Stocking Up - Part Three Return to the Main Menu     Part 1 2 3 4 Proportions and Ratios For chicken, beef, veal, and game stock, or 1 lbs of bones and 1 lb of vegetables is required to make about 2 quarts of stock. For fish/shellfish stock 2lbs of fish heads, scraps and bones or shells to 2 quarts of water and 1 lb. of vegetables. For vegetable stock there are no exact ratios since vegetables do not all have the same intensity of flavor. About 1 pound of mixed vegetables is required to properly flavor 1 quart of water. Cooking If its convenient, do your stock making over a two day time span. That way there's no hurry, and you can spread each of the steps out as you have the time. It also allows plenty of time for the stock to be chilled overnight or for several hours to make it easier to remove the top layer of fat. When you have enough ingredients on hand to make stock, begin with the meat and bones. If you are making a brown stock, start by roasting the bones in the oven until they brown. You can skip this step, if pressed for time, but the stock will loose a great deal of taste and aroma. Whatever method you choose, add the bones and all the vegetables to the pressure cooker and 1 quart cold water for every pound of ingredients used. You may also add some wine or beer as part of the liquid. Slowly bring to a simmer. There will be insoluble proteins and albumen that will rise to the top, skim this off with a ladle and discard. This is called scumming, or depoulliage in French. Now add the seasonings (except salt) and vegetables and begin cooking for the recommended time to extract flavors and nutrients from the ingredients. Now you can take this stock and make soup out of it or reduce it by boiling it and thus evaporating the water and intensifying the flavors. After pressure cooking, without a lid, simmer for an extended period of time until the water is evaporated. What is left are nutrients and flavor compounds that will intensify and usually thicken naturally. Defatting Strain your stock and discard the solid matter which is now tasteless because all the good stuff is in the stock. There are two methods for degreasing a stock. The simplest, which is ideal for making stock in advance, is to place it in the refrigerator until the fat has hardened on the surface and can be scraped off. The other method, useful when you want to use the stock immediately, is to let the stock settle for five minutes and then to remove as much of the fat as possible from the surface with a spoon or ladle, or use a fat separator cup. Afterwards draw strips of paper toweling over the top of the stock to blot up the last globules or fat. You may discard the fat, feed it to the`dog, or better yet, freeze it to use for making a roux or gravy. What Good Stock Looks Like If your stock resembles loosely congealed eggs whites, you have stock that you can feel good about. The gelatin and protein in the bones and meat scraps causes the stock to congeal. This type of stock is the reason why chicken soup is prescribed for people who are sick. It's powerfully healthy food that is easily digested. If your stock is firmer than egg white and resembles Jello, you have the really good stuff. It jiggles and wiggles, and keeps its shape. You have reaped the rewards of a labor of love, and you can be sure that anything you create with it will be full of flavor and nutrition. Freezer Storage You now have a defatted stock that should be full of flavor although not seasoned as of yet and slightly gelatinous depending on the quality of the bones used. Taste it for strength. If the flavor is too weak, boil it down (after stock has been degreased it may be boiled with no ill effects) to evaporate some of the water content and to concentrate the flavors. Cool and refrigerate the stock for use within a day or two.. Keep small containers or freezer. Another handy tip is to freeze stock in ice cube trays, then transfer the cubes to a plastic freezer bag. That way you have perfectly measured, small amounts of stock for cooking. You can portion the stock into zipper freezer bags by the quart or by the cup. Get all the air out of the bags before you freeze them, and then they are ready at a moment's notice. You can use frozen stock for all kinds of sauces or to that call for bouillon cubes or canned broths.