Do you make your own stock?

This weekend I made shrimp stock and vegetable stock. Tonight I'm working on chicken stock. I should have made the chicken stock yesterday instead of starting it tonight after work..I'm going to be up for a while.

I like to have it on hand for sauces, rice, soups, etc. I always add a bit of parm reg rind to my stock.

Do you make your own? If so, what kind? Any secret ingredients you'd like to share?

Always!
Twice a year we buy a whole veal breast - 10-12 lbs- and make a primary stock, destined for demi-glace, and a secondary stock for braising.
In addition, we always have on hand poultry stock and fish stock.
The demi-glace, veal stock and poultry stock can be kept in the freezer for 6-8 months, the fish stock for 3 months.
We always have in the refrigerator a container of demi-glace and a container of poultry stock. Every 3-4 days we bring whatever is left to a boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Never had a problem with mould.

Most often, I buy a couple of chicken frames from the poulterer's shop and simmer them. After straining, I leave the stock in the fridge to cool down, and skim off the layer of fat. I usually use it straight away rather than storing is. Ideally, I'd like to have a supply of home made stock in the freezer but my powers of organisation don't extend that far.

For me, it depends on what I am doing. There are several uses for which I will just open a can. For example making Ragu, mixing the stock with all that tomato -- you need the meat flavor but it doesn't have to be elegant.

For certain Italian soups I will use store bought and refresh it with a few carrots, onion, celery, bay.

If I am doing something special -- soup for company, something French, something Keller -- I make it from scratch. In cold weather I usually have some home made chicken stock around. Actually I make a recipe that calls for turkey wings, you get a bit stronger stuff that way. For an unctuous and rich chicken stock I follow Keller and put in a pound of chicken feet. These are easy to find at the Chinese market.

This weekend I made shrimp stock and vegetable stock. Tonight I'm working on chicken stock. I should have made the chicken stock yesterday instead of starting it tonight after work..I'm going to be up for a while.

I like to have it on hand for sauces, rice, soups, etc. I always add a bit of parm reg rind to my stock.

Do you make your own? If so, what kind? Any secret ingredients you'd like to share?

Always begin with cold water and never salt stock. Avoid the strongly flavored vegetables and all starches in stock. Leave the skins on all vegetables for both flavor and color (you're going to strain the stock anyway).

Begin with the basics - carrot, celery, onion and a few whole (smashed) garlic cloves; then approximately two pounds of meats, chicken - whatever - trimmings, bones and scraps per gallon of water. Bay leaf, thyme, parsley and whole peppercorns are the traditional herbs and spice.

Usually I have home made chicken stock on had, but I am out. This time I am starting with turkey legs, wings, and chicken backs I've been saving, plus adding veggies and roasting the whole lot before I dump into the water. One time I added fresh ginger to my stock after straining and defatting. It was great, but you don't always want ginger. It did add a great touch.

Do any of you mix turkey and chicken parts? I find using whole chickens a waste of perfectly good meat. I usually can salvage enough to make enchiladas. Someone told me about using the turkey wings and legs, so am trying that this time.

One of my favorite stocks comes from "The Splendid Table" by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. If you have the book it's on pages 66-67. I'll just list the ingredients:

2 or 3 pounds meaty beef shank
8 to 9 pounds whole capon or turkey wings, chopped into 3 inch pieces
3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
4 very large unions, unpeeled (roots trimmed) chopped
2 large california bay laurel leaves, broken
3 sprigs Italian Parsley
2 large cloves garlic, unpeeled, crushed

This gives a really rich stock which tastes great in soups.

I've made stock from whole chicken or capon but it works to "rescue" some of the breast meat and other parts as they become done and tender. They contribute a little flavor to the broth and then the bones and other leftovers complete the job. When I started making broth my wife didn't want to let me throw out the "meat" at the end. Of course it is an empty husk by the time the broth is finished, like the cardboard in a PJ Bland's ad.

d'Artagnan makes a good demi-glace - http://www.dartagnan.com/item.asp?item=PENDG012

I make stock pretty much anytime we have a whole chicken or turkey. I've never done the demi-glace thing, though, and have wanted to try that for some time now.

[Jenise]

Always begin with cold water and never salt stock. Avoid the strongly flavored vegetables and all starches in stock. Leave the skins on all vegetables for both flavor and color (you're going to strain the stock anyway).

Have always followed your basic instructions, but lately have taken to occasionally added a yam to some poultry stocks. It doesn't cloud the liquid, and it adds a robustness as if the stock were made from roasted chicken vs. raw not to mention some great color.

Speaking of color, I endorse your comment about vegetable skins--yellow onion skins add fantastic color.

My wife frequently makes chicken stock. Usually adds onions, carrots, celery, and garlic (S&P as well of course).

I pretty much followed Chef's recipe. I collect vegetable trimmings, skins, etc in the freezer until I have enough to make a decent base for the vegetable stock, although I do add some fresher veggies as well. I usually use a whole chicken for the chicken stock, then use the meat for sandwiches, stews, etc. For the shrimp stock I save the shells, again in the freezer, until I have a pound or two. I then cook them in oil with some leeks to get them a nice dark color. It really pulls out the flavor from the shells.

