Basic White Stock Food

BASIC WHITE STOCK

Steps:

• If using beef or veal bones, they should be cut into 3-4 inch pieces.
• Rinse bones in cold water.
• Blanch the bones; place them in a stock pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil.
• Drain and rinse.
• Place the bones in the stock pot and cover with cold water.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and skim the scum carefully.
• Prepare the sachet by placing the bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, parsley stems and whole clove in a square of cheesecloth.
• Tie with a string, leaving one end long enough to tie to the handle of the stockpot.
• Add the onions, carrots, celery and sachet to the stock pot.
• Simmer for required length of time: Chicken 3-4 hours.
• Beef and veal 6-8 hours.
• Skim as necessary.
• Add water if necessary to keep bones covered.
• Strain through a china cap lined with several layers of cheesecloth.
• Cool the stock, vented, in a water bath and refrigerate.

BASIC BROWN STOCK

Steps:

• Roast the bones in a 400 degree F oven for about 2 hours, watch so they don't burn, just want them toasty brown not blackened.
• Put bones in soup pot.
• Add 1 quart of water for each pound of bones.
• For 5 pounds add 1 bunch of carrots, 1 head celery, and 3 yellow onions.
• Bring the stock to a heavy simmer, uncovered, and cook for 12 hours.
• Add water if needed.
• DO NOT ADD SALT!
• Strain the stock and store in fridge.
• A layer of fat will form on top.
• Leave this in place to help seal the stock from air until ready to use.
• This stock will be gelatinous.
• If not using all in several days, I place some in vaccum bags and seal for freezing.

CHICKEN, VEAL, OR BEEF WHITE STOCK RECIPE

Steps:

• Rinse the bones in cold water.
• Transfer the bones to a heavy-bottomed stockpot.
• Add enough cold water to the pot to completely cover the bones. Estimate a quart of water for each pound of bones.
• Bring the pot to a boil.
• Drain and rinse bones.
• Return the blanched bones to the pot and again cover with fresh, cold water.
• Bring the pot to a boil, then immediately lower the heat to a simmer .
• Skim off the scum that rises to the surface.
• Prepare the sachet , tying the ingredients (thyme, parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, clove) inside a piece of cheesecloth with twine, leaving a long tail of twine.
• Chop the carrots, celery, and onion .
• Add the chopped carrots, celery, and onion to the pot along with your sachet; tie the sachet string to the stockpot handle for easy retrieval later.
• Continue to simmer the stock and skim the impurities that rise to the surface. The liquid will evaporate, so make sure there's always enough water to cover the bones.
• After 4 to 6 hours, remove the pot from the heat.
• Strain the stock through a sieve lined with a few layers of cheesecloth. Cool the stock quickly, using an ice bath if necessary.

HOW TO MAKE A WHITE STOCK

Steps:

• Rinse the bones and place them in a large stock pot. Add cold water to the pot and bring it to a boil; roughly 30 minutes. Carefully drain the bones and rinse them under running water. If you're reusing the same stock pot, quickly wash it out to remove any scum.
• Place the bones back in the stock pot and cover them with three quarts of cold water. Heat the stock over medium heat avoiding letting the stock boil. Reduce the heat as needed to keep it at a simmer. Gently skim the scum off the top as needed.
• Trying not to aggravate the stock, slowly add in the onions, celery, and sachet. Add water as needed to keep the bones submerged.
• Cooking times vary depending on the type of bones you add. See below for my recommendations.*
• Remove the stock from the heat, skim away any scum, and gently add up to 2 cups of cold water. Let sit for 10 Minutes. Skim away any additional scum that rises to the top.
• Carefully strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth and cool the stock in a food-safe way, like in a cold-water bath. This recipe should yield about 2 quarts of white stock.

WHITE STOCK

Steps:

• Cut veal from bone.
• Combine water, veal meat, veal bone, chicken, vegetables, and salt in a stock pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 hours.
• Strain stock, and let cool. Discard vegetables and bones, use veal and chicken as desired.

BASIC CHICKEN STOCK RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine chicken, water, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and parsley in a large stockpot and bring to a simmer over low heat. Lower heat, maintaining a very gentle simmer, and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes. Strain stock through a fine-mesh strainer, let cool, then transfer to containers and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 6 hours. Skim off and remove any fat and scum on the surface. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months. If stock is thin even after being fully refrigerated, add optional gelatin solution to stock and bring to a boil until fully dissolved, then refrigerate or freeze.

WHITE CHICKEN STOCK

Steps:

• Place chicken wings in bottom of large stockpot. Tie together the legs of the chicken with a piece of kitchen twine. Place whole chicken in pot on top of wings. Scatter remaining ingredients around chicken and pour on the wine. Add cold water to cover chicken generously, by about 3 inches. Bring pot to a simmer over high heat, then skim any foam that may have accumulated on the surface with a ladle and reduce the heat to low. Cook at a bare simmer for 1 hour, skimming foam and fat frequently and regulating the heat so the stock does not boil. After 1 hour, remove the whole chicken and let it cool enough to be handled. Cut apart the chicken and remove the meat; reserve for another use. Throw out large pieces of skin and return the bones to the still simmering stockpot. Continue to barely simmer the stock 2 hours. Strain through a coarse sieve into a large metal bowl and cool 2 hours at room temperature, then refrigerate uncovered until chilled. Cover and store up to 2 days before either using or reducing and freezing.
• To reduce and freeze, remove any congealed fat from the cold stock then empty it into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat then lower heat to medium and reduce stock at a lively simmer until half the original volume. Skim as necessary. When well reduced, allow to cool then pour through fine mesh strainer into small freezer containers, label and freeze. To use, add an equal quantity of water to the thawed chicken stock.
• Making excellent stock requires paying attention to a few simple rules. To ensure clear stock, use cold water, skim frequently, and never let the stock boil, which would incorporate fat and particles in the liquid. Keep the stock at just barely a simmer so that it smiles, bubbling gently and occasionally. In this manner your chicken meat will be tender and moistly poached as well. Use plenty of aromatic vegetables to give the stock a good flavor base, and use a large stewing hen which has more flavor than younger birds. Extra chicken wings enhance the stock.
• This recipe yields about 4-6 quarts of stock depending on how rich you like it, as well as a good amount of poached chicken meat. Use it for chicken salad or tacos, etc., or freeze it to use when you reconstitute the broth and turn it into an improvised soup.