I made stock for the first time and used this recipe--it turned out great! It was easy to do, too. Thank you.

Your recipe calls for barely simmering the stock for 6 hrs. Other recipes I've seen say simmer only 1 hr. Is the amount of flavor proportionately greater in the longer-simmered stock?

Short answer:
There IS a point where you will not extract any more flavor from bones and/or vegetables. A slow simmer results in a slower extraction process and is used to produce a very clear stock. We suggest 4 to 6 hours at a very slow simmer for best results.

Longer Answer: Let me first start off by talking about what a stock is - it is flavored water. That's it. Making a stock is like making tea where you are simply infusing flavor into water to use as a base for a: e.g. sauce, soup, braised dish, etc.

With that out of the way, there are no absolutes with stocks. You simmer to extract flavor and if you like the flavor you have reached after 1 or 2 hours, then so be it. It will still produce an end-dish that will be better than if you simply added plain water. And unlike tea, you can even cook a stock longer without causing the stock to degrade in flavor. You won't be extracting any more flavor after a certain point, but rather you will start concentrating the flavors through reduction.

So remember - no absolutes. If you want to add tomatoes and more thyme to adjust the base flavor, then go ahead. This is where stock making gets fun and begins to take on your own personal culinary character.

I made this stock yesterday. Instead of my usual short cut methods, I followed the recipe. this is some of the best stock I've ever made. I did simmer for 6 hours. It was very gellatenous when cooled. I can't wait to use this stock. I also put the stock in ziplock bags, laying flat in the freezer. I had 8 bags which hardly took any room...awesome!

Fantastic stock. I've used it in meat dumplings and almost anywhere "water" is needed in a recipe. I too have a gelatinous mass in my fridge which I enjoy scooping out and enriching my, now superior, dishes. Thanks guys! 100%

I may need to get a larger one but it is difficult for me to tell from the video ...

Thank you!

Matthew

Anywhere from a 10 quart to 16 quart is good for the home cook. It all depends on how much you want to make and how much you can store. There is more covered in the How to Make Stock Fundamentals Lesson and in this previous forum discussion. Happy Cooking! Hope this helps.

Really I wanted to make this recipe verbatim. I saw that the stock pot that I have is in fact a 7 quart which I suppose it is why it looks small - especially if it were to accommodate all the ingredients in this recipe. So, for this Dark Chicken Stock recipe I take it that a 10 quart would be the minimum with a 12 quart getting the nod? I was not able to make my way to the link for a recommended pot that was listed in the previous forum as the "page could not be found" but I did find a 12 quart All Clad stainless stock pot but it sells in the high $300 range ... :)

Hi Matthew. I'd go for a 12 minimum to 16 quart (the bigger the better) as you are going to love making stock - not to mention the great recipes that will be within your reach once you have great stock on hand. Note that going from a 12 to 16 will not be that different in price. However, 12 is big enough for this recipe.

As for where to buy them, call you local restaurant supply store and I'm sure you can pick one up for around $100 to $150. Just make sure it's stainless steel. In Vancouver, we go to this place: http://www.russellfood.ca/ (interesting people think that it's only for restaurants and hotels but the public are served as well if you know).

Good luck.

I'll go and search today. As a matter of interest, could one take this recipe, divide the quantities by two - and cook in two smaller (7 qt) stock pots? Would that have any effect on cooking time or consistency of the resulting stock?

Thank you again!

Matthew.

This would totally work - the cooking time would only be affected by how long it would take the stock to come to a simmer (as there would be less water).

Basically stocks are quite flexible, don't worry too much just get in there and you will see how easy and wonderful they are.

I just made one the other day (in a 6 qt pot) and I had to leave it on low for about 6 hrs and the end result was a delicious and rich stock. What I mean is that I rarely worry about time, I work stocks around my schedule so that I make them often. Hope this helps!

of an 18 quart Vollrath Stainless Steel Stock Pot! Acquired from a local restaurant supply store ($109 for the pot, $26 for the lid) - thank you Joe G for the suggestion! Chicken bones are harder to come by than I thought but have requested a local supermarket to set some aside as the day goes on - hopefully will pick them up tomorrow. Let the stocks begin!

