Fun Fearless Foodie

A huge batch of chicken stock being made at FCI

When I started working on my “Secrets of a student chef” series I had all the best intentions that I would be able to put out a new lesson every week, and while things started off well, that crazy thing we call life got in the way once again.  For not long after I hatched my idea for sharing some practical and usable knowledge from culinary school I was offered an internship at the food industry staple Food Arts magazine.  I have been adjusting myself back into the 9-5 (plus school) life I joyously walked away from six months ago and have been reporting to duty as an editorial assistant.  It has been a very educational experience thus far and one that I hope will open some bigger doors for me down the road.

Food Arts is a trade publication for chefs, restaurateurs, and hospitality professionals and features the who’s who and what’s what of the food and hotel biz.  So for those of you who follow me on Twitter and have wondered about my recent spike in activity, it’s because I spend my days researching all things food and can’t help but share the good stuff.  With that, I will stop making excuses and bring you my next installment of “Secrets of a student chef”, a crash-course on making and using stocks.  Just in time for Thanksgiving, this lesson will help you get ready for the ultimate stock-using foodie holiday.

What are stocks and why do I need them?

According to Larousse Gastronomique, a stock is “a flavored liquid base for making a sauce, stew, or braised dish.” Stocks have long been used in cooking across many cultures as a way to enhance the flavor of dishes prepared using a liquid cooking medium.  Stocks are as critical to your pantry as salt, pepper, and butter as they provide a base level of flavor, and in many cases body, which just can’t be achieved with water.

What is the difference between stocks and broths? Are they interchangeable?

Food magazines and cookbooks are notorious for listing “chicken broth” and “chicken stock” interchangeably as if there is absolutely no difference between the two.  If you knew nothing about stocks and broths you would know after five seconds of weary-eyed gazing in the soup section of your grocery store that there has to be based on cost alone.  Stocks are always more expensive than broths, sometimes three times as much.  And if you still weren’t convinced, a side-by-side pour would make things crystal, well maybe cloudy, clear.

Stocks are made using animal bones and meat (with the exception of vegetable stock of course) that are either used raw or roasted, mirepoix (a mixture of aromatic vegetables like carrots, celery, and onions) a bouquet garni (herbs, peppercorns, garlic), and water.  The mixture is cooked low and slow, sometimes for several hours, skimmed of any residual fat and impurities, and strained.  Broth, on the other hand, is made using only animal meat, no bones, and is prepared in a similar fashion.  The difference may sound subtle, but using bones allows the gelatin found naturally in animal bones to meld into the stock, giving it the distinct body and flavor that sets it apart from broth.  When you think about the ratio of bones to meat on an animal it becomes apparent that more bones will be needed to produce the same quantity of liquid you could get from meat, hence the higher cost.

So what does this mean for you?  Can you use them interchangeably?  The short answer: of course.  But the reality is you will always get more depth of flavor and enhanced body by using stock.  How you decide is up to you, but as my chef-instructor Phil Burgess says, “don’t be afraid of flavor!”

Why should I make my own stock?

If you’ve ever watched The Barefoot Contessa or read one of Ina Garten’s books you’ll notice she always calls for homemade chicken stock. There’s a reason for that.  Just as with almost all homemade vs. store-bought food debates, homemade is always better.  The reason is simple—you control the quality and freshness of the ingredients going into it. You also control the amount of salt (which should be none).  Even “low sodium” stocks and broths are packed with more sodium than you need.  The purpose of using them is to establish a foundation of flavor, not add salt, that is for you to incorporate throughout the cooking process.

Making your own stock also allows you to utilize scraps from chicken, beef, and vegetables instead of just tossing them.  If you buy a whole chicken you can use the gizzards, and if you don’t want the wings, those too.  Cleaning off a cut of beef? Those extra bones and undesirable pieces can be the foundation for a beef stock.  You may not have enough to make a batch of stock right away, but my trick is to freeze the left over pieces wrapped in plastic inside a freezer bag, and when I have collected enough bones, I make a stock!  It’s all about preventing waste and stretching your food dollars.

When should I go store-bought?

There are of course times when buying prepared stocks and broths makes the most sense.  Time is the most obvious justification.  While simple in preparation, homemade stock can take a few hours, and for many of us, that’s just not a realistic proposition when we need to get a meal on the table fast.  I always have a *quart of stock in my pantry, as you never know when you’ll need it.

