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STOCKS Stock is the most important liquid base used in the preparation of many dishes such as soups, sauces and most braised foods and stews. The importance of stocks is indicated by the French word “fond” meaning foundation or base. In a kitchen, the ability to prepare stocks is the most basic of all skills, because so much of work of the kitchen depends on them. In a modern kitchen , stocks have lost much of the importance they once had, due to the increased reliance on potion control meats has made bones for stock a rarity, lack of labor, the tendency to serve foods without sauces and also due to the dependency on convenience stocks in the form of powders and cubes. Nevertheless, the finest cuisine still depends on soups and sauces based on high quality stocks. So stock making skills still remain an essential part of a chefs training. Stocks are never served by themselves but are components of many other preparations. A stock may be defined as a nutritious, flavorful clear thin liquid (that is unthickened),obtained( extracted) by careful simmering of meat or poultry or fish and their bones and or vegetables, seasonings and flavourings for a pre determined period of time. Our objective in preparing stocks is to select the proper ingredients and then to extract the flavours we want. It is used for making soups, sauces, stews, glazes and aspics and as moistening agents. GLACES (GLAZES) are prepared by reducing appropriate stock to a barely flowing consistency. The stock is allowed to simmer gently, paying attention to regular skimming. Ten liters of stock will yield 200ml of glaze. Glazes can be stored for several days. Eg: Glace de Viande(meat glaze),Glace de Volaille,(chicken) Glace de Poisson(fish). CLASSIFICATION OF STOCKS The kind of bones used determine the kind of stock. Chicken stock from chicken bones. White stock is made from beef or veal bones or a combination of the two. Chicken or even pork bones are sometimes added in small quantity. Brown stock is made from beef or veal bones that have been browned in the oven.
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Fish stock is made from fish bones and trimmings left over after filleting of fish. Bones from lean white fish give the best stock. Fat(oily) fish are not normally used. The term fumet is often used for a flavourful fish stock, especially one made with wine. Lamb, game turkey and other stocks have specialized uses. WHITE STOCK: (FONDS BLANC) White stocks are made from the bones of veal, beef, poultry, some types of game, and fish. The bones are washed to remove the impurities that might cloud or discolor the finished stock. Eg; Fonds blanc de Veau,(veal stock) Fonds Blanc de Mouton.(mutton stock) BROWN STOCK (FONDS BRUN) Brown stocks are prepared by first roasting the meat bones to deep brown color, as well as mirepoix before they are simmered. An acid product such as tomato puree may also be added. This changes both the flavor and color of the finished stock. Brown sauces are especially valuable in making brown sauce, jus lie, demi-glace and pan gravies. Eg: Fonds Brun de Veau(Brown veal stock), Fonds Brun de Gibier.(Brown game stock) ESTOUFFADE, is a brown beef stock. FISH STOCK (FUMET) Fumet is prepared by sweating fish bones along with vegetables such as leeks, mushrooms, and celery and simmering these ingredients in water with the addition of a dry white wine. The end result is generally not as clear as a stock, but it is highly flavored. Fumet, highly flavored infusion is used to introduce flavored to other preparations such as consommés or broths and a variety of small sauces. VEGETABLE STOCK Different kinds of vegetables are simmered together and the liquid is strained and used to improve the taste and nutrient quality of vegetarian dishes. REMOUILLAGE
Remouillage is a stock made from bones that have already been used once to make stock. The literal meaning of the French term is “rewetting”. because not all possible flavour and gelatin is extracted from bones when making a stock, making a remouillage allows the chef to extract a little more value from the bones. The resulting liquid will not be as clear or flavourful as the original stock, but does have some uses. Bones
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used to prepare a “primary stock” are reserved after the first stock is strained away from the bones. The bones are covered with fresh cold water and fresh mirepoix and sachet are added to the bones and simmered for about 4 hours to prepare the “secondary stock’.Drain and cool as for regular stock. The stock may not be of best quality, but it can be used as the basis for braises and stews. The food being cooked will provide the majority of the flavor in the finished sauce, and the first rate stock can be reserved for use in dishes where its role is more significant, like in the preparation of consommés etc. COURT BOUILLON A “short broth” is often prepared as the cooking liquid for fish or vegetables. The basic components of court bouillon include, aromatic vegetables and herbs, vinegar, wine, or lemon juice and water. A court bouillon may be prepared as part of the cooking process, or it may be prepared in large batches and used as required, in the same way as stocks. POT LIQUOR Pot liquor is the water in which meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, pasta etc. have been boiled for the table where the purpose is retain as much nutrients and flavor in the solids as possible. This liquid can be used as a substitute for stock if it is not readily available. EMERGENCY STOCKS / CONVENIENCE BASES When there is a temporary shortage of stocks, convenience products such as stock cubes and proprietary essences are useful. But in general these are not suitable for large scale use since they can produce a stock which, is already seasoned. ELEMENTS OF STOCK Water 100% Bones /Meat (Bone : meat ,3:2) 50% Mirepoix (Onion : Carrots : Celery) 2:1:1 10% Acids ( Tomatoes, vinegar, wine, etc) 5% Sachet/Bouquet Garni (spices /Herbs) 1 %
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CHARACTERISTICS OF ELEMENTS OF STOCK BONES Bones are the major ingredient in stock making. Most of the flavor and body of stock is derived from the bones of beef, veal, poultry, fish, lamb, mutton and pork. Collagen or connective tissue present in meat, break down to form gelatin. This gives body to a stock. A well made stock will gel or set when chilled. Cartilage is the best source of gelatin in bones. Younger animals have more cartilage in their skeletons. As they become older, this hardens into solid bone, which is harder to dissolve into the stock. Knuckle bones, or the joints of major bones have a lot of cartilage. Neck and shank bones are also used to a great deal. Large bones should be cut into 3” long pieces to expose more surface area for maximum extraction. Meat saw may be used to cut to avoid splinter. Meat is rarely used in stock making due its high cost. Occasionally, a Broth may be used like a stock. MIREPOIX Aromatic vegetables like onion, carrots and celery are the second most flavor contributors, used in all preparations. The classical mirepoix contained a wider variety of ingredients, including ham or bacon, leeks and other vegetables and one or more fresh herbs. Onion, carrot, celery are used in proportion 2:1:1. A WHITE MIREPOIX, made without carrots is used when it is necessary to keep the stock as colorless as possible. Mushroom trimmings and leeks may be used at times. To give as excellent flavor leeks may also be used instead of onions. The size of the cuts will depend on how the mirepoix is to be used. For preparations with short cooking times, such as fish fumet, the mirepoix is sliced or chopped small. For preparations with more than one hour of cooking time, such as brown stock, the vegetables may be cut into larger pieces of left whole.
