About Stocks — The Culinary Pro (2024)

Stocks are prepared with a few basic ingredients including bones, mirepoix, herbs and spices, and sometimes tomatoes or wine. They are often prepared using leftover ingredients as a cost-effective measure for the kitchen.

Always remember to make sure the ingredients are of good quality, a stockpot should never be a dumping ground for old leftovers that are past their prime.

Meat trimmings can be added, as long as they are cleaned of fat and gristle. Aromatic vegetables, usually onions, celery, and carrots, are typically incorporated. Substituting leeks for the onions, or adding garlic, enhances the flavor of a stock. Tomatoes are incorporated in brown stock for color and flavor; they also add acidity and help clarify the liquid.

When preparing a fumet, nage, or court bouillon, white wine is added for flavor and acidity. Standard seasoning includes parsley, bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns. Other herbs and spices augment the flavors as desired. Vegetable stocks begin with a mirepoix of onions, celery, and carrots, enhanced by additional vegetables, leeks, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, fennel, and similar ingredients.

Bones

About Stocks — The Culinary Pro (2024)

FAQs

About Stocks — The Culinary Pro? ›

Stocks are flavorful liquids used in the preparation of soups, sauces, and stews, derived by gently simmering various ingredients in water. They are based on meat, poultry, fish, game, or seafood, and flavored with mirepoix, herbs, and spices.

What is the culinary use of stocks? ›

Stocks in cooking are rich, flavorful liquids used as a base for soups, sauces, and other dishes. These are usually produced by simmering meat, fish, or poultry flesh and bones, vegetables, and seasoning with liquid.

What is culinary stock? ›

Stock is a mixture of boiled or simmered ingredients that typically include animal bones, meats, vegetables, and possibly a small amount of salt. Stocks are often used as a base for foods such as soups, stews, sauces, and gravies. Raw bones and meat may be used.

What are the 4 types of cooking stocks? ›

Stocks: The Fundamentals

At the highest level, classic culinary stocks can be categorized into four types: meat, poultry, fish, and vegetable. The French refer to stocks as the fond, or base, by which the foundation of a dish is developed.

What is the history of stocks in cooking? ›

Stocks are most associated with French cuisine, as they were refined in the early kitchens in modern France. Stocks were cooked down, removing water from the stock and leaving behind collagen rich gelatins which were used for garnishes and for preservation of other foods.

What are 4 examples for uses of stocks in cooking processes? ›

  • You can replace all or part of the water with stock when cooking grains. ...
  • Vegetables can be braised in stock then finished with butter, which is delicious. ...
  • And of course, stock is the base for hundreds of soups using grains and vegetables as the main ingredients. ...
  • Stock is the basis for all good cooking.
Jan 4, 2016

What are the 7 ingredients in preparing stocks? ›

Key ingredients used in making stocks are bones, mirepoix (a mix of onions, celery and carrots), acid, scraps, and bouquet garni (tied herbs). Spices add flavoring while seasoning is used to enhance flavors.

How important is stock in cooking? ›

Stock adds flavor, color, and richness to your cooking. But it's also time-consuming to make and expensive (well, more expensive than water, anyway). Water, on the other hand is free and readily available—but it doesn't do anything in the flavor department.

Can I use stock instead of broth? ›

Stock and Broth Substitutes

In most cases, stock and broth are interchangeable. If you're in the soup aisle and can't remember whether the recipe called for stock or broth, either will do for making soup, gravy, or a flavorful pot of rice or grains. Keep in mind that stock is unseasoned, and broth is seasoned.

What is the best stock to cook with? ›

The Pacific Foods bone broth is a good all-purpose choice for most recipes, and it would even make a fine soup base with additional carrots, onions, and fresh herbs. For a decent and economical supermarket option: The College Inn Unsalted Chicken Stock (about $2.60 per quart) is a solid choice.

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.

What are stocks often called the chefs? ›

Stocks are often called the chef's “building blocks.” They form the base for many soups and sauces. There are many types of stock: White stock, brown stock, fumet, court bouillon, glace, remouillage, bouillon, jus, Jus-lie´ and vegetable stock.

What is stock in culinary? ›

Stock, sometimes called bone broth, is a savory cooking liquid that forms the basis of many dishes – particularly soups, stews, and sauces. Making stock involves simmering animal bones, meat, seafood, or vegetables in water or wine, often for an extended period.

What is a quote about cooking stock? ›

Auguste Escoffier Quotes

Stock is everything in cooking, at least in French cooking. Without it, nothing can be done. If one's stock is good, what remains of the work is easy; if, on the other hand, it is bad or merely mediocre, it is quite hopeless to expect anything approaching a satisfactory result.

What is culinary stock vs broth? ›

Stock is generally made from bones, and broth is generally made from flesh. In both cases, they are often supported with aromatic vegetables, but in the case of stock, left unseasoned for maximum flexibility in recipes, whereas broth will usually contain at least salt and pepper.

What is the purpose of a stock in a kitchen? ›

Stock, sometimes called bone broth, is a savory cooking liquid that forms the basis of many dishes – particularly soups, stews, and sauces.

Why do people use stock in cooking? ›

Stock is what you make when you want a neutral base of flavorful liquid to accommodate a lot of different recipes. Broth is what you make when you want a more assertively flavored liquid that will eventually probably become a soup, but not necessarily.

What is game stock culinary? ›

Game stock, made the classic way

A beautiful seasonal stock perfect for game braises, venison stews or pheasant casseroles and rich, deep sauces to give a more rounded flavour to complement your game recipes.

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