. Stocks give soup their body and is the primary source of a soup’s flavor. A homemade one will yield the best tasting soup with the fullest body, and with a little planning, you can always have some homemade on hand. These are quite easy to make with the actual prep time being only about 20 minutes, while it can simmer quietly for hours unattended.

For those times when you have run out of your homemade stock, or don’t have time to make some, you can buy a commercially prepared stock or broth. Choose a high-quality, low-sodium variety when you can find it. You will want to add salt to your prepared dish, and you will want to determine how much salt you use as canned broths can be extremely salty. Remember, as soups simmer, they concentrate and the end result can be way too salty. You can also add flavor to a commercial broth by simmering it with your mirepoix (see below)and some fresh herbs. Bottled clam juice can be used as a quick and easy substitute for fish stock.

Chicken stock is a wonderfully versatile ingredient to have in your home. Its really not difficult to make your own and it can be used for just about anything.

Basics Ingredients in Stock:

Bones or Shells: save all scrap meat bones, chicken wings, and shrimp shells.

Bourquet Garni: A bouquet garni is a bundle of herbs added at the start of cooking your stock to add flavor. Traditionally it includes a few sprigs of parsley, thyme and a bay leaf tied together with a string or bundled up in cheesecloth for easy removal later. There are little drawstring cheesecloth bags you can purchase that are easy to use and can be washed and reused.

Mirepoix: This is the basic vegetable mixture you will use to make any stock. It can be adapted depending on the amount of meat you are using, but it's always a ration of 2 parts onion to one part carrots and celery.

Tips for Preparing:

Skimming the surface: As the stock simmers, impurities from the meat and fat rise to the surface in a frothy foam. This foam should be skimmed away with a slotted spoon so that the finished stock will be clearer and its flavor pure. Bringing it to a boil initially will help bring up the impurities, but do not continue to boil your stock. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer your stock very gently for hours. The long slow simmer is what brings out the flavor and consistency.

Straining your stock: When your stock has finished simmering, pour it through a strainer or colander to strain out the large solids. You can further strain your stock through a cheesecloth, which will help trap any fat and small particles and make it very clear. Try lining your colander or strainer with cheesecloth and pour the stock through.

Degreasing the stock: If you are using your freshly prepared stock right away, you can skim the liquid fat from the surface with a large spoon. If it's not needed immediately, refrigerate your stock until well-chilled, then use a spoon to lift the solidified fat off the surface of your stock.

Storing Stock: Fresh stock should only be kept in the refrigerator for a few days but can be stored for much longer in the freezer. You can freeze your stock in 1 cup containers or you can pour it into ice-cube trays, freeze, then dump the stock cubes into freezer bags to have small amounts of frozen stock ready. You can also pour predetermined amounts into freezer bags, write the amount on the bag and freeze.

Homemade stocks can be frozen for about three months. Remember ii will expand when frozen so leave a little room. Once frozen, push as much air out as you can, as the stock will last longer in your freezer if not exposed to air.

Try making these delicious Stocks.

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