The Stockpot

In a country kitchen like my grandmother’s, where serious cooking was done every day, there were enough scraps and bones left over from daily meals - along with those obtained from the butcher - to furnish delicious stock for family soups and sauces without my grandmother having to buy fresh meat or use expensive meat extracts for the purpose.

Her stockpot was made of tinned copper, fitted with a tap to allow liquids to be drawn off when required without disturbing the fat at the top. For smaller kitchens a large enamelled saucepan or earthenware casserole can be used for making stocks, but be sure your saucepan is large enough to contain comfortably the bones, meat, water and vegetables necessary for making the stock, and still allow liquids to come not more than 4 inches from the top, so that you can skim it easily.