Following the recipe, I seem to have ended up with two to three times the vegetables - as compared with the video. Consequently I think I was steaming the mirepoix in the first step as opposed to caramelizing them. I then split them into two pans. I did not use the product from deglazing the pan which held the chicken bones as it was beyond caramelized 0 it had burned and the taste was so acrid that I did not want to incorporate this into the stock. At the end of the day we had 14 cups of what I would call a very nice and deep vegetable stock - however the chicken was hard to detect. Nevertheless,I look forward to using this stock in future recipies.

Hi Matthew... First of all, congratulations for making one of the most important purchases for your culinary training (next to the knife) - a stock pot. Everyone take note :-)

Secondly, I congratulate you on adapting (splitting up the mirepoix because you noticed that it was steaming). Paying attention and asking questions is the first step to obtaining the results you desire. You did the right thing.

Thirdly, I would like to suggest that you review the lesson on Stock Making Fundamentals. In particular, topic number 5. When making stocks there are no hard and fast rules regarding the ratio of bones to vegetables. We suggest a ratio of 3 parts bones to 1 part mirepoix but this is a general guide only. For the mirepoix, half onions and half celery, carrots and leaks. So next time, forget the recipe altogether and eyeball it. If in the end you'd like a bit more chicken flavor, add more bones. Play with it.

Lastly, caramelizing the bones is important. Not over caramelizing is also important (e.g. burning). So you did the right thing to trust your judgment. The subsequent lesson in the Stock Section on How to Make Dark Stock will provide some great technique for you.

Great work. Try another small batch after you review these lessons and then let's make something with it. If you need suggestions, click on the 'Contact Us' link on the bottom of the page and we'll suggest a few great starter recipes.

This is the key to setting yourself up for some great results in the kitchen. The first recipe I tried from Rouxbe was the Chicken Marsala and I used store bought stock. The second recipe I tried was this one for the dark stock. I reattempted the Chicken Marsala and was blown away at the difference in quality.

Since that time I've pretty much always had some home made dark stock on hand in the freezer. My only gripe is that my oven is too small to adequately roast everything all at once so I find myself doing the vegetables and bones separately, and even then, sometimes the bones in batches. Once it all gets thrown into the pot though, it's smooth sailing and I can pretty much let it do it's thing once it's come to a gentle simmer.

I can't stress how awesome having your own dark stock on hand is. Ridiculously good pan sauces, braising liquids, etc., are all so easily attainable now.

I made stock yesterday, which looks delicious. However, I woke up this morning and there is no thick layer of fat at the top (I put the pot in the refrigerater). Does this indicate that most of the fat emulsified?

-I hope it all wasnt for naught...

Hi Rosi,
You didn't do anything wrong. Either you did a great job of skimming during cooking or there was just not a lot of fat on the bones. Also, sometimes the stock can be super gelatinous and other times not so much. It all depends on the bones used. If it tastes great, that's all that matters. Great job!

There is not always a big layer of fat on top. Perhaps the bones you used wasn't very fatty. Don't worry Rosi, if it tastes good then you are fine. Curious...did the stock thicken (get more gelatinous) in the refrigerator?

The stock did not get more gelatinous. Could my refrigerator not be cold enough?

Thanks! I'm just going to stick to "having done a great job skimming"!

As far as the temperature of your refrigerator...I suggest using a fridge thermometer. I have one that I keep in the fridge at all times. This way I always know that my refrigerator is at the correct temperature.

I also have an oven-proof thermometer for my oven, as appliances are most often slightly out when it comes to temperatures. Hope this helps!

I made chicken short stock yesterday. I had to use chicken legs as I have no easy access to chicken bones. I followed the recipe and used good quality canned chicken stock rather than water. The recipe calls for adding 2 liters of chicken quarts. The beginning of the recipe has the statement Serves 5L. Is this recipe supposed to make 5L? Am I reading the recipe wrong? In other words, adding 2 L should not yield 5L

Jorge

Thanks for the catch. The recipe has been updated - the yield for this short stock is about 2 L.

What other herbs could be substituted for the thyme? Would rosemary work?

I would not substitute with rosemary as it would be too overpowering. I would maybe just leave it out or use a bit of dried thyme. You could also try using a herb blend that contains a bit of thyme such as, herbes de Provence. Just don't over do it, as you don't want to overpower the flavor of the chicken.

Are you supposed to use the whole leek, or just the white and light green parts?