Topic · White Stocks Making

White Stocks Best Practice Summary

The mark of a good stock is clarity. Here are some tips that will help you to achieve a great white stock:

Use cold water, not hot water. After bringing the water to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer. Boiling moves the scum around making it impossible to remove.
Don’t stir the stock.

Skim often, about every 10 minutes, to remove the scum or proteins as they rise to the surface. After a while, there won’t be as much scum to remove.
Add the vegetables (mirepoix) after the bones and water have come to a boil the second time so that it’s easier to remove the scum. Do not boil again! Boiling moves the scum around making it impossible to remove.
Use a bouquet garni to hold all the aromatics and herbs so that you don’t skim them off with the scum. Slip the bouquet garni under a piece of bone so that it doesn’t get in the way of skimming.

Use the meat on the bones for extra flavor. However, to save money, just use the bones.
Like the saying that you should never use a wine you wouldn’t drink to flavor a dish, you shouldn’t add parts of vegetables that you wouldn’t eat (like carrot peels). I don’t think your stock should be like a compost bin.
Cover the bones with water, just to cover by an inch (3 cm) or so. More water makes the stock less flavorful and diluted. Remember: You want a concentration of flavors!
After you’ve made the stock, you can reduce it by half for more flavors. This reduced stock can be stored in ice cube trays in the freezer.

When pouring the stock through a fine-mesh strainer or chinois, don’t rush it! Use a ladle instead of pouring it so that the impurities don’t get forced through the sieve by sheer force.
Strain once through a conical strainer, and then through a fine sieve to obtain a clearer stock.
When the stock is finished, cool it quickly to avoid bacteria growth. Bacteria love to grow between 40˚F-145˚F / 4°C-63°C.
To cool it quickly, two options:
- Pour ice in a sink and put the bowl of strained stock on top. Stir regularly to cool quickly.
- Fill a freezer bag full of ice and drop it into the bowl of strained stock.
Stock will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. It will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator if you boil it every day. It freezes well. Thaw it and bring it to a boil before using it.
After refrigerating overnight, the fat coagulates on the top making it easier to remove.