Making Soup Stock

The making of stock is as important as the potatoes, meat, veggies, etc. that you use to make the soup itself, if not more so. The stock is the very basic foundation of any soup or stew. Stock is a very basic recipe that relies on good base ingredients like celery, onion, carrot and meat if you are making a meat-based soup.

Broths can be used to replace milk, water and other liquid ingredients where you wish to add some additional flavour to your recipes such as mashed potatoes, biscuits, casseroles and more.

Want flavourful pasta and rice? Cook your favourite pasta or rice in broth instead of water and skip the additional oil or butter. On another note, don’t be afraid to add seasoning to your water when making pasta or rice. Going Italian? Add some oregano, basil and bay to your water, bring to a boil and then cook your pasta. This gives your pasta some additional flavour and creates a delicious addition to your sauces.*winks*

Types of Stock

There are various types of stocks that are used in various recipes. While you may never use some of them, it is always good to know what they are and how they are used. Here is a shortlist:

White Stock: clear and almost colourless liquid made by simmering poultry, beef, or fish bones with herbs and spices in water
Brown Stock: amber liquid made by first browning poultry, beef, veal, or game bones with herbs, spices and vegetables
Fumet: stock made with fish bones by using the sweating method; vegetables are slowly cooked before the bones and liquid is added
Court Bouillon: vegetable broth that includes wine or vinegar; most commonly used for poaching fish and cooking vegetables
Essence: same as fumet but uses highly aromatic products such as celery or mushrooms
Glace: reduced stock resulting in a jellylike or syrupy consistency with a highly concentrated flavour that is used as a sauce base or is used to enhance other foods
Remouillage: stock made from bones that have already been used; not as strong as the first batch and usually reduced to make a glace or to replace the water in the making of stock
Broth: a liquid that results from simmering meats; the base liquid is often a stock. It is often used as a soup or base for stews and braises.
Bouillon: french term for broth

Mirepoix:

So how do you make a great broth? Well, most often it begins with what chefs call mirepoix (pronounced as meer-pwah), which is a combination of onions, carrots and celery. This bouquet is considered aromatics and is lightly sauteed in butter or oil before adding to your water to make broths.

A traditional mirepoix consists of two parts onions, one part carrots, and one part celery, with the proportions determined by weight. Therefore, one pound (16 oz) of mirepoix would be made up of 8 ounces of onions, 4 ounces of carrots, and 4 ounces of celery.

Step 1: Making the Mirepoix

Wash and peel carrots.
Peel the outermost onion skin.
Wash celery and remove the base and leaves.
Cut all vegetables as uniformly as you can. Try to make them as close to the same size as you can. NOTE: If you are making a light/white soup you will want to small dice your vegetables. For brown stock, you can use larger pieces since the stock will need to cook longer.
If you want a lighter flavor, add the raw mirepoix to your recipe. If you want a richer, more flavourful stock you need to sweat the mirepoix. This is done by adding a bit of butter or oil (or a combination of both) to the bottom of your stockpot and lightly saute the vegetables on low heat until you start to see them releasing juices into the pan.
Once sauteed you can add the vegetables to your crock or soup pan. If you are using the same pan, then add your water and seasonings to the pan.

Step 2: Tips

(photo by The Denver Post)

Mirepoix should be cut according to the type of recipe you are making. For light stock soups, it is ideal to dice your veggies into 1/2-in pieces. For darker stocks, you can use up to 1-inch pieces. The smaller the cuts, the more flavor you will get.
Mirepoix isn’t just for soups and stews. It can be used as a base for many recipes like braising meats, cooking with chicken (or other meats) on the stovetop, roasting other veggies and meats, and more.
Mirepoix for broth is strained out of the broth before using the broth. While this may seem like a waste, the mirepoix will be very soft and mushy after making the broth and isn’t tasteful. This being said, it is best to throw it into your compost pile or the trash after cooking.

