Stock Making In Detail.

Definition: Stock, sometimes called bone broth, is a savory cooking liquid that forms the basis
of many dishes, particularly soups, stews, sauces and glaces. Making stock involves simmering
animal bones, meat, seafood, or vegetables in water or wine, often for an extended period of
time.
Usage: It is called fond de cuisine which literally translates to “Foundations of Cooking”. A
stock is a Crucial Element in Soup, Sauces, Stews, and Braises.
Types: There are 4 main types of Stocks:
1. White Stock (Fond Blanc)
- White stock is used for White Sauces, Blanquettes, Fricassee and Poached Dishes.
 White stock/fond is made with white meat or beef, veal bones, chicken carcasses, and
aromatic vegetables.
 The bones or meat are put in cold liquid and slowly brought to a boil.
 The mirepoix and then added to the liquid.
 The mixture is reduced to a simmer to finish cooking.
 This type of stock is used for white sauce, blanquettes, fricassee, and poached dishes etc.

Classification of White Stock

Veal Fond de Veau
Beef Fond de Boeuf
Poultry Fond de Volaille
Lamb Fond de Agneau
Mutton Fond de Mutton

2. Brown Stock (Fond Brun)

- Brown stock is used for brown sauces and gravies, braised dishes, and meat glazes.
 The Brown stock is made with beef, veal, and poultry meat and bones.
 The bones are roasted until golden in colour, not burnt. (Burnt bones and mirepoix will
damage the stock’s flavour and colour).
 The mirepoix is added when the bones are three-quarters roasted; tomato product may
also be added.
 When the bones and mirepoix are golden in colour, the cold liquid is added and the
mixture is slowly brought to a boil, then reduced to a simmer to finish cooking.
 This stock is used for brown sauces and gravies, braised dishes, and meat glazes.
Classification of Brown Stock
Veal Fond brun Veau
Beef Fond brun Boeuf
Poultry Fond brun Volaille
Lamb Fond brun Agneau
Mutton Fond brun Mutton

3. Fish Stock (Fume de Poisson)

- Fish Stock forms the basis of many dishes, particularly soups and sauces.
 Fish stock is categorised separately from the other basic stocks because of its limited
usage.
 The basis of fish preparation is fumet or fond.
 Some fish produce better quality stock than others.
 The result from some fish are stocks which are too gelatinous and fishy tasting.
 Fish are which are oily yield stock that has a bitter taste or that is milky.
 Classical preparation calls for the bones of specific fish for fumet.
 Dover sole, turbot, brill and whiting are recommended for their superior flavour.
 However, the important thing is that the fish is fresh and that its flesh is white.

