how to get your stock on

i used to be the kind of person who thought making stock was a complete waste of time. why should i make stock when i can just buy the canned variety at the supermarket?

well, it turns out that it's a huge myth that making stock is hard. it's also a huge myth that the canned stuff you buy at a supermarket is just as good as what you can make at home. not even close. homemade stock is 1,000x better than canned stock (which more closely resembles broth, anyway).

making your own stock also has the added benefit of maximizing your ingredient usage, since you're wringing every possible morsel of goodness from your food (e.g., leftovers or random bits and pieces like carrot greens) and it's a great way to use up vegetables and herbs you have laying around. (i mean, seriously, how often have you bought celery and actually used the whole thing? yeah, exactly. there's only so many "ants on a log" a person can eat.) it's also about the only way you can be 100% sure whether the ingredients in it are up to your specs (mine: sustainably-raised meats and vegetables).

for chicken stock, i use the carcass of a roast i've finished carving up. if i don't happen to have time that day to make stock, i just store them in a ziploc bag (along with pan drippings, if any) until i do have a few hours to spare.

for beef stock, i use marrow bones and whatever other meaty bones i've managed to save up (i store them in the freezer until i have about 4 lbs worth).

i happen to have a couple tips when it comes to stock.

the first is for when you make your stock. if you own a pasta insert for your stockpot, use it! the insert makes straining extremely simple, since all you have to do is lift it out. you completely avoid any splashing and making a mess in general when you use this most wondrous object. cleanup is just a matter of throwing out what's in the insert. (there'll still be some (negligible) solids in the stock, but i'll tell you how to remove those in a minute.)

the second tip is for when you store your stock. obviously, nobody expects you to make 2 quarts of the stuff and then use it all at once. so what exactly *are* you supposed to do with your freshly-made stock? well, i freeze mine using a jumbo muffin tin. the muffin cups are conveniently about one cup each (8 oz.), which works out pretty well for almost all recipes that call for stock. i pour the stock through a fine-mesh sieve (voila: no more negligible solids!) into a bowl with a spout, cool in the fridge until the fat solidifies, scoop out the fat, and then pour it into the muffin cups. once frozen, i pop them out (just carefully run some hot water under the pan until they loosen), and store them in freezer bags until i need them.

all in all, stock really is simple to make (i promise, you'll see; recipes below), but what it does need is time - about 5 hours. the good news is that you don't need to watch it all that closely, 'cuz you know, your pot would never boil...or something like that. ;)


Chicken Stock
Carcass of 1 roasted chicken
1 large carrot, cut in half
1 large celery stalk, cut in half
1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
a few sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tsps salt
1 tsp pepper
4 1/2 quarts water

Throw all the ingredients into a large stock pot (with pasta insert if you have one). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 4 hours, or until liquid is reduced by half. If a scum rises to the top, scoop out and discard.

Strain stock through fine mesh sieve into large bowl. Allow to cool, then refrigerate until fat solidifies on top. Remove fat, and either use stock within the week, or pour into jumbo muffin tin, freeze, and then store in freezer bags. Makes about 2 quarts of stock (8 cups).


Beef Stock
4 lbs of beef marrow bones (I get mine from Marin Sun Farms)
1 large carrot, cut in half
1 large celery stalk, cut in half
1 large yellow onion, quartered (do not peel)
a few sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tsps salt
1 tsp pepper
4 quarts, plus two cups water

Preheat oven to 450 deg. Place bones and vegetables in roasting pan and roast for 50 minutes or until bones are browned, turning them once to brown evenly. Place bones and vegetables into stock pot (with pasta insert if you have one) along with 4 quarts of water. Put roasting pan on stove burner, add 2 cups of water and bring water to boil, while scraping up browned bits from pan. Add this to the stockpot; bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 4 hours, or until liquid is reduced by about half. If any scum comes to top, scoop out and discard.

Strain stock through fine mesh sieve into large bowl. Allow to cool, then refrigerate until fat solidifies on top. Remove fat, and either use stock within the week, or pour into jumbo muffin tin, freeze, and then store in freezer bags. Makes about 2 quarts of stock (8 cups).