Step-by-Step Stock Making

Step 1: Sauté Mirepoix in fat (with or without color).

Sauté Mirepoix in fat (with or without color): This step applies to stock that will have a short cooking time, like within two hours. For example, fish stock cooks for thirty minutes, so it is important to sauté the vegetables before adding the bones to release the maximum flavor.

Step 2: Add the bones

The bones are always added raw. They could be added straight in the pot, after the Mirepoix or roasted for brown stocks. For white beef stock, the bones are typically blanched first to remove the maximum of impurities before adding the aromatics. This allows the stock to be more clear.

Step 3: Cover with cold water

Start the Stock in Cold Water: The stock making ingredients should always be covered with cold water. When bones are covered with cold water, blood and other impurities dissolve. When the water heats, the impurities coagulate and rise to the surface. They can then be removed by skimming. If you would use hot water first, the impurities would coagulate too quickly and remain throughout the water.

Step 4: Bring to a boil on high heat

The stock should be brought to a boil rapidly and then reduced to a gentle simmer.

Step 5: Reduce heat to simmer the stock gently

Rapid boiling of stock causes impurities and fats to blend with the liquid.

Step 6: Skim the stock frequently

A stock should be skimmed often so the stock does not become cloudy with impurities.

Step 7: Strain the stock carefully

Once cooked, the liquid must be separated from the bones, vegetables, and other solid ingredients. In order to keep the liquid clear, it is important not to disturb the solid ingredients when removing the liquid.

1. Skim as much fat as you can from the surface before removing the stockpot from the heat.
2. After removing the pot, ladle the stock from the pot without stirring it.
3. Strain the stock through a china cap (called a “chinois” in French), which is a conical sieve with a very fine mesh, or a fine sieve with several layers of cheesecloth.

Step 8: Cool the stock quickly in an ice bath

You must cool a stock carefully to prevent food-borne illnesses or souring.

1. Keep the stock in a metal container. A plastic container slows cooling because it insulates.
2. Vent the stock in an empty sink by placing it on a rack. Fill the sink with water. This allows water to circulate on all sides and below the pot.
3. Stir the stock frequently while in the sink for quick, even cooling.

Step 9: Store the Stock Properly

Once the stock is cooled, transfer it to a covered container either metal or plastic. Then put it in the refrigerator. As the stock refrigerates, a layer of fat will form over the top which helps to preserve the stock.

Step 10: Degrease the Stock

To degrease is to remove fat from the surface of a liquid such as a stock or sauce by skimming, scraping, or lifting congealed fat.

There! Hopefully, armed with the few simple steps I have laid out for you, you will be excited and ready to create what will surely be the first of many great stock making adventures. Learn how on the next page.