Step 3: Measurements

(image by Food Farm Health)

Again this is just a guide and is dependent on how much stock you are making. You may need to increase or decrease your ingredients as you decide on the amount of stock you desire.

The standard rule of cooking stock is as follows:

Meat Based: 1 pound of mirepoix to each gallon of stock
Vegetable Based: 4 pounds of mirepoix to each gallon of stock

Remember that ingredient size is also based on the type of stock you are making. Lighter stocks (chicken, turkey, fish, vegetable, etc.) require smaller sizes since they cook for shorter times. A good rule of thumb is the darker the stock, the larger pieces can be used. Here are some examples:

Pork: 3-inch chunks
Beef: 3-inch chunks
Chicken: 1/2-inch dice
Vegetable: 1/4-inch
Fish: 1/8-inch or smaller

Step 4: Broth Basics

(photo by Chicago Tribune)

Broth is a liquid made from a combination of mirepoix and bones, whereas stock is made from mirepoix and meat. Vegetarian broths are often made with a combination of mirepoix and other root vegetables. Broths regardless of traditional or vegetarian include the use of mirepoix that will provide the basic foundation of your dish and is removed from the actual dish itself after the broth is cooked. Many people today leave the mirepoix in the stock, but this leads to a tasteless and mushy addition to your soups, stews, and dishes. It is best to strain your broth, removing the mirepoix and seasonings before using as a soup base. This is easily done by using a fine-mesh strainer. After straining, you can begin your recipe.

Now, this is where there is some controversy in the home cooking vs. culinary chef opinions. Traditionally stocks are made from soup bones, not the meat itself. The actual meat is added after the stock is made.

If you have ever heard the term “cook down”, this is a reference to cooking the raw bones of the meat to make a broth. Raw bones from turkey, lamb, beef, chicken, and pork are often used to create stock for use. The bones are placed in a large pot of water with mirepoix and “cooked down” for flavor and nutrients. Bone Broth is one example of this and is considered to be a healthy broth used to aid in healing from illnesses.

Now this being stated, other parts of the animals being used such as fish heads and tails, chicken feet, pig feet, tail, hocks, snouts, etc. can all be used in this process. Turtles, snakes, seafood, and both large and small game have also been used in this process. Knucklebones and other large joint bones with cartilage are ideal due to the collagen that it contains. A good stock will actually gel when it cools. This is what you want for the most nutritional stock.

Stocks have been made from just about every part of the animal that couldn’t be used for a regular meal. Traditionally these parts were used so they weren’t wasted. This can come in very handy when you own your own livestock, hunt or fish. The only limit is your imagination and ingredients. It is strictly up to you.

So how much should you use?

On average, it is advised to use 5-6 pounds of soup bones per gallon of water. This may seem like a lot, but you have to remember that vegetables in the mirepoix are very flavourful and with the lack of a lot of meat on soup bones, you are basically creating a nutrient-based liquid with flavor. This is why soups have traditionally been recommended when someone is ill. Here is a quick guide that will produce 1 gallon of stock:

Chicken: 5-8 pounds bones, 1 pound mirepoix, 6 quarts water
Beef: 5-8 pounds bones, 1 pound mirepoix, 6 quarts water
Veal: 5-8 pounds bones, 1 pound mirepoix, 6 quarts water
Game: 5-8 pounds bones, 1 pound mirepoix, 6 quarts water
Fish: 11 pounds bones, 1 pound white mirepoix, 5 quarts water
Shellfish: 11 pounds bones, 1 pound white mirepoix, 5 quarts water
Vegetable: 1 pound vegetable per quart of water

Step 5: Cooking Times

(photo by Maangchi)

Stocks/broths are a time-consuming project that should be done before making your soups, stews, etc. They are often made in large quantities then stored for later use. Most stocks can be frozen or canned then used as needed. An alternative to freezing large quantities to use for recipes other than soups and stews is to use ice cube trays to free the stock in “flavor cubes” for ease of use. If you do this however remember that you must allow the stock to cool to room temperature before adding to ice trays. Modern ice trays have a coating on them that keeps the ice from sticking. Heat removes this coating which is why if you use hot, soapy water to wash them it is more difficult to remove the ice. That being said, you should only use room temperature or cold liquids in them.

