Stock Ingredients

Quality Ingredients

  • Use fresh and meaty bones and frames (carcasses).
    • Frozen bones that were fresh when frozen are fine.
  • Choose bones high in gelatin when needed.
  • For white stocks, bones should be blanched.
    • If not blanched, bones should be rinsed well to remove any traces of blood.
    • For brown stocks, the roasting process replaces the need for blanching.
  • Vegetables and aromatics should be of high quality.
    • Soft, over-ripe vegetables may be used.
  • Bones and vegetables should be cut to an appropriate size for the cooking time.
    • Use larger cuts for longer cooking times, shorter cuts for shorter times.
  • Use cold water or remouillage.
    • Using cold water, even with some ice, will allow the stock to come up to temperature slowly and help to keep the stock clear.

Blanching Bones

Blanching bones coagulates proteins that would otherwise become soluble in the stock and make it cloudy.  In the process of blanching the bones, some of their flavor maybe lost when the blanching water is discarded.  Fish bones are not blanched due to their short 30 minute cooking time.  To blanch bones:

  1. Rinse the bones and cover them with water in a stockpot.
  2. Bring them rapidly to a boil over high heat.
  3. Dépouiller any foam that forms on the surface.
  4. Strain.
  5. Proceed with stock recipe.

Gelatin

  • Clear and Flavorless
  • Provides stock a smooth and rich texture or “mouth-feel”
  • Extracted from bones and cartilage
  • Veal Bones and Feet are high in gelatin.
  • Chicken Wings and Feet are also high in gelatin.
  • Fish Bones have very little or no gelatin.
  • Pork Bones and Rind are high in gelatin but have a very assertive pork flavor and lots of fat.

Ratio of Solids to Liquids

The liquid, water or remouillage, should be cold and cover the solids by no more than 2-inches in a tall stock pot.  The object here is extraction, not concentration.  Replace liquid as it evaporates and keep the solids covered.  The liquid should be maintained at a low simmer, one bubble per second.

For meat and poultry stocks, use the following basic formula:

  • 8# Bone and Trimmings
  • 5-6 quarts Water or Remouillage
  • 1# Mirepoix
  • 1 Sachet d’Épices or Standard Bouquet Garni

For fish stock, use a higher ratio of fish bones to water:

  • 11# Bone and Trimmings
  • 4-1/2 quarts Water
  • 1# Mirepoix
  • 1 Sachet d’Épices or Standard Bouquet Garni

For Vegetable Stock:

  • 5# Vegetables
  • 5 quarts Water
  • 1 Sachet d’Épices or Standard Bouquet Garni

Standard Mirepoix

  • 50% Onion, Peeled
    • Leek may substitute for ½ of the onion
  • 25% Carrot, Washed & Peeled
  • 25% Celery, (optional)
    • Celery may be too assertive from some applications
    • A White Mirepoix replaces parsnips for carrots and may include leeks and mushrooms

Allow the stock to simmer 30 minutes or so before adding the mirepoix to allow the surface of the stock to be easily skimmed.  Too much mirepoix or overcooking it may result in too much sugars released from the vegetables.

Cut mirepoix according to cooking time:

  • 3/4 to 1-inch for poultry
  • 2-3-inch for beef and veal
  • 1/4-inch for fish and shellfish

Bouquets, Sachets, & Oignon Brûlé

  • These aromatic ingredients are used to flavor various preparations. They are tied or bundled to facilitate easy removal during the cooking process. If the ingredients will be used until the end of cooking and the recipe will be strained, it isn’t necessary to tie or bundle the ingredients.

Bouquet Garni
Yield: Makes 1 bouquet, enough to flavor 1 gallon of liquid

  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 3 to 4 parsley stems
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 to 3 leek leaves and/or 1 celery stock, cut in half lengthwise
  • 1 carrot, cut in half lengthwise (optional)
  • 1 parsnip, cut in half lengthwise (optional)
  1. Encase the thyme, parsley, and bay leaf inside the leek leaves and celery.
  2. Tie the ingredients into a bundle with a piece of string, leaving enough tail of string to tie onto the pot handle fro easy removal.
  3. Add the bouquet at the point recommended in your recipe or during the final 30 minutes of simmering time.

 

Sachet d’Epices
Yield: Makes 1 bouquet, enough to flavor 1 gallon of liquid

  • 1 sprig thyme or 1 tsp/2g dried
  • 3 to 4 parsley stems
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp/2g cracked peppercorns
  • 1 garlic clove (optional)
  1. Lay out a small 6 or 7-inch square of cheesecloth, 2 layers thick.
  2. Place the ingredients on the square and fold in each side to form a packet.
  3. Take care to fold the cut sides of the square to prevent the loose or frayed pieces of cheesecloth from falling off into your recipe.
  4. Tie the cheesecloth packet with kitchen twine.

 

Oignon Brûlé (“Burnt Onion”)

  1. Peel and cut in half, one onion.
  2. Char the cut sides of the onion in a dry skillet.
  3. The charred onion half is used to add flavor and a golden brown color to some stocks and consommés.

 

Oignon Piqué (or Clouté)

  1. Peel and cut in half, one onion.
  2. Attach 1 bay leaf to the onion using 2 or 3 whole cloves as tacks.
  3. It’s used classically to flavor a béchamel and some soups.

Other Aromatics:

Cajun Trinity

  • Onion, Celery & Green Bell Pepper

Italian Soffritto

  • Sautéed in Olive Oil and may add Garlic, Fennel and Leeks

Spanish Sofrito

  • May include Tomatoes, Chiles

Asian Aromatics

  • Ginger, Garlic & Scallions

White Mirepoix

  • Replaces carrots with parsnips and may include leeks and mushrooms

Matignon

  • aka., “Edible mirepoix”, usually includes ham, bacon or pork product, mushrooms and herbs
  • Cut more uniformly and used for garnish