Making Homemade Stock

Every year Americans throw out hundreds of dollars of food to spoilage and waste. Our hectic and busy lives combined with the desire to only shop once per week are great contributors to this problem. Infomercials look to fix this problem by selling bags that slow down oxidation, vacuum seal bags, etc. However there is a simple way to utilize near spoiled meat and produce, make stock.

Stock is very versatile in the kitchen, and can be used to make quinoa, risotto, mash potatoes, sauces, and soups. There are classic recipes for making stock that include mirepoix (carrots, onions, celery), herbs, and flavoring agents (chicken, beef, veal, or vegetables). However, there is no reason why stock can not simply be made from what is left in your kitchen.

My recent vegetable stock included yellow bell pepper, radishes, tomatoes, onion, garlic, broccoli, parsnip, zucchini, and yellow squash. The majority of these vegetables had been cut and frozen for over a month or two, and then thawed out to make the stock. This way you can make stock once there is enough meat or vegetables to make a reasonably sized stock. The ingredients do not have to be frozen, and fresh vegetables are recommended if you have enough around. Below are the basic directions for making stock. Depending on how much meat or vegetables you have the recipe will differ, but it is genuinely difficult to ruin a stock as long as you follow the basic guidelines.

Ingredients:

Cold water

Vegetables/Meat/bones – chopped

An onion brule – described on this website

Herbs (preferably parsley, thyme, and bay leaf)

Vegetable oil or Pastamore Kettle Roasted Garlic Oil

Directions:

1. Place a large stock pot on the stove and heat over medium-medium/high heat. When the pot is hot add the oil and allow to heat. When the oil is hot add the vegetables or meat. The longer the meat or vegetables are roasted the darker the color of the stock is going to be. I roasted the vegetables for about 10-15 minutes before adding additional ingredients.

2. Once the ingredients have been roasted to your liking add enough cold water to fully cover all ingredients. There should be enough water to cook the ingredients but not so much that the stock is not flavorful.

3. Add the onion brule and herbs (this would be the time to add bones if you have any). Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. The cooking time for the stock will be dependent on what the ingredients are. Vegetable stocks can be cooked any where from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. Chicken stocks should cook for 3-4 hours, and beef stocks should cook for 4-6 hours. Taste the stock as it is cooking to determine if it has been imparted with enough flavor.

4. When the stock is done cooking strain it into a large container through a fine strainer. Next, use a ladle to skim the floating fat off the top of the stock. Place over an ice bath or into the refrigerator to cool.

This stock is a great base for many things. While it may not save you a whole lot of money on buying stock at the store, it will at least use some of the food that was going to waste.