Curious to know. Thanks

In the video how to make stocks it says, you can also add stock to short stock. My query is can i use store bought stocks or the chicken cubes we get here in India to short stock & will it enhance the flavor just as much?

In topic 2, it specifically mentions that smaller bones are used for making short stock. Because of the short cooking time, smaller bones will be able to extract their flavors into the liquid. Large veal and beef bones take much longer to cook and release their flavor/gelatin (refer to the lesson on Veal and Beef Stocks). I suppose if you somehow got a butcher to cut these up for you into small pieces, technically you could, but short stocks are usually reserved for smaller poultry/animal bones as described in the lesson. Cheers!

You can use a lesser quality store-bought stock as the liquid when making short stock; however, be careful of the brand you are using. Many store-bought stocks (and especially bouillon cubes) have extremely high levels of salt. If this is the case, it is better to just make your own short stock. Cheers!

For helping with all my newb questions. I suppose cutting beef bones would be more work than it's worth. But I assume I could still brown them stove top and not in the oven if I wanted right?

No, it would be too much trouble. I'd stick to the lesson and practice recipes for each one for the best success. I know you are new to the stock-making process, so it is best to not get too far ahead of yourself. Focus on perfecting the basics as taught in each lesson without trying to vary them too much. Cheers!

Thanks

I'm a little confused as to whether there really is a qualitative difference in a short stock in terms of flavor. I realize that regular stock method produces more volume, but I think it might be too much for my freezer, and so I'd like to try relying on the short stock method. But am I compromising anything besides yield?

I'm thinking of using the leftover bones from a 4 lb roast chicken, which seems just the runt amount to go either way.

Thanks

Nothing is compromised. The only difference is volume. For the home cook, smaller batches are much easier to handle. A small batch of stock vs. a batch of short stock are essentially the same. The leftover bones from a roast chicken will make an excellent pot of stock. You may want to break up the back / rib cage though to make the bones fit more snugly into the pot. Cheers!

Ok so I did my best: never let it boil, not too much mirepoix, only enough water to cover the bones and veg, skimming, cooked about 2 hours, etc.

The end result had a great color and even better aroma, but it tasted a little bit like "chickeny" water. Very thin flavor. I'm reducing it now and it's getting better, but is there any way to know how I could have remedied the thin flavor to begin with? Also it definitely lacks any kind of gelatinous quality. I know these kinds of questions are difficult to answer without tasting it, but maybe there's a common newbie mistake?

I used: leftover bones from a roast chicken (with gizzards) and some lightly roasted mirepoix. 5:1 bones to mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery). Bouquet garnis: peppercorns, celery leaves, bay leaf, parsley, pinch of dried thyme.

Thanks for any advice.

It sounds like you followed the process well. However, because short stocks have short cooking times, if you didn't chop or break the bones up into smaller pieces, the full flavor may not have been extracted. If you kept the bones whole, you are essentially making a small pot of stock and we let this simmer longer... at least 4 hours. Some stocks wind up being more gelatinous than others just due to the nature of the bones but make sure that the bones and mirepoix were compact in the appropriate-sized pot so that the liquid is concentrated. You will notice the gelatin in the stock as it cools/chills. Reducing it will help to increase the flavor. There is no loss here though. Even faintly flavored stock will still add more flavor to your cooking than water does. Cheers!

I think breaking the bones up is a good tip. I used a fairly wide pot so there wasn't much excess liquid above the bones, but if I had broken them down a bit further, I might have started with less water and therefore had a more intensely flavored stock. There's always the next pot!

One thing to keep in mind is that a tall, skinny pot (rather than wide) is best for making stock. This allows the contents to be compact and less water needs to be added to cover the ingredients. It also slows the rate of evaporation. This will ensure that the stock has a nice concentrated flavor. Cheers!

Hi.i practiced making short stock.the only thing I did differently was cook atleast 1.2 kgs of chicken bones and used 4 ltrs of water.i cooked for 2 hrs.basically I wanted to produce a large volume of short stock.did I do right or short stock should not be produced in volume?
The only negative I am noticing with what I did yesterday was, it was hard for me to strain off impurities.where as I managed that v well with 2.5 ltrs of clear stock.

A couple of clarifications are required. The bouquet Gar. Is added at the time of of the bones and miro poux of a short stock or 30 mins before finishing up?
Do we add tomato paste to a dark short stock or not?

Short stock are generally made in smaller quantities. And yes, tomato paste can be added to a dark short stock. It basically the same process as making a dark stock, only it's for smaller amounts (see the lesson on "How to Make Dark Stocks" for more information).

I am sorry, but I am not 100% sure that I understand your other questions regarding bouquet garni and mirepoix. Please see the lesson and review the discussion thread on "How to Make Stock Fundamentals", for more information. Cheers!