4. Vegetable Stock (Fond de Legume)

- Vegetable stock is commonly used in vegetarian cooking and veloutes.
 Is a neutral stock composed of vegetables and aromatic herbs sautéed gently in butter,
then cooked in the liquid.
 Often the less desirable parts of the vegetables (such as carrot skins and celery ends) are
used for preparing the veg stock since they will not be eaten.
 This relatively new type of stock is gaining in popularity in the culinary world.
 Vegetable stock is used generally in vegetarian cooking and volutes.
 It is often used as a replacement for bouillon and other meat stocks, like chicken stock.
Steps of making a Stock:
1. White Stock
-Mise en Place: Prepare the necessary ingredients such as Bones, Water, Stockpot Garni, Water.
-Blanching: Start by submerging the bones in cold water in a stockpot. The water to bone ratio:
just enough to fully submerge the bones. And bring the water to a boil. Skim the scum when the
water starts to boil. To know when to stop is when the bubbles turn white and there are no more
scum particles in the water. Why Blanch the bones? Blanching the bones can remove any
strong smell in the bones. It helps to produce a clear stock. And to reduce any distinct flavour
from the bones. Why cold water? It helps to open up the pores of the bone so it helps the protein
and fat to rise to the top in large pieces so that it’s easier to skim. (What is Blanching?
Blanching is a food preparation technique in which food is briefly immersed in hot liquid, like
boiling water or oil, often but not always as a prelude to cooking it further. Fruits, vegetables,
and nuts are the foods that are most frequently blanched, each for different reasons. Sometimes it
might be to soften it, or to loosen the skin to make peeling it easier, or simply to brighten the
color of it. Note the word "briefly" in the description above. Different recipes will call for
different blanching times, but with blanching, times are measured in terms of seconds rather than
minutes. Typical blanching times range from 30 to 60 seconds. Cooking Method: Moist Heat)
-Refreshing: Run the blanched bones under cold running water using a colander. Why Refresh
the bones? To close the pores of the bones so there are no unnecessary loss of flavours and
nutrients that contributes to the stock. And the point of refreshing is also to stop any further
cooking process and to wash out any scum that is left sticking to the bones. (What is Refreshing?
1. To immerse cooked food, generally vegetables, into ice water or under cold running water to
stop further cooking and to retain its color. 2. Making limp salad ingredients crisp again by
letting them stand in cold water.)
-Boiling: Put back the bones in a clean stock pot and add cold water (Ratio: 1(Bones):2(Water))
and bring the water to a boil. Skim any remaining scum that emerges to the top with a skimmer.
Why Boiling? Boiling the bones extracts the flavours and nutrients of the bone. Why cold
water? It helps to slowly open up the pores of the bones to ease up the flavour and nutrient
extraction. (What is Boiling? Boiling is a moist-heat cooking method that happens when the
liquid’s temperature reaches 100 degrees. Food is completely submerged in water for even heat
distribution. The full boil is a vigorous one, where bubbles rapidly and violently break over the
entire surface of the water. A slow boil is a lazy boil, almost a simmer, at 96 degrees. In the case
of a slow boil, bubbles will slowly break over the surface of the water. Depending on the food
you cook, you either have to add it to already boiling water, or add it to cool water and bring it
up to boiling temperature.)
-Simmering: When the water reaches the boiling temperature, add the stockpot garni and set the
heat to simmer the stock for an extended period of time and let the liquid reduce. Why Simmer?
To slowly extract the flavours and nutrients of the bones and mirepoix. Why not Boil? Rapid
boiling tend to cause the ingredients to break apart and release small particles that makes the
stock cloudy. Why the extended period of time? To produce a strong and flavourful stock
packed with nutrients. (What is simmering? Simple Simmering. A Moist Heat cooking method
gentler than boiling, simmering refers to cooking food in liquid (or cooking just the liquid itself)
at a temperature slightly below the boiling point―around 85 to 96 degrees.)
-Skimming: Always skim any particles of scum floating at the top to prevent clouding the stock.
-Straining: After the stock reaches the extended period of time, cut the heat and strain the stock
using a conical strainer and layers of tammy cloth or cheese cloth and mesh strainers. Why
Strain the stock using layers of strainers? To prevent any unnecessary particles from the
ingredients to enter back to the clear stock that is produced.
-Storing: To store the stock, first we have to put the stock container under the cooling wire to
cool down to room temperature before entering the chiller. Why the cooling wire? The
circulating air under the cooling wire helps to cool down the stock significantly. Why room
temp? To prevent any spoilage that could happen to the stock because when a hot/warn stock is
put inside a chiller, the water vapor will start to condensate to the top of the plastic wrap and can
contribute the growth to unwanted bacteria.
2. Brown Stock
-Mise en Place: Prepare the necessary ingredients such as Bones, Water, Stockpot Garni, Water.
-Browning the Bones and Mirepoix: Place the bone on a roasting pan and put inside the oven.
Set the heat to 195 degrees. When the bone is halfway of ¾ cooked, put in the aromatics in and
let it brown. After all the ingredients have browned or reached a golden brown colour, remove
them from the oven and put in a stockpot. Why Brown the bones and mirepoix? When
Browning, it enhances the flavour and aroma by using a reaction of chemicals caused by the heat
named The Maillard Reaction (What is The Maillard Reaction? Maillard reaction is the
chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars, which occurs when food is heated. This
process will lead to the browning of the food's exterior, along with the emergence of new
flavours and aromas. In general, the Maillard reaction makes food more appealing.) Why the
bones goes in before the mirepoix? Vegetables has a lower browning point than bones. So to
prevent the vegetables from being burnt, it’s best to put in after the bones starts to brown or
halfway cooked. (What is roasting? Roasting involves cooking food in an uncovered pan in the
oven. It is a dry cooking method, as opposed to wet techniques like braising, stewing, or
steaming. Dry, hot air surrounds the food, cooking it evenly on all sides. Depending on the food
you're preparing, you can roast at low, moderate, or high temperatures.)
-Deglazing: Remove the Fat from the roast pan, and deglace the pan using water. Why do we
deglaze the pan? To pick up all the remaining caramelized flavourful particles (Fond) that’s left
on the pan while roasting. Those particles are packed with wonderful flavour and aroma that
contributes significantly in the making of the brown stock. (What is deglazing? Deglazing is
simply the act of adding liquid to a hot pan, which allows all of the caramelized bits (Fond) stuck
to the bottom to release.)
-Boiling: Put back the bones in a clean stock pot and add cold water (Ratio: 1(Bones):2(Water))
and bring the water to a boil. Skim any remaining scum that emerges to the top with a skimmer.
Why Boiling? Boiling the bones extracts the flavours and nutrients of the bone. Why cold
water? It helps to slowly open up the pores of the bones to ease up the flavour and nutrient
extraction. (What is Boiling? Boiling is a moist-heat cooking method that happens when the
liquid’s temperature reaches 100 degrees. Food is completely submerged in water for even heat
distribution. The full boil is a vigorous one, where bubbles rapidly and violently break over the
entire surface of the water. A slow boil is a lazy boil, almost a simmer, at 96 degrees. In the case
of a slow boil, bubbles will slowly break over the surface of the water. Depending on the food
you cook, you either have to add it to already boiling water, or add it to cool water and bring it
up to boiling temperature.)
-Simmering: When the water reaches the boiling temperature, add the stockpot garni and set the
heat to simmer the stock for an extended period of time and let the liquid reduce. Why Simmer?
To slowly extract the flavours and nutrients of the bones and mirepoix. Why not Boil? Rapid
boiling tend to cause the ingredients to break apart and release small particles that makes the
stock cloudy. Why the extended period of time? To produce a strong and flavourful stock
packed with nutrients. (What is simmering? Simple Simmering. A Moist Heat cooking method
gentler than boiling, simmering refers to cooking food in liquid (or cooking just the liquid itself)
at a temperature slightly below the boiling point―around 85 to 96 degrees.)
-Skimming: Always skim any particles of scum floating at the top to prevent clouding the stock.
-Straining: After the stock reaches the extended period of time, cut the heat and strain the stock
using a conical strainer and layers of tammy cloth or cheese cloth and mesh strainers. Why
Strain the stock using layers of strainers? To prevent any unnecessary particles from the
ingredients to enter back to the clear stock that is produced.
-Storing: To store the stock, first we have to put the stock container under the cooling wire to
cool down to room temperature before entering the chiller. Why the cooling wire? The
circulating air under the cooling wire helps to cool down the stock significantly. Why room
temp? To prevent any spoilage that could happen to the stock because when a hot/warn stock is
put inside a chiller, the water vapor will start to condensate to the top of the plastic wrap and can
contribute the growth to unwanted bacteria.