A good stock has depth of flavour, a clear consistency and colour, tastes of the main ingredient and is not oily. I’ll explain below how to achieve this. First, let me list a few tips:
For meat stocks, try to use bones that have some meat still attached. This will enhance the depth of flavour in your stock.
For brown stocks, younger animals make better stocks as their bones tend to produce more gelatine.
If using frozen bones, thaw them beforehand.
Rinse bones thoroughly before using them.
Make sure the vegetables are all properly cleaned and free of sand and silt.
Cut your mirepoix (thickly diced vegetable mix made of carrots, or parsnips for a white stock, celery and onion) into evenly matched sizes.
Cut a hand-size piece of cloth and in it place a sprig of thyme, 5 short parsley stems, 1 bay leaf, sliced celery stalk and a teaspoon of cracked peppercorns. Tie the cloth into a small pouch with string. This is called a bouquet garni and will be used in every stock you make.
Use a tall thick-based pot to cook your stock in. It should be tall rather than wide.
Always have another smaller pot with a bit of water in alongside the main stockpot. This will be used for pouring the skimmed impurities into.
Have a ladle, a large sieve and large plastic container ready.
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