STOCK Options

[Deleted]

I was pleasantly reminded of the exceedingly vast difference between using homemade stocks in cooking while I was on holiday. I know all this however, have found myself rather lazy in this department and often resort to canned broths etc. for a substitute for the real thing.How many of us use the real thing and please any pointers if you have them regarding such. Thanks.

[imec]

When I see chickens on sale I put a couple in the stock pot with onion, celery and carrot and poach them. When the chicken is done, I remove all of the meat and either chill it for use in a salad or use it right away for a casserole (Chicken and Dumplings e.g.). If you need a stronger stock, you can then chuck the carcasses back in and simmer for as long as you like.

[cristina]

I agree that homemade stocks are always better but like you, casimira, I tend towards laziness more often than not. I no longer eat chicken but when I did, I was usually a bit more disciplined and would do as imec and when I found chicken on sale would bring it home and immediately cook it with carrot, celery and onion and then freeze the broth.

I have found a brand of stocks/broths that aren't too bad and are not so salty that I tend to keep on hand.

I also try to hold on to vegetable skins and other discards in the freezer. When I have amassed a reasonable supply, I make vegetable broth, which I then freeze. But I only do this once every 6 months or so and I need to get better about doing it more often.

[Deleted]

I don't think canned broth is even sold in France. However, there is a gigantic variety of "cubes" on sale for people who need that shortcut.

[lagatta]

I have never seen canned or boxed stock/broth in France or in Italy. Those cubes are so salty. Sometimes I add half of one to some real stock for a flavour boost though. If you like strong meat flavours, you can get mutton-flavoured cubes at Maghrebi/Middle Eastern shops.

Making effortless stock is one of the main reasons I picked up my crockpot. I can get very good bones from a butcher's at the market. I also buy a few grain-fed chicken legs, simmer them until they are done with the bones, then bone the meat and toss those bones back in (with an onion, celery, a carrot etc). The slow cooker uses far less energy than doing it on the stovetop, important for those who live in areas where energy is expensive.

[bixaorellana]

I will not use cubes or granules any more, since they're largely made from msg and sugar. It's really better to simply add a little more salt than those cubes.

A question ~~ stock is really the stuff that starts with browning bones in the oven, right? And broth is what one gets from boiling any kind of meat on top of the stove. Am I correct?

[hwinpp]

Sept 24, 2009 16:49:50 GMT bixaorellana said:

...

A question ~~ stock is really the stuff that starts with browning bones in the oven, right? And broth is what one gets from boiling any kind of meat on top of the stove. Am I correct?

Never heard of the 'browning bones in ovens' bit. Wouldn't the stock become less clear? Probably not brown just not clear...

Is there a difference between stock and broth?

[bixaorellana]

I just looked it up in Joy of Cooking, and apparently they are the same thing. I believe browning the bones is the classic way to make beef stock/broth.

[Deleted]

As far as I know, there is just one word for broth/stock in French: bouillon, from the verb bouillir, to boil.

[bixaorellana]

Well, there are court bouillons, about which Joy of Cooking says, "The are not actual broths or stocks in themselves, but rather prototypes that may develop into them."

[Deleted]

Yes, a court bouillon is not at all the same thing. They are usually just thrown away after cooking the main item, such as when one boils crab or shrimp.

[bixaorellana]

I always thought court bouillon was this, until I grew up and started reading cookbooks.

[lagatta]

It is that, in Cajun cuisine. Les mots voyagent; it is perfectly normal that a French word might take on a slightly different meaning in Louisiana, Québec or in countries where French is an official or much-used average, just as happens in English and in Spanish. ¡Tortilla! The original meaning is that the boiling TIME is short - just what is needed to cook seafood (usually), and even if using seafood shells, carapaces and scraps to make a stock, it is important not to boil them down too much as it can make for a bitter stock. The Cajun recipe seems to take it as meaning the bullion itself is short - reduced, thick.

Mmm that recipe looks tasty. Have you made it?

[bixaorellana]

I've made courtbouillon, but not with that recipe. I would never make the roux apart, for instance, nor julienne the vegetables. Still, I picked that one to show because it should make a lovely courtbouillon.

The site overall is nice, and includes stock recipes, such as this one for crawfish stock. (there's a link to a shrimp stock on the same page)

And speaking of sites and links ............. be sure to check out the AnyPort newsfader and click on the great links there!

[lagatta]

Yes, I've seen them. They look lovely. Just glanced at them though, because I'm over my head with a work project. Freedom 95 and all that! Just popping in here and another site I'm a regular at, just to see a world beyond the conference I'm writing about.

[Deleted]

In an article I read while on holiday and finally relocated amidst the piles of stuff I packed up and mailed, this is what I found in a piece on the topic: (from Saveur magazine);

"Called 'fonds' or foundations,the pyramid of the classic French sauce system is built upon them.
Like all basic cooking,they are made with recipes that stipulate ingredients,technique and cooking times.
Classically,there are two basic types of stock,regardless of ingredients and flavorings: brown stocks and white stocks. Brown stocks are brown because their solid components--bones,meat and vegetables are oven-roasted before being immersed in cold water and brought to a simmer. In addition to creating a warm caramel color essential for for certain sauces, such as a bourguignonne sauce,brown sauces are richer in flavor. A meatless vegetable stock can also be browned. White stocks are used in white sauces,such as a white mushroom sauce, or for clearer soups."
The article goes on to describe how these are made if anyone is interested.
The piece also describes how brown veal stock ,reduced to a demiglace,can be stored in cubes.
There is also a description of how to make a 'fumet',a fish stock.

[auntieannie]

It is my ambition to make some stock, reduce it to a thick paste and put it in my food drier to preserve.

[Deleted]

Are you trying to put Maggi out of business?

[auntieannie]

haha! no, just for my own use. And I don't use maggi, I currently use the better organic options.

[lagatta]

I was sure that there was a thread about "bones", but this one is appropriate. I'm making a seasonal minestrone (meal soup, or soupy stew) and didn't find any cheap leftover bits of ham etc but did find a lovely package of pintade (guinea hen) "bones" which actually included at least two necks with all their flesh, at least four wings idem, and quite a lot of flesh clinging to the other bones. I decided that the best way to get the good meaty bits would be to braise the lot (I had about a cup of leftover wine). Did that in the wine, eventually added a bit of water and lemon juice. Lovely bits. So now I'm braising the rest of the bones and now that there is a nice deep stock, have added the dark-green tough parts of a leek I cooked yesterday, which will also go into the soup. Well, not directly; only their broth.

This is a bit over-elaborate, but doesn't really take much time except washing the pots, and there is nothing stuck on.

I'm glad no local Haitian ladies beat me to these meaty bones! They make such wondrful food from "nothing".