(MATIGNON), sometimes referred to as “edible mirepoix” is intended as part of the finished product. Consequently, the vegetables are cut in uniform sizes. Diced ham or bacon (salted pork) is also included to enhance the flavour. Matignons are commonly used in poeleed dishes, such as poeleed capon. The ratio of ingredients in a matignon generally is
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two parts of onions, carrots, celery, one part of pork product such as bacon or ham. Various herbs and spices may be included as desired) ACID PRODUCTS Acids help dissolving connective tissues, thus they are used to extract flavors and body from bones. Tomato products contribute flavor and some acid to brown stocks. They are not used for white stocks, because they would give an undesirable color. Too much tomato would make the stock cloudy. Wine is used in fish stock to contribute flavor. SACHET/BOUQUET GARNI Herbs and spices should be used only lightly. They should never dominate a stock or have a pronounced flavour. A standard sachet may contain parsley stems, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves and thyme in a cheese cloth bag. This should be removed after enough flavor has been released .Bouquet garni which means “bouquet of herbs” is a combination of fresh herbs that typically contain fresh thyme, parsley stems, celery stalks and a bay leaf tied into a bundle. It may be tied to the handle of the stock pot and left loose and may be removed after it has contributed adequate flavor.or can be removed easily at any time. SEASONINGS Salt is usually not added when making stocks. Stocks are never used as is but are reduced, concentrated and combined with other ingredients. If salt were added, it might become too concentrated. Some chefs salt stocks lightly because they feel it aids in extracting flavour. PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN WHILE PREPARING STOCKS
1. If possible, use a stockpot with a bottom emptying tap, this facilities the drawing---off of the stock and lessens the possibility of disturbance while straining, waste and facilitates easy straining.
2. Use fresh ingredients of good quality and always in the right proportions.
3. Cut meat bones into smaller pieces for maximum exposure for maximum extraction. The marrow if present should be removed to avoid cloudiness.
4. If any meats are used these should be tied so they can be removed when cooked.
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5. The stock should be brought to boil slowly and simmer gently to avoid excessive evaporation. Remove the scum as and when necessary.
6. Replenish with water as and when necessary.
7. Cook for the required amount of time. Overcooking will result in deterioration of taste and quality. Undercooking results in lack of flavor and body.
8. A very little salt may be added for developing flavor, too much can unbalance the seasoning of the dish in which it is used.
9. Cool the stock as fast as possible and refrigerate.
SCRAPS AND LEFTOVERS In some kitchens, a stock pot is kept going all day, and various scraps are constantly being thrown in. This may or may not be a good idea. Scraps may be used in stocks if they are clean, wholesome, and appropriate to the stock being made. If done correctly , stock making is a good way of utilizing trimmings that would otherwise be thrown out. It is better to save trimmings and use them in a planned way than to throw them into the stock randomly. A stockpot is not a garbage disposal. The final product is only as good as the ingredients and the care that go into it. REDUCTIONS AND GLAZES Stocks are concentrated by boiling or simmering them to evaporate part of the water. This is called making a reduction or reducing. Reduction is an important technique in sauce making and in many other areas of cooking. Because it produces a more flavourful product by concentrating it. A reduced stock also has more body because the gelatin is concentrated. A Glaze is a stock that is reduced until it coats the back of a spoon. It is so concentrated - reduced by three fourths or more - that it is solid and rubbery when refrigerated. Glazes are used as flavourings in sauce – making and in some meat, poultry, fish and vegetable preparations. Only small amounts are needed because they are so concentrated. Glazes diluted to original strength do not taste like the stocks they were made from. The long cooking changes the flavours somewhat.
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KINDS OF GLAZES.
1. Meat glaze : or glace de viande made from brown stock.
2. Chicken glaze glace de volaille made from chicken stock.
3. Fish glaze glace de poisson made from fish stock.
CONVENIENCE BASES The cost, both in time and materials, of making stocks in modern kitchens has led to the widespread use of concentrated convenience products known bases. These are diluted with water to make flavoured liquids similar to stocks. Glazes can be considered bases and in fact they are the original bases used long before today’s manufacturers started producing convenience products. Bases vary greatly in quality. The best ones are composed mainly of meat extracts. These are perishable products and must be refrigerated. Many bases are made primarily from salt, however – an expensive way to buy salt. Bases can be improved by simmering the diluted product with some mirepoix, sachet and a few bones or meat trimmings if possible. Bases are sometimes added to weak stocks to give them more flavour. There is no substitute for a well made stock. V.K.Iyer, Sr.Instructor(Food Production) IHM –Mumbai. 21.08.2012..
