Stocks

Goal 11.05

Stock Basics

• Fond- French work meaning bottom, ground, base

• Liquid that forms the foundation of sauces and soups

• Made from simmering bones, vegetables, and herbs to extract their flavors

Components of Stocks

1. 5 parts Nourishing elements2. 1 part Mirepox3. Bouquet garni4. 10 parts liquid

1. Nourishing Element

• Fresh bones (beef, lamb, chicken, fish, veal, game)

• Meat trimmings• Fish trimmings• Vegetables• Provides flavor, nutrients, and color• Bones add gelatin

2. Mirepoix

• Mix of coarsely chopped vegetables• Adds flavor, nutrients, color• Most of the time 2 parts onions+1 part

celery+1 part carrots

3. Bouquet Garni

• French word for bouquet• Fresh herbs and vegetables (carrots, leeks,

celery, thyme, parsley stems• Tied in a bundle with butcher’s twine• Added to liquid, simmered and then removed

4. Liquid

• Usually water• Should be cold to bring out the maximum

flavor of the ingredients and prevents the stock from becoming cloudy

• 2:1 liquid : nourishing element

Commercial Stock Bases

• Powdered or concentrated form• Saves time and money• Less quality and flavor• More salt• Should list meat first/not salt• Simmer with bones and mirepoix for several

hours to enhance flavor/then strain• Can be a supplement to enhance a scratch made

stock

Types of Stocks

• White• Brown• Fish• Vegetable• Glaze

1. White Stock

• Made from chicken, beef, veal, or fish bones and vegetables

• Colorless while cooking (to keep it white blanch bones first- could lose some flavor)

White Stock Preparation

1. Cut bones )except chicken and fish) into 3-4 inch pieces.

2. Rinse bones in cold water to remove impurities. (You can blanch the bones.)

3. Place bones in a stock pot.4. Add cold water (to dissolve impurities and

blood) until the bones are completely covered. (hot water will cause too much clumping so they will not rise and can not be skimmed)

5. Bring water to a boil. Then, reduce it to a simmer to slowly release the full flavor of the ingredients.

6. To keep the stock clear, use a skimmer or ladle to remove any impurities and fat from the surface as needed.

7. Add the mirepoix. Keep the water at a simmer so that the stock does not become cloudy.

Keep bones completely covered so that they will not darken when exposed to air.

8. Simmer for 30-45 minutes- fish bones3-4 hours chicken bones6-8 hours beef/veal bones

9. Skim impurities and fat.10. Strain the stock through a china cap.11.Cool stock quickly.

2. Brown Stock

• Beef, veal, chicken, game bones• Color comes from roasting the ingredients

without water• Browned bones+mirepoix+tomato product

gives the stock its color• Stock transferred to a stockpot and simmered

with water and herbs

Brown Stock Preparation

1. Cut the beef or veal bones into 3-4 inch pieces. (Do not wash or blanch/slow down browning)

2. Place the bones on layer deep in a roassting pan.

3. Roast bones in the oven 375 F or higher for more than an hour. Stir occasionally. (You may lightly oil the bones to help browning.)

4. Place the browned bones in a stock pot and cover with water. Bring water to a simmer.

5. Reserve (keep) the excess fat from the roasting pan.

6. Deglaze the pan with water. 7. Add the deglazed mixture to the stock.8. Combine mirepoix and reserved fat in a pan.

Brown.

9. Skim impurities and fat from the stock as it begins to simmer. Do not boil, this will make it cloudy.

10. Add tomato product and caramelized vegetables to the stock pot about 3-4 hours before the end of cooking. Do not stir or it will become cloudy.

11. Strain the stock through a china cap12. Cool stock

Glaze

• Stock that is reduced and concentrated• Flavorful, thick, syrupy liquid that turns to

solid in the refrigerator• Created through reduction (evaporate part of

a stock’s water through simmering or boiling)• Can be used to flavor sauces, vegetables,

meat, poultry and fish

Preparing a Glaze

1. Place a large quantity of stock in a heavy pan.2. Bring the stock to a simmer.3. Skim the surface as needed.4. Clean the sides of the pan with a moistened,

natural bristle brush as the stock reduces and becomes syrupy.

5. Transfer the stock to a smaller pan when reduced by half or two-thirds.

6. Continue to reduce until the stock coats a spoon.

7. Strain the stock through a china cap and pout into containers.

8. Cool, label,date, and refrigerate or freeze the containers.

Cooling Stocks

1. Rapi-Kool- container that can be filled with water and then frozen (cools food quickly)

2. Pour into 4 inch deep or less pans.3. Vent stock in the sink. (Place it on a rack.) Fill sink

with cold water. Place an overflow pipe in the sink. Allow the overflow water to empty into other sink. This will remove the warmth.

4. Finally, transfer stock to a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Can be stored for several day or frozen for months.

Stock Prep Equipment

• Stock pot• Roasting pan• Steam jacketed kettle