Cooking 101: Stock Basics
If you ask me, one of the hardest working things in a kitchen that is totally underrated is a good stock or broth.
Yes, it is easier (and relatively inexpensive) to reach for a boxed/canned stock when making a soup or a sauce, but there is something so gratifying about making homemade stock, both from a culinary standpoint, and also from an ecological one.
Ecologically, stocks often utilize parts of vegetables and/or animals that are deemed “unusable” in recipes (mushroom stems, bones, etc), or are leftovers from another recipe (the ends of onions). So, you’ll have less food waste by utilizing each part of what you buy at the store.
From a flavor standpoint, making your own broth/stock gives you marked advantage in a kitchen. Not only can homemade stock pack a bigger, fresher flavor punch (if done well), but making your own stock puts you in the driver’s seat of an almost infinite combination of flavor possibilities.
And, making stock is one of those super easy dishes that can be made ahead and stored in the fridge, or easily frozen for later.
Note that I use the terms interchangeably: the main technical difference between a broth and a stock is that a broth has more pronounced flavor, in the case of chicken or beef, because it uses whole animal cuts – both the meat and the bones. In the case of vegetables and fish, there isn’t a marked difference in the recipe, so the terms are often used interchangeably.
The key to a great stock is the right balance of flavors and aromatics (because we eat with all of our senses), and giving the stock time to develop deep, pronounced flavor.
Now, here’s where I am going to (as always) delve into the realm of the unpopular. For me, while delicious, chicken and beef stock are just not as interesting as vegetable stock. Vegetable stock is inherently more delicate and subtle, but has infinitely more possibilities and combinations of flavor. Not only that, but making and using vegetable stock consistently works for about every type of diet, which makes having a good recipe in your back pocket great for dinner parties and entertaining.
And, perfecting a vegetable stock is a lifelong pursuit. There’s nothing wrong with chasing perfection when you know perfection is not possible.
The other great part about vegetable stock in particular is that you can change the proportions of the vegetables you use to manipulate the overall taste and flavor of your end-dish.
For example, in a black bean soup that I made this week, I used an onion and garlic-based stock, because onion, garlic, and black beans go well together.
In my Arizona Winter Vegetable Stew that I will share later in the week, I opted for a carrot-based stock to lighten up the stew (since Arizona winters are still relatively warm), and balance the spice that I used on the ingredients.
How do you make stock? A good stock has 4 components: water, bones, vegetables (called mirepoix), and aromatics.
Meat stocks are generally made with bones and trimmings. In terms of which bones/parts to use, note that younger animals have more collagen, which mean more body in your stock. If you want a very meat-forward stock, add a little meat. Generally, you want to seek out bones like knuckle bones, back bones, and neck bones for optimal flavor. Your butcher should be able to help you find the bones you need.
Along with the bones, standard stocks are made with 1 lb of mirepoix and aromatics, which are added to a gallon of water at various times during the cooking process, and are simmered for 30 minutes to multiple hours (depending type of stock and on how much flavor you want).
Generally, the process is as follows:
1 Add bones to water, bring to simmer
2 Skim fat/connective tissue as it appears on top of the broth
3 Add mirepoix 2 hours before anticipated end
4 Add aromatics 30-60 minutes before the anticipated end
5 Simmer until desired flavor, body, and color is reached
6 Strain
Mirepoix
Mirepoix is simply a fancy word for the veggies that are added to salted water that serve as the main flavoring components of the broth along with your chosen bones.
There are various recipes for mirepoix:
Standard Mirepoix
2 parts onion:1 celery :1 carrot, all cut into 2” pieces
8 oz onion
4 oz carrot
4 oz celery
OPTIONAL: add tomato paste (picage) to make brown stock
Used for basic chicken & beef stock (with bones).
White Mirepoix
1 parts onion:1 celery :1 carrot, all cut into 2” pieces
4 oz onion
4 oz parsnip
4 oz celery/celeriac
4 oz leek
Used for basic fish stock (with bones). Pale colored – very mild flavored.
Asian Mirepoix
2 parts ginger:2 garlic :1 green onion, all cut into 2” pieces
8 oz garlic
8 oz carrot
4 oz green onion
Note that the cooking time will be significantly shorter, as it will burn easily.
Mirepoix can be cooked before being added to the water, or it can be added raw. If you want to cook it, the traditional method is:
1 Brown onions and carrots in a pan (medium heat) with oil.
2 Add celery, cook until soft
3 Add tomato paste (pincage) for brown stock – OPTIONAL
4 Add to bone/water mixture 2 hours before anticipated end
It is interesting to note that many of the ratios of mirepoix are the same for stock and broth – however, stock is made with bones, and broth is generally made with both meat and bones.
