LETS talk about stocks...

STIX001

How many of you out there make your own stock?
i would put a good wager of cash in saying very very few...

id like to put an end to the myth that stocks are awkward and time
consuming and not worth the effort when we have OXO and Knorr
cubes and now even liquid stock ready prepared( basicly the cubes
and water already mixed for you and charged at a ridiculous price)
just look at the ingredients list on the box of cubes, half the additives, artificial flavourings i cant
even pronounce!

do me one favour and throw those cubes away!!

stocks are so easy to make and to store and taste sooo much better
than the cubes,and alot cheaper in the long run.

the 4 main stocks are:

Chicken stock
beef stock
vegetable stock
fish stock

lets make this very simple, a stock is a liquid that is used as a base to enhance the flavour of the sauce or dish you are cooking
so as a BASE it should be BASIC and not full of additives and flavourings
and god knows what...

heres what you need to make a basic beef stock:

2 litres of water,
1kg beef bones, available at your local butcher for next to nothing
2 medium onions
2 medium carrots
1 medium leek,
1 stick of celery,
1 tbsp chopped thyme,
2ml red wine,
1 tbsp tomato paste

roast the bones in the oven for 20-30mins at 190oC untill very brown(the browner the better)
add the veg for the last 10 mins
add all to pot of water,season lightly simmer for 2 and a half hours and thats it! then heres the best part,
get some freezer bags, freeze into 200ml portions stick in ur freezer and uv fresh stock to use when ever u want!

for chicken stock its exactly the same minus the tomato paste and red wine, and beef, and roast off 1 kg of chicken carcass(also available
dirt cheap from your butcher)

isnt it easy?

imeddyhobbs

stocks are too salty,spoils good food.

STIX001

i presume u mean stock cubes and yes your right if thats the case.
fresh stocks are as salty as u make them

Minder

Been making stocks for years. The best part of buying whole chickens is the leftovers make excellent stock. For fish stock, I save up all the scraps of raw fish and prawn shells in the freezer until I have enough to make a good broth. Flavour with pastis, fennel seeds, tomato puree, star anise, a bit of dried orange peel. Makes a great base for fish soup.

The Sweeper

I make my own stock all the time. Make thai soup - simmer a whole chicken for an hour or so depending on the size, with lemongrass, ginger, garlic and lime leaves, and use that stock to make soup, then strip the skin and meat from the bones - the meat goes back into the soup, and the skin and bones can be simmered again for another stock - just did it today, in fact.

noby

There are good stock cubes to be had, and I make no excuses for using them.
Other than that I usually make chicken stock from the left-over carcass. Keep it simple - no salt, no bay leaves. If it's in the fridge for 3-4 days, re-boil it and you'll get another 3-4 days from it.

The Sweeper

In fairness I virtually never make stock from anything other than chickens, and rely on these low-salt cartons of pasteurised stock you can buy here for beef, lamb, fish and vegetable. I should make my own beef stock actaully, they sell the stock bones here for pennies.

BaZmO*

STIX001 wrote: »

2ml red wine

Are you sure 2ml is going to have any significant affect on a stock?

Surely there's some zero's missing?

noby

BaZmO* wrote: »

Are you sure 2ml is going to have any significant affect on a stock?

Surely there's some zero's missing?

That sounds right to me. 2ml into the stock, the rest of the bottle for the chef.

BaZmO*

noby wrote: »

That sounds right to me. 2ml into the stock, the rest of the bottle for the chef.

Haha. It's be guaranteed to taste nice then!

STIX001

indeed theres a zero missing! 200ml is what i meant!
sorry about that.

id generally leave bay leaves out of a chicken stock,
a great trick to beef or chicken stock is too roast some garlic cloves
with the skin on at about 190oc, untill the flesh starts to swell out and turn brown,
the flavour is so dense yet not over powering like raw garlic it adds
a great depth of flavour, i rely on it for giving my gravy that little extra

catspring

big fan of homemade stocks here too. i like to pour mine into ice-cube bags and freeze. a couple of these tends to be enough if you're only cooking for one person, or for cookin veg in, or deglazing a pan
viva la revolution!!

Minder

I like duck stock. When we have a roast duck, the bones and leftovers are used to make a rich deep stock. A couple of star anise add an exotic flavour and it is great for making chinese noodle soups.

neuro-praxis

All of my home-made stocks have been really tasteless, with the exception of the water I cooked my ham in.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

noby

Mabye if you tell us what you're doing people might be able to help.

STIX001

the biggest mistake people make when making a stock is they use too much water to simmer or it is not left long enough to reduce down,
the longer a stock is left to simmer the more concentrated and hence stronger the flavour will be, if you think u have used too put much water
just let it boil for twice as long and the water will steam itself away