Out of stock?

Stock also called broth or bouillon, is a flavorful liquid made by gently cooking meat, chicken or fish (with bones) in water and used for making sauces, soups, glaces and can be used for braising or poaching. I have read that in order for this liquid to be called stock, it must be made with bones therefore there is no such thing as vegetable stock. Not so sure this is true but sounds interesting. I have also read that the term comes from professional chefs keeping this important liquid ingredient "in stock" until they need it to cook with.

The difference between broth and stock is one of both cultural and colloquial terminology but certain definitions prevail. Stock is the thin liquid produced by simmering raw ingredients: solids are removed, leaving a thin, highly-flavored liquid. This gives classic stock as made from beef, veal, chicken, fish and vegetable stock. Broth differs in that it is a basic soup where the solid pieces of flavoring meat or fish, along with some vegetables, remain. It is often made more substantial by adding starches such as rice, barley or pulses.

Stocks are prepared specifically for use in other recipes (sauces, soups, stews, rice, etc.) Stocks are lightly or never salted in their preparation or the finished dish will most likely end up too salty due to reduction that will take place upon further cooking.

Stocks are usually simmered for a very long time (4-6 hours for chicken & 8-12 for veal/beef) to extract maximum flavor and gelatin from the bones.

Broths aren't usually cooked nearly as long due to the fact that cooking the meat for extended periods (even chicken surrounded by the liquid) will result in tough, flavorless meat.

Vegetable Stock

I find the basic flavor of a good vegetable stock very handy and use it in many dishes.  When deglazing pans, especially when using cream and cheeses in a dish, it cuts the richness of the sauce without compromising on flavor.  I make a big batch of stock and freeze in separate portions for later use.  A handy tip is to pore the stock into an ice tray and simply defrost the ice cubes as u go along.  


Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

½ onion, diced

½ leek, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 small bulb fennel, diced

3 garlic cloves, left whole and gently crushed

about 20 black peppercorns

8-10 button mushrooms

1 stick celery, diced

3 tomatoes, diced

3-4 fresh parsley stalks, roughly torn

To make the vegetable stock, add the olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pan or stockpot over a medium heat. Add the onion, leek, carrot and fennel and sweat for 2-3 minutes.

Add enough cold water to generously cover the vegetables and turn up the heat to high.

Add the garlic, peppercorns, mushrooms, celery, tomatoes and parsley and stir together. Bring to the boil and boil gently for 15 minutes. Pour the stock through a sieve. Discard the vegetable pieces or reserve for another use. The liquid stock is ready to be used. It can be stored in the fridge for up to three days or frozen in batches for future use.

7 tips for full-flavored vegetable stock

i. chop fine

When I make meat based stock I tend to just roughly hack the veg and not bother to peel even the onions. When you’re looking to maximise the flavour from your vegetables, however, a finer dice is better as it increases the amount of surface area in contact with the water – so it’s easier for the flavours to be infused into the broth. You don’t need to go too crazy – it’s up to you how much time you’re prepared to spend cutting.

ii. lightly brown your aromatics

Sweating your aromatic veg – the onion, celery and carrot helps them develop sweeter flavours with more complexity to add to your stock rather than just chucking them in raw.

iii. be generous with the mushrooms

Mushrooms contain intrinsically high levels of glutamic acid which makes them little powerhouses of flavour enhancing goodness – we’re talking natural MSG that imparts those lovely savoury, umami-type flavours.

iv. go for tomato

Tomatoes are another great source of savoury goodness. The colour they bring can be quite attractive, unless you want a neutral stock.

v. start with cold water

Different flavour components have different levels of solubility in water at different temperatures. By starting cold and slowly increasing the heat, you can be sure that all the flavours have had a chance to be extracted at their preferred temperature.

vi. let it simmer

To further extract all the flavour goodness, letting the vegetables gently simmer is optimum. Too high a heat and you can boil off some of the more delicate flavours, too low and you won’t coax all the flavour out of your veg.

vii. taste as you go

I find it helpful to take a little sample at regular intervals and taste the stock. It’s then fun to keep samples from different times so you can taste them all together at the end and see how the flavour of your stock has developed over time. It also helps you decide when to stop cooking: when the flavour isn’t tasting any stronger between samples.

More info

Consomme: a fortified and clarified stock. The stock is fortified in flavor by the addition of a "raft" which is a combination of lean ground meat (appropriate to the type of stock being used) with brunoise (1/16 inch) mirepoix (carrots, onions, celery), and egg whites. The raft mixture is stirred into the cold stock and as it gently heats, the proteins coagulate forming a "raft" on top of the stock. A small hole is poked in the center (if one hasn't already formed) and as the stock bubbles through the hole it leaches back through the ground meat/egg white raft which filters out impurities to clarify the stock and fortify it with flavor.

Bouillon: French word for broth.

Court Bouillon: sometimes called a "short broth". A poaching liquid usually used for fish that is usually comprised of water, acid (lemon juice, vinegar, wine), parsley stems, bay leaves, peppercorns, and some salt.

When to use Stock vs. Broth: Use stock when a sauce is to be reduced significantly or when clarity of the final result is preferred.

Broths can be substituted for stock when the body of the liquid or clarity isn't important, and when the liquid will be thickened by addition of a starch.