Timing Stock/Broth Perfectly

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I have been experimenting with different methods and I am trying to find the perfect extraction time for each of the elements of my stock. I first noticed this when one time I added celery leaves and parsley in the last hour of the cook, and it had such a nice fresh aroma to compliment the deep stock flavour and thought maybe it would make sense to add in every element of a stock at different times?

It's been my experience that Chicken Carcass and Feet are about done at around 4-6 hours, Veal and Beef Bone around 10-12. But vegetables are good after about 2 hours (carrots, celery, leek), is there any reason why I should not cook my veal stock for 8 hours and then right towards the end pop in the vegetable? It seems so intuitive for me but I have literally NEVER seen it done. Maybe I'm missing something?



Best Answer

Is there any reason why I should not cook my veal stock for 8 hours and then right towards the end pop in the vegetable?

No, and there are many reasons why what you are doing is what you should be doing!

It seems so intuitive for me but I have literally NEVER seen it done.

Well, I can find many sources that advise you to add the vegetables towards the end of the cooking time. For example, from The Kitchn:

Adding the vegetables too soon.

Vegetables cook a lot quicker than beef, so there’s no reason to add them to the pot at the same time. Add them too soon, and you’ll be left with mushy (and unappetizing) veggies.

And it makes total sense. At my household, we make bone & vegetable soup about once a week, and are pretty familiar with the timing of each ingredient. We usually just put in the "soupable" vegetables that are lying around in the house, so the recipe is always changing.

Here is our rule of thumb as to which sort of ingredients go into the pot before others, though other household may vary:

  1. Bone and meat.

  2. Medicinal aromatic ingredients *(like dried shiitake mushrooms) and salt.

  3. Root vegetables (like carrots) and vegetable stalks (like cauliflower stems).

  4. Leafy greens (like lettuce) and herbs.




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How often should stock be stirred?

There's never a need to stir a stock during simmering. Gently skim fats and impurities from the surface of the stock every half hour or so using a spoon to remove the foam that rises to the top. 4.

How do you know when stock is done?

You know your stock is done when the color turns a rich golden brown. The texture will be slightly gelatinous and may become more so as it's cooled. Other than the occasional check in, you can go about the rest of your day and have a batch of delicious homemade chicken stock with hardly any effort at all.

How long should you boil vegetable stock?

Bring to a simmer and then drop the heat until you just get a bare simmer. The surface of the stock should just barely be bubbling. Cook for 1 1/2 hours.

Why are stocks cooked for a long time?

Cooking a Stock. Stocks are gently simmered, never boiled, to extract their flavors. They must be started in cold water to gently open and release impurities, caused by proteins in the meat and bones to rise to the top and be easily skimmed from the surface.



The Ultimate Guide To Making Amazing Chicken Stock




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Jose Francisco Fernandez Saura, Alex Knight, Aleksandar Pasaric, Sora Shimazaki