A good stock is the bedrock of many a warming winter meal. Soups, stews, sauces and gravies, curries and stir fries, and risottos—all owe the foundations of their flavors to a well-prepared steaming pot of broth. Making your own gives you a more complex product than anything you can buy at the store, and it’s a great way to use leftovers or veggies growing limp in your fridge. It’s also really easy, provided you do it right. Here are three common errors people make when making stock, and how to fix them, so yours always comes out ready to rock.
MISTAKE #1: TOO HOT IN HERE
A rich, full-bodied broth comes from the conversion of connective tissue (mainly collagen) into gelatin through the application of heat in the presence of moisture. The hotter you cook the stock, the faster you convert collagen into gelatin. Cooking low and slow gives you good conversion while preventing fat, minerals and other gunk from emulsifying into your stock. Boiled stock will be cloudy, greasy and have a lower yield. To avoid that, start with cold water and your bones (or veggies, if you’re going vegetarian) and put over high heat. When the liquid just starts to come to a simmer, turn it down so that only one or two bubbles at a time rise up to the surface. Alternatively, you can place your pot straight into a 200˚F oven and allow it to come up to temperature that way.
MISTAKE #2: ALL INGREDIENTS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL
When it comes to cooking time at least. There’s a limit to how much flavor a given ingredient will impart—past that, extra time just turns everything to mush. Big beef or lamb bones can be cooked for up to eight hours, or overnight. Chicken bones are more like four to six. Veggies give up all their flavor in about an hour. So if you’re making a meat stock, use only bones and water for the majority of the cooking time. The last hour, add your aromatics (onion, garlic, celery, carrot, bay leaves, peppercorns, fresh herbs) But keep an eye on the timer; too much time in the heat and the veggies break down, absorbing stock that you lose in the straining process.
MISTAKE #3: FORGETTING TO FINISH
A good stock isn’t done until it’s been strained, seasoned and cooled. Skimping on any of these steps can leave you with stock that’s murky, bland or stale-tasting. To strain, pour the stock into a colander lined with at least two layers of cheesecloth. Catch the clarified stock in a clean saucepan or large glass measuring cup. At this point, you should season with salt to taste. If you’re going to use it that day, the stock can hang out at room temperature. But if you’re going to store it for later, then you’ll want to cool it as quickly as possible to keep it fresher for longer. Transfer to a wide, shallow container and add a few ice cubes. Once it’s cool enough to touch, either put it in sealed containers for the fridge, or freeze in ice cube trays and store in a ziplock bag for easy-to-use portions any time.
Back to the Winter Share articles
View the Winter Share PDF
FAQs
For a clear stock, never let it boil and never stir it. Avoid adding salt if reducing the stock later. Concentrate the flavors by simmering the stock further after straining.
What must you not do when cooking stock? ›
For a clear stock, never let it boil and never stir it. Avoid adding salt if reducing the stock later. Concentrate the flavors by simmering the stock further after straining.
Why should you not boil bone broth? ›
Just as when you're making stock for soups or stews, boiling will cause soluble proteins and rendered fat to emulsify into the cooking liquid. By simmering, you avoid emulsifying the fat and thus keep the stock clearer, and we found that the scum created simply settled to the bottom of the pot.
Should stock be cooked, covered or uncovered? ›
Regulate the heat so that a few bubbles rise to the surface. Skim regularly and keep the ingredients covered by topping up with cold water. Cook uncovered for 3-4 hours. Strain the stock, pour into a clean pan and boil fiercely to reduce the stock and intensify the flavour.
Does chicken stock get better the longer you cook it? ›
Cook it too long, though, and you get into a case of seriously diminishing returns. Throughout my testing, I tasted my stocks as they cooked, and I generally found about one and a half hours to be a reasonable endpoint—plenty of time for a flavorful, rich broth, but not so long that it's a major commitment to make it.
What are the 4 qualities of a good stock in cooking? ›
It is used to poach fish or vegetables. The quality of a stock is judged by four characteristics: body, flavor, clarity and color. Body develops when collagen proteins dissolve in protein - based stock. Vegetable stocks have less body than meat stocks because they lack animal p rote in.
What are 5 guidelines for making stock? ›
The Cardinal Rules of Stock Making
- NEVER SALT STOCK. Ever. ...
- SKIM STOCK OFTEN IN THE BEGINNING. ...
- NEVER BOIL STOCK. ...
- THE BETTER YOUR INGREDIENTS, THE BETTER YOUR STOCK. ...
- STRAIN YOUR STOCK WHEN IT COMES OFF THE STOVE. ...
- ALWAYS DROP YOUR STOCK QUICKLY (UNLESS YOU'RE USING IT IMMEDIATELY) ...
- CAN YOU BREAK THESE RULES?
To make homemade chicken stock, place chicken bones, vegetables, herbs and spices into a large pot. Cover with cold water then simmer for about 3 hours. Let it cool, then skim the fat. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Is it better to boil or simmer a stock? ›
Cooking low and slow gives you good conversion while preventing fat, minerals and other gunk from emulsifying into your stock. Boiled stock will be cloudy, greasy and have a lower yield. To avoid that, start with cold water and your bones (or veggies, if you're going vegetarian) and put over high heat.
What cooking method is best for stock? ›
Never boil stock.
Just bring to the boil then turn down to simmer slowly for hours. Remember: if you want a darker, richer stock, brown off the bones and vegetables first before adding water to simmer.
Chicken stock can be simmered for as little as 1 hour or up to 8 hours. Most often, you'll see recipes call for somewhere in between, about 3 to 4 hours. The longer the stock simmers, the more concentrated its flavor.
Why did my chicken stock turn to jelly? ›
Why is it so important to have a gelatinous broth? Firstly it's not 'super important'. BUT: The sign of the 'jelly' is what lets you know you've cooked the bones long enough, you've not used too much water, and you've used bones that have high gelatin in them.
How to tell when stock is done? ›
A raw chicken stock takes about 4 hours and and raw beef bones take about 8 hours to give up all their flavor. Vegetable and fish stocks take about an hour. A stock can be bitter if cooked too long. If the meat is falling off the bones and the meat is flavorless then the stock is done.
What not to use in stock? ›
NOTE: Avoid cruciferous veggies like cabbage or brussels sprouts as they can result in a bitter stock. Other fun ingredients to add: Fresh herbs like thyme and parsley are lovely in stock but be careful of intense/woody herbs like rosemary as they can overpower it.
What are the do's and don'ts of chicken stock? ›
Stock is Not Rocket Science
- The classic ratio for stock is 10 percent vegetables to bones. ...
- A good stockpot is critical. ...
- Pure, clean water is essential, as the long simmering process concentrates all flavors, the good and the bad, which includes any gunk in your local water supply. ...
- Don't add salt at the start of stock.
Never boil stock.
Just bring to the boil then turn down to simmer slowly for hours. Remember: if you want a darker, richer stock, brown off the bones and vegetables first before adding water to simmer. If you don't have enough bones from one meal to make a rich stock, freeze them and pull them out when you do.
