Making Stock

Cooking Time

  • Large beef or veal bones require a much longer simmer…6-24 hours
  • Chicken bones…3-4 hours
  • Fish Bones…30 minutes
  • Vegetable…30 minutes
  • Brown Stocks longer than White Stocks
  • Overcooking will result in a stock that is bitter and saline.
  • Undercooking will result in as tock that is weak and watery

Seasoning Stock

  • Stock is usually not seasoned (with salt) to allow for use in different applications.
  • A broth usually IS seasoned and used for a specific application.
  • It is necessary to season vegetable stock.

Reductions & Glazes

Reductions concentrate stocks by boiling or simmering them to evaporate part of the water producing more flavor and body.  Glazes or glace in French, is a stock reduced by 50-90% , until it has a syrup-like consistency and coats the back of a spoon.

  • Glazes become solid and rubbery when chilled.
  • Glazes are not usually reconstituted as stocks because their flavor has been intensified by the prolonged cooking.
  • “Glace de viande” or Meat glaze
  • “Glace de volaille” or Chicken glaze
  • “Glace de poisson” or Fish glaze

Finishing a Stock

Once a stock has finished simmering it must be carefully strained and quickly cooled.  To strain a stock, carefully decant the stock form solids and strain through a fine chinois lined with two layers of moistened cheesecloth.

To cool a stock, use an ice bath, ice paddles and/or transfer the stock to smaller containers that will cool quicker.  Using the 2-stage cooling method, bring the stock down from 135˚F to 70˚F within 2 hours and then to below 41˚F within 4 hours.  The time that the stock is between 135˚F and 41˚F must not exceed 6 hours total.

Stock may be kept frozen for months.

Commercial Bases

Commercial bases are commonly used by commercial food establishments.  They provide convenience, consistency and labor savings.  Bases are also very high in the sodium that make them shelf-stable.  Bases provide little or no gelatin and their quality varies greatly.  You get what you pay for.

Tips for Great Stock

  • Use quality fresh ingredients.
  • Start in cold water.
  • Simmer gently…DO NOT BOIL.
  • Skim frequently…When in doubt, skim again.
  • Do not stir.
  • Strain carefully and gently.
  • Cool quickly.
  • Store properly.
  • Degrease before using.