Now, back to cooking times. Due to the volumes of stock made at a time, the cooking times will vary, but here is a general list of optimal cooking time per stock type. Remember this is just a guide.

Beef: stock in about 15-20 hours.
Pork: stock in about 12-15 hours.
Chicken: stock in about 5-7 hours.
Vegetable: stock in about 2-4 hours.
Fish: stock in about 45 minutes.

Step 6: Variations of Mirepoix

Here are some traditional examples used around the world for various cuisines and dish types. Remember, these are just a basic guide. You can add or omit whatever you prefer. However, this may give you some ideas to give your favourite meals a flavourful twist.

Cultural Flavours:

African Dishes: onion, garlic, ginger, habanero pepper, paprika, bay leaf
Basque Dishes: leeks, carrots, turnip, onion, potato, parsley and thyme
Cajun Dishes: celery, onion and green pepper
Caribbean Dishes: culantro, ajices dulces (small chilies), onions, cubanelles, garlic, and cilantro
Chinese Dishes: ginger, scallions (green onions) and garlic
Cuban Dishes: cumin, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and sweet cubanelle peppers
German Dishes: leek, carrot, celery and any combination of parsley, thyme, celery leaves, rutabaga, parsley root, or onions
Indian Dishes: Indian Dishes: onions, garlic, ginger and hot chiles
Italian Dishes: carrots, celery, garlic, leeks and fennel
Japanese Dishes: kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna)
Polish Dishes: onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar, parsley, cabbage
Puerto Rican Dishes: spanish onion, cubanelle pepper, garlic, cilantro, tomato, red pepper, culantro, ajices dulces
Russian Dishes: carrot, celery, tomato, bay, black pepper
Scottish Dishes: carrots, turnips, celery, onions, barley, peppercorns
Spanish Dishes: carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes and chiles
Thai Dishes: basil, ginger, and lemongrass, finishing with fresh kaffir lime juice to taste
Venison Dishes: onion, carrot, celery, juniper berries, whole allspice, peppercorns, and red wine

Dish-Based Flavours:

Bean Dishes: onion, carrot, celery, thyme or marjoram, bacon, and vinegar
Beef Dishes: onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and black pepper
Chicken Dishes: onion, carrot, celery, white pepper and ground nutmeg
Chicken Dishes: onion, celery, carrots, garlic, salt and pepper
Mussels, Seafood & Fish: onion, celery, white pepper, and white wine
Potato Dishes: carrot, celery, onion, bay leaf, bacon
Turkey Dishes: Turkey Dishes: celery with leaves, onion, carrot, peppercorns, chicken seasoning
White Mirepoix: celery, leeks, parsnips and mushrooms (often made to be meatless for vegetarian dishes, but can be used with chicken, turkey, etc.)

Aesthetic-based Flavours:

Matignon: celery, onion, carrot, pork, mushroom and spices (this is considered “edible” mirepoix and is often used at garnish for the meal.)

Adding More Flavour:

Often you will want to add some of your own spices, herbs, etc. to your broths in addition to the mirepoix. Traditionally there are two ways to do this and they will make your life a bit easier:

Sachet d’epices: A small cheesecloth sack of dried and fresh herbs and spices.
Bouquet garni: A bundle of herbs and aromatics tied with cooking twine.

Both the sachet and the bouquet garni are tied with cooking twine and added to the stock and left to simmer. The twine is often cut long enough to have a long tail, allowing it to be tied or wrapped to the handle or side of the pot. This aids in retrieving it. Think of it as a herbal teach bag for stock that keeps your herbs and large seeds, spices, etc. from ruining the look of stock.

This is very handy since most stock is stored and the breaking down of herbs and spices left in it will change the flavour of your stock over time, whether canned or frozen.