Stocks
In their simplest form stocks are merely the liquid result you get from boiling things in water. Broth, as Ma calls it. I love the word “broth”. It suggests something steamy, and happy and nice to spoon into your belly. “Stock” is more clinical, but it does get the point across when it comes to these liquids. Stocks are a reasonably simple way to add more dimension to dishes – light stocks for thinning sauces to rich “demiglaces”(say, “dummy-glozzes” to sound French) which are just a seasoning away from being sauces themselves. Oh yeah, use them to make soup too.
Making and keeping stocks is a relatively painless process. You can make one pretty easily by taking the scraps leftover from making dinner and simmering them in a pot with water. When done just strain the stock, cool, and store in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for a few months. I also stash meat, veg, and herb scraps in the freezer for future stocks.
Easy? Yes. Vague? That too, since it couldn’t possibly be as simple as throwing just anything in a pot, right? Well, it could. But not everything comes out great. There are ingredients, traditional or otherwise, which turn out better stocks. And there are some which just don’t go. Here’s the basics –
Meat Stocks
Meat Scraps/Bones
Carrots, Peeled
Onions(any ‘cept red*), cut
Celery stalks, crushed
Vegetable Stocks
Same as meat, sans the meat and without a point
*The red in red (purple, Bermuda, whatever the fuck you call ‘em) onions goes black over extended cooking.
The carrot/onion/celery combo is the triumvirate of support veggies in French based tradition. That’s why you can find the same three vegetables diced up in just about every can of soup on the shelf. They’re considered aromatic vegetables, lending taste support to the character of the stock. Other swell aromatics include parsley, thyme, garlic, and bell peppers. Tomatoes and mushrooms are common in beef/veal stocks and are used to make other stock varieties more distinctive.
So as not to go on forever here let me just explain what I do. I almost exclusively use chicken stocks for everything that requires a stock from me – even clam chowder. I do like to produce an occasional ham stock (then fail to use it) or ones from shrimp, lobster, or crab shells. Beef stocks are a pain in the ass, time consuming and heartier than I give a shit for. Lamb stocks have limited usefulness. Fish broths are fishy and flimsy. Vegetable stocks are nearly pointless. And pork stock? Well, the Chinese like to make pork stock. But Pork Stock sucks. Chicken stocks are extremely versatile – they make seafood concoctions more velvety and keep red-meaty stews from coming after your tongue like a claw hammer – and they’re a cinch to create. So I make light chicken stocks and rich, dark clucker broth from roasted bones and heavy reductions. Chicken stock covers my needs from a thinning the grease in a scampi to a kick-ass happy sauce for steaks.
Lay off the herbs with very distinct flavors/aromas until you know what you will be doing with the stock. They can always be added later. In the light version it’s a very versatile stock that can be used readily in many different ethnic preparations.
If you want to be as authentic as possible, say when making a Vietnamese chicken phớ gá (chicken soup), it never hurts to have a stock made from nothing but plain chicken bones and water. Which I do way more than I don’t.
The Fundamental Tao of Chicken Stock –
A chicken’s worth of chicken bones
A small onion, root tip discarded and cut in half, or a few scallions
A carrot, peeled and busted in two
A branch of celery, crumpled**
**This I often omit, because it’s an assertive flavor and I don’t usually have it on hand.
Put it all in a big pot and add water to cover by a couple of inches. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a strong simmer for about an hour. Skim off scum as it forms. Strain and cool. I recommend stirring it from time to time until fully cooled. Use it or store it – in the fridge for a week, in the freezer for months.
Straining Tip – For clearer stock, after it cools let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. Skim congealed fat off the surface then pour the liquid slowly into another container, leaving the settled chicken grit behind.
A very fine mesh strainer helps. So does cheesecloth. Or a brand new pair of cotton underpants. There are ways to get the broth almost crystal clear, but exactly how fucking fussy do you need to be with your soup?
Straying from the Path
Make a richer stock by roasting the chicken bones in a 400º oven until browned. Richer still by roasting the aromatic vegetables too. Wicked rich by simmering twice as long as regular stock.
Regardless of light or roasted stock, after straining you can simmer and reduce it further. Intensifies flavor and decreases needed storage space in the fridge. You can always add water to it later to get it back to where you want it.
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The Shortcuts:
Canned Broth – And why the hell not? Making even simple stocks is a time suck. Boiling stuff in your kitchen during summer months ain’t fun either.
Bouillon Cubes/Powder – Okay when it’s your only shot in a bind. Or if you want Egg-Drop Soup that tastes like it came from your favorite takeout Chinese shit-hole. And I like that sometimes – but when shooting for something a little nicer canned broth is the better option.
Pan Drippings – Great for quick, small batches of well-flavored stock. After roasting a bird, scrape up the bottom of the pan and add a couple cups of water. Pour into a small sauce pan and simmer till very hot. Remove, cool, scrape fat off top, strain, use.