Question
Tammy Flolid
When making stock from vegetable scraps, what is the ratio of seasonings give the most flavorful result? Are there any vegetables or seasonings to limit or not use because they give the stock a funky flavor?
Answer
I mean, I, I'll tell you what, I'll have to take a look at, uh, the lesson real quick to give you a specific ratio in terms of a starting point. But, you know, generally speaking, we're talking about an amount of oi. Um, if we're talking about as, as a starting point, MIRI paw is the onions, carrots, and celery that make up, um, in the classical Euro-American kitchen anyway, um, the aromatic component, um, of a, um, of a stock, okay? And, and, and meat stock comes to mind where we might be using bones from an animal, uh, or, or, uh, or, or seafood of some sort. Um, in that case, the, the oi would be, um, comparable in amount to the bones that are used. Um, but this can be adjusted, okay? Uh, when we talk about these sort of ratios, they are like any other recipe, a starting point. And, uh, it, it's a, it is one where, uh, we always advise students to, to do it at least a couple of times, if, if not many more times, uh, to really understand the process and how the functions of heat and time, uh, affect the different ingredients that are at play, um, in order to learn about the cooking process and learn about ingredients, and again, learn about the effects of, of, uh, temperature and time, okay? Uh, which are the, the fundamental components of cooking in most cases. Uh, and then make changes, right? Uh, you own the process, you own your experience at that point, and have fun with adjusting, uh, those ingredients one way or another. Uh, you can omit ingredients, you can add entirely new ingredients that, uh, that you would like, um, based upon your personal palette preference or perhaps the preferences of your audience, uh, as well as what makes sense with the food that ultimately this stock will be paired with. Okay? And, um, so you use the word seasonings here, ratio of seasoning. So I'm gonna drill down to, um, the, the next layer of aromatics, and that where I think about spices and herbs. Um, you know, in which case, um, this is really gonna be up to you, okay? Um, start with, uh, a recipe, okay? And, uh, as I just said, make it at least a couple of times to begin to understand it, and then start to make some adjustments, uh, that suit your preference, man. So that could mean, um, adding some entirely different things like, uh, fresh, uh, chilies, dried chilies. Uh, maybe it's a fistful of garlic. Maybe it's, um, um, uh, um, o other herbs, you know, uh, maybe it's lemon grass, uh, uh, kafi lime leaves. If you want to take the stock into the direction of, uh, a Southeast Asian flavor of profile. Um, this is all within your control. Um, you know, once you understand that process, okay? And, um, uh, do this to taste, uh, during the simmering process, uh, because some things, you know, for example, citrus rind, um, you know, you know, even, you know, lemon grass and some of these very pungent items, uh, can, uh, become out of balance, uh, if they're allowed to simmer too long. And, um, so, you know, when you're, uh, when you're simmering across, uh, two or three or four hours or sometimes more, you need to be nearby during these early experimental stages when you're getting to know the process and you're making changes, uh, because you are, uh, in charge at that point. Okay? And, um, uh, so think about regional cuisines around the world, and again, what you might pair the stock with, uh, to inform what, uh, seasonings or flavorings you might add, right? Or adjust, uh, in the stock. Okay? And, um, uh, the second part of your question, are there any vegetables or seasonings to limit or not use because they give the stock a funky flavor? So let me, um, you know, first say that, um, uh, it depends on, on what it is that you're creating and just, um, oftentimes what sort of clarity that you want in the stock. Um, if you, if you're after a very clear stock, uh, then avoid particularly starchy, um, ingredients. And oftentimes, we, we avoid potatoes, uh, for this reason. Um, but, you know, other times the clarity of the stock doesn't make any difference, because you're gonna end up making some sort of, uh, uh, a, a, um, a stew or a, you know, with a dark gravy or, uh, an opaque, um, cream of soup. Uh, I, and so the, the, the look of the stock is not important, in which case you can add anything you want to it. Now, in terms of funky flavor, you know, I, I had mentioned that some ingredients become particularly pungent and might land, um, in particular, bitterness, uh, you know, can be noticeable and offensive. Um, but otherwise, the flavors are gonna be up to you and what you think funky means, okay? Uh, because, uh, you know, our pallets differ and, um, our objectives differ in terms of how we would use that stock. Okay? So take notes along the way. I'm a, I'm a big fan of having a notebook and, uh, a pencil in the kitchen, um, so I can jot down notes because I never remember them three hours later. Um, and, uh, and then continue to experiment. It's an ongoing process. I keep a notebook in the kitchen at all times, so I could just pick it up and, uh, refer to what I was doing 10 days ago, um, without having to stop and, and, uh, try to rely upon my memory. So, anyway, um, have some fun with the process. Uh, this is cooking. And, uh, let me add one more thing. This is also why at Rouxbe, we do not rely on recipes. We do not emphasize recipes as the, the first line, uh, of approach when it comes to cooking. Instead, we are teaching you cooking methods and the ancillary techniques that are part of this broader process of cooking. And once you, um, gain confidence, you know, understanding, uh, of these, uh, methods and techniques, then you can handle any recipe that's given to you, okay? And that's the beauty of this approach. And so, when you see a, a stock recipe, uh, after you have some experience under your belt, you, you can read through it, and you'll understand what the author is intending, uh, in most cases. Now, sometimes you still may wanna try it out once or twice to to understand what the author is, is intending if it's something new to you. Um, but at that point, you'll have a pretty good grasp, and you'll be able to go down your own path. All right? So, again, have fun with it. Thank you. All right.