Cooking times for common stocks are as follows:
Beef with White Mirepoix = 8-10 hours
Veal with White/Brown Mirepoix = 6 hours
Poultry with White Mirepoix = 3-4 hours
Fish with White Mirepoix = 3-4 hours
Aromatics
Toward the end of the cooking process, you’ll want to add your aromatics, which is generally a bit of fresh herbs and fragrant vegetables tied together with cooking twine, or in a sachet of cheesecloth (like a teabag). There are two options:
Boquet Garni (tied together)
1 stalk of fresh thyme
3-4 stems fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
2-3 leek leaves
1 carrot
1 parsnip
Sachet d’epices (in cheesecloth)
1 stalk of fresh time
3-4 stems fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
1t peppercorns
1 garlic clove
Generally, your chosen aromatics are added 60 minutes before the end of cooking (with the exception of fish stock, which is added for the last 15-30 minutes of cooking).
Which aromatic should you use? Whichever works best for the end-dish you are preparing. The wild cards are really the peppercorns and the garlic. If you are adding a lot of garlic later on, it may be overkill to use a sachet d’epices. Does your end dish need extra spiciness? Then the peppercorns might work to your favor. I would say, when in doubt, go with the bouquet garni, until you have enough experience with stock.
All that being said, the real fun begins when you get to veggie stock.
Vegetable stock is often relegated to the outskirts of culinary thought – often considered bland and boring – but, it is really a blank canvas of a million potential flavors.
I make stock once a week (especially in the cooler months, as we eat a lot of soup). Since I usually end up using leftover vegetables either from the week before or from the recipes I’m creating for that week, so it actually saves me money because I don’t have to buy the boxed stuff (though I do keep a couple of boxes on-hand for emergencies).
Have you ever looked at what’s in boxed vegetable stock? It’s basically what you think: carrots, celery, onion, leek, tomato paste, mushrooms, garlic, and various herbs. All non-starchy vegetables, with some herbs for additional flavor.
In terms of flavors:
Carrots are sweet
Celery is sweet, and can be slightly bitter
Onions are sweet
Leeks are sweet
Tomato has umami (and acidity)
Mushrooms have umami
So, you have a couple of flavors going on in this basic stock. But, if you’ve ever had boxed vegetable stock on its own, it’s boring, and forgettable. It has none of the richness or comfort of a meat-based stock. And yet, it has so much more potential than meat stocks, because of all the possibilities for flavor.
To make a good vegetable stock, you have to have the right:
- amount of water
- ratios of veggies for your desired flavor
- amount of time to cook the veggies
The recipe for vegetable stock is as follows (and the boxed brand listed above fits this quite well):
Basic Vegetable Stock
5lbs non-starchy vegetables
5 quarts water
Cut veggies in 2” pieces. Place in salted water. Boil until desired flavor is reached.
That’s your canvas. It’s a big, blank, plain white one BEGGING to be painted on.
Here are some veggies you can use:
Celery (sweet, sometimes bitter)
Celery Root (sweet)
Carrot (sweet)
Onion (sweet)
Leek (sweet)
Mushroom, mushroom stem (umami)
Beets (sweet, earthy)
Greens – Chard, Kale (bitter) leaves not really recommended as stock ingredients, but stems can be used.
Radish (spicy)
Kohrabi (sweet, spicy)
Turnip (spicy)
If we continue the canvas metaphor (and don’t mind if I do), each ingredient would be a different color paint. We want to make sure of two things:
1) the flavors are in balance, OR we are highlighting the flavor that we want (not everything has to be in balance).
Remember, sweet balances spicy and bitter. Umami enhances sweetness. So, for example, if we were just to include the regular mirepoix ingredients (carrots, celery, onion), our broth would be very sweet. If we add mushrooms to that, it would be even more sweet – this is fine, so long as the REST of what is going in our soup balances out that sweetness.
2) we are highlighting the specific vegetable we want via the ratio of vegetables we use. Do you want a stronger onion flavor in your stock? Then, it may be wise to use more onions than other vegetables (judiciously, of course).
And, finally, no great painting becomes a classic without the special details to make it special:
- Boil onions with their outer skin. Not only you get more flavor, but also a deeper color as well.
- Want a deeper, stronger mushroom flavor? Use dried mushrooms in addition to fresh ones.
- Also, slicing a head of garlic in half length-wise and adding it to your stock.
- And, for the best trick ever, roast your veggies prior to adding them to the water. Simply coat them with good quality olive oil, salt, and place on a sheet pan in the oven under the broiler until darkened, and then add to your water.
Experiment. Play. Fail spectacularly. Try again. Rebel and find your own way. Make a new connection to your food.