I opened my freezer last night to admire the jars all lined up like little soldiers just chock full of stock, waiting for deployment. Sadly, 4 pints of shrimp stock were ruined. The glass canning jars I used cracked, and cracked badly. I must have filled them too full, although I tried to be cautious. I still have 4 1/2 pints though.

This weekend I'm going to make beef stock.

I've never made veal stock. Isn't that considered the go-to stock in most professional kitchens? Because it's somewhat neutral? If I keep my stock momentum going and have the freezer space, maybe I should try my hand at that as well.

When I make stock, I chill it down and put 2 cups each in sandwich size ziplocks to freeze. Glass jars will most likely break when frozen. -RP

I believe it is written in Leviticus: He or she who maketh not his or her own stock is committing an abomination.

Nothing difficult about making stock for both immediate and later use and having a variety of stocks at hand (brown and white; veal, chicken, beef, fish, seafood, vegetarian and others) is one of the best ways to go for future cookery in general and for sauces in particular. Best of all, there is no stock that cannot be comfortably frozen for later use.

Best
Rogov

Yes, but I've recently been buying demi glace that is cheaper and as good as home made so its becoming a bit of a cost/time/benefit analysis. I can buy two nice containers of demi glace for $10 and I find myself lately spending more than $10 on the bones, vegetables, wine, etc. Of course, if you have bones saved in the freezer from various things or fish heads from a fishing trip then it makes more sense to make it than buy it.

Tom, Hi....

Curious if I may....is the demi-glace you buy jarred, tinned, made fresh by a gourmet shop????? And is it truly a demi-glace or merely what some refer to as "brown sauce"?

Best
Rogov

Its not in a jar or tin. Its in a small plastic container. Its demi glace not brown sauce.

The brand I usually buy is More Than Gourment.

Its great when you don't have bones on hand and, as I said, I can buy two containers of this for the same price or less than all the ingredients for stock. Two containers make enough sauce for the entree for a dinner party of 8 leaving you some leftover for the next day.

http://www.morethangourmet.com/products.htm

Thanks, Tom....

From the list of ingredients it looks completely natural. Wish something like that were available here. Although its easy enough to make stock it's a long, long story to make demi glace in the traditional way.

Best
Rogov

Although its easy enough to make stock it's a long, long story to make demi glace in the traditional way.

I agree. My wife thinks I'm nuts when I have a dinner party on Saturday and I start on Monday and end up with demi glace by Friday.

Yep, I sure do make my own stock. Usually just beef, vegetable or chicken though. I make demi glace and glace de viande as well. Over the winter a friend and I made glace de viande with veal neck bones. It was outstanding.

I make my own stock on a more or less continual basis. To do this, I maintain vegetable scraps and (separately) mixed poultry and game bones/carcases in the freezer. To make a game stock, I use a low simmer and add whole onion, carrot, celery and a bouquet garni of celery leaves, parsley and bay leaf. I package in 1 qt containers and freeze.

Mark Lipton

I just finished my first stock making project for this year. This time I used huge turkey legs and wings with a bunch of chicken backs thrown in. I also added a little fresh rosemary and thyme from my garden. I have cleaned all the meat off the bones and it is still very moist and tasty, so after cleaning it up, I decided I'd make two batches of turkey enchiladas this weekend. One for us to eat and another for the freezer, for an RV trip.

I have the stock cooling on the counter and will refrigerate it overnight and remove the resulting coagulated fat in the morning. It turned out really tasty. Sometimes I wonder if it is worth all the work. I think the home made gives the final food recipe a richer taste, yet other times, I've thought the stock tasted like dishwater....weird. Sometimes it is more flavorful than others, but I think the turkey gives a richer flavor. And I like the fact that I was able to use most all the meat from the bones. I always use a potato masher to squeeze the veggies in a colander and get out all the juice from the onions, garlic, celery and carrots. I saved some of the mashed veggies to add to our dog's food....plus some of the soft bone like tissue from the turkey for him. He was drooling and growling at me as I was prepping his stuff...he knew!

I can buy two containers of this for the same price or less than all the ingredients for stock. Two containers make enough sauce for the entree for a dinner party of 8 leaving you some leftover for the next day.

http://www.morethangourmet.com/products.htm

Tom, I went to the site and they offer an array of sauces in the 1.5 or 16oz versions. If one buys the 16oz version, how long, and how, can you store this?

Drew

how long, and how, can you store this? Drew

I'm not really sure. When I buy it I use it within a few days. That is, I buy it on Wed or Thurs for a Sat dinner party when I don't have stock on hand to reduce.

Do you make your own?

No, I usually buy stock when it is already on the way down.

Oh, you mean cooking tyoe stocks. Yup, and freeze them for future use. But I am not organized enough and should have more available in the freezer!