Veal stock would be the other exception.  Perched at the top of the flavor scale, veal stock is the most flavorful and full-bodied stock you can use.  In restaurant kitchens, veal stock is the base of almost all the meaty dishes. Made using veal bones—which are not readily available unless you ask your butcher—and cooked for 8-10 hours, it’s really not a worthwhile process for the home cook.  Unfortunately, it’s also not that easy to find prepared.  Gourmet grocers and places like Whole Foods should carry it, but if you don’t see it on your shelves, ask the store manager if it’s something that can start, stocking.

*My top pick for prepared stocks, based on both quality and price, is Cooking Basics Unsalted.

How can I use stock?

As I mentioned above, stocks are the foundation of flavor for a variety of cooking methods and can almost always be used in place of water (even pasta! Check out the post I wrote on cooking pasta in the style of risotto).  Here is a list of some usefull ways stocks can enhace the taste of your dishes:

• Rice: Whether making a pot of basic long grain white rice or a creamy bowl of risotto with arborio, stocks will give rice, which is typically bland, a punch of flavor. This can also be a healthy choice too, as it won’t need as much butter, or any for that matter.
• Deglazing: If you are doing a quick saute of vegetables, fish, or chicken you can deglaze (or loosen the good bits stuck to the pan) with some stock to not only release more flavor, but make a simple pan sauce by reducing the stock down until it has a nice consistency that naps the back of your spoon.
• Braising: Braising may be my favorite cooking method.  You can take a tough cut of meat like short ribs, chicken thighs, or pork shoulder, sear it on all sides, pour in enough stock to cover it half way, and let it simmer low and slow until the meat is super tender.  There will be a whole lesson on braising in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!
• Soups: Making homemade soup is a special treat, nothing in a can compares to the flavor and quality, or the wonderful aroma that will fill your kitchen.  Using a homemade stock will give your soup a fresh taste with nice body and won’t have you drinking ten glasses of water to combat the sodium overload.
• Sauces: Almost all classic french sauces begin with a stock.  Whether Bearnaise, veloute, or white wine sauce, a good quality stock is essential to making a successful sauce.  Look out for a future lesson on the french “mother sauces” and how they are simpler than you think!

I could have created a list pages long with every possible use for stock, but hopefully you have gotten the basic idea about what they are and why they should matter to any home cook.  While most of us will likely go store-bought this holiday season, you owe it to yourself at some point to make a batch of homemade stock so you can enjoy the process and taste the difference.  When that time comes, try my recipe for chicken stock below!

Homemade Chicken Stock

For this recipe you can use a collection of bones and scraps you’ve kept in the freezer, or buy a pack of chicken wings and thighs, parts of the chicken that pack a lot of bone and flavor and are the least expensive.  Don’t bother using chicken breasts for stocks, they have very little fat and flavor and are better off being roasted to eat.  When possible, buy organic.

I have written this recipe as a blueprint for homemade stock, specific measurements are really going to depend on what you have available.  Assume that the amount of water you put in will reduce down by approximately 25%, so plan accordingly based on how much stock you need.  The ratio of bones to mirepoix should be 10:1, but it is certainly OK to eyeball this.  The more mirepoix you add the more flavor it will have, but be aware of the amount of carrots as they add a lot of sweetness.  Same goes for the bouquet ingredients.

Ingredients

• Chicken bones and meat
• water

Mirepoix

• carrots, large dice
• onions, large dice
• celery, large dice
• leeks (white part only), large dice

Bouquet garni (wrapping in cheesecloth not necessary)

• garlic cloves
• bay leaf
• black peppercorns
• parsley stems

Directions

1. Place all the chicken in a bowl in your sink and cover with cold, running water.  This is to degorge the bones, or remove any excess blood and impurities from the chicken. Place the cleaned chicken in a large stock pot or enamel coated dutch oven and cover with cold water, enough to cover all the chicken by about 2-3 inches.
2. Bring the pot to a boil, all the while skimming off any foam and impurities that float to the top.  Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and add in your mirepoix and bouquet garni ingredients.  Continue cooking at a simmer for about 2 -3 hours, skimming frequently, until the broth has a golden color and a light chicken flavor.  It’s not going to taste like much, and that’s the point.
3. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a metal pot or container if you have one (helps cool faster than plastic) and let cool to room temperature.  Transfer the cooled stock into storage containers and seal well.  Be sure to label the containers with the date and the quantity.  If storing in your refrigerator, use within seven days.  If freezing, use within two months.

To use

It is natural for fat to rise to the top of the containers after it has chilled. You can easily spoon off the excess fat once the stock is cooled and discard before use.  It is important to test the freshness of your stock before using it to make sure it has not gone bad before you incorporate it into your food.  To test, bring a small amount of stock to a boil in a pot and taste it to ensure it doesn’t have a rancid smell or flavor.