Cooking Through Ratio: Stocks and the Amazing Things They Allