Got any Stock tips?

[Slypig5000]

There are a few other comments to reply to...
This should cover it.

The #1 rule is NEVER boil stock . Don't even simmer it. It should be barely simmering. The French term is Fremir : "to tremble" bubbles should break the surface infrequently.

Bones should preferably be from younger animals which have a higher percentage of cartilage & connective tissues which break down into gelatin during cooking.

Rinse the bones to remove blood & impurities.
Always start with COLD water, this gently releases flavour. If you have the right temp all the stuff that could make a stock cloudy will float to the top. SKIM it all the time. If you do this you will get a great clear stock.

Brown stock & white stock is referring to if the bones have been roasted and the miripoix caramelised. Which stock you need depends on its use.

add miripoix about 2-3hrs before the end (except for fish stock)
Add aromatics (bay leaves , garlic , peppercorns , thyme , parsley stalk etc etc)
45min -1 hr before the end.

When the stock is finished DONT be rough, ladling it through a fine strainer first then a cloth is the best way. If you tip it be carefully not to disturb the bones to much or it can go cloudy .

Thanks this is great.

 

[Erilyn75]

Also stock is made with bones and broth is made with meat for the people who were curious.

I always wondered what the difference was, thank you!


I buy herbs and peeled garlic in bulk because it's cheaper then buying just what I need for a week but I never end up using it all before it starts to go bad, so I freeze them to use when I making stock or dry them out for my own herb concoctions.

When I make stock....or broth, I put 2 cut up chickens in a large pot, throw in handfuls of herbs and garlic from the freezer, a couple of quartered onions, celery, carrots, handful of peppercorns, a few bay leaves and bring to a soft boil them gently simmer for 2 hours. Turn off heat, cover and cool for a bit then harvest the chicken meat to freeze for dishes later and freeze the bones. Then I "clean" the stock by going through I fine sieve then again through cheese cloth because sometimes it's not clean enough for me. I never use salt because I don't know what I'll be using it for and it comes out so tasty every time.

 

[rahimlee54]

I put star anise in mine tonight because I bought a bunch recently. Around a whole pod, that is strange, I guess I'll try it in something before I pass judgement. Something different though for sure.

 

[scotchef38]

QUOTE=rahimlee54;283951]I put star anise in mine tonight because I bought a bunch recently. Around a whole pod, that is strange, I guess I'll try it in something before I pass judgement. Something different though for sure.[/QUOTE]

Star Anise when combined with onions produces sulphur containing heterocyclic molecules which enhance the flavour of meat and make it taste more" meaty" but too much and it will over power other flavours.

 

[rahimlee54]

Star Anise when combined with onions produces sulphur containing heterocyclic molecules which enhance the flavour of meat and make it taste more" meaty" but too much and it will over power other flavours.[/QUOTE]

That is good to know, thank you. I also threw in half a head of garlic that was starting yo sprout. That is a lot of sulfur compound I'll reduce it and put it in a sauce maybe it'll be salvageable. Good to know about the anise though.

 

[ncedge]

Hey guys, lots of NC guys here. I'm from Winston-Salem originally.

You know, I'm tired of the century year old preparations of stocks. I'm moving away from them.

The way that I am doing this is to cook stocks like preparing a tea.

What I mean is instead of rough chopping vegetables and then spending hours of cook time and gas energy to pull all the flavor out of these cubes of cut vegetables, I steep my stocks in an allotted amount of water, which is weighed out accordingly to my ingredients and steep time.

I push my vegetables through the grater attachment on the robo-coupe and then add things like dehydrated orange peels, or dehydrated camomile flowers, apples, ect.

In other words, I'm steering away from using vegetable stock or chicken stock.. instead I'm making things like woodstock (yes... made with wood) or forest stock (maybe fresh juniper branches, anise, maple leaves, moss.. see Faviken)

Fennel stock, carrot stock, white stock (potato, parsnips, cauliflower scraps)... moving away from general purpose stocks and moving into small batch, single purpose stocks.

You know, they say when you smell these fragrant smells in the air that it is flavor escaping whatever you are cooking. No clue how much truth to this there is... but I believe it to an extent.

Now I save what other people throw away and dehyrate what I can.. I create a collection of not only dried spices but dried peels, skins, roots, flowers, branches, leaves, and herbs. I use these in my tea-like, steeped, stocks.

 

[ncedge]

Another thing I've found to be useful when making protein based stocks is before roasting my bones, I lightly toss them in powdered milk.
This is like a super boost of flavor for any protein stock and also assists in browning. I got this tip from Heston Blumenthal.

"One way to boost the deep meaty flavours is to add milk powder to the chicken wings before cooking them. It may sound strange but the milk powder really boosts the Maillard reaction which is what happens when the proteins and sugars in meat react to being roasted. The resulting stock tastes like the essence of pure roast chicken" - Heston

Be cautious using this method, it is very easy to burn the powdered milk if you are not taking close attention.

 

[Geo87]

Ncedge: that's some really interesting ideas and techniques. I like it.

 

[ncedge]

Ncedge: that's some really interesting ideas and techniques. I like it.

Thanks Geo.

Todays stock is apple, fennel, and 9 spice with cabbage core. (yes we seared and ate the cabbage after we stocked)

for the pick-up on a dish of pheasant breast w/ wild rice and beets

 

[Dardeau]

If anyone is trying consommé, the number one tip I have is to buy few feet of heat safe rubber tubing. Fooling around with ladles and breaking your raft is for the birds. Slip the tube in between the raft and the side of the pot, push it to the bottom, give it a little suck, and siphon into a chinois lined with cheesecloth( or a fryer filter). Makes a tedious job a little easier. I also like induction burners for both stock and consommé, it frees up the stovetop, and allows good temperature control.

 

[ncedge]

If anyone is trying consommé, the number one tip I have is to buy few feet of heat safe rubber tubing. Fooling around with ladles and breaking your raft is for the birds. Slip the tube in between the raft and the side of the pot, push it to the bottom, give it a little suck, and siphon into a chinois lined with cheesecloth( or a fryer filter). Makes a tedious job a little easier. I also like induction burners for both stock and consommé, it frees up the stovetop, and allows good temperature control.

sick tip! stealing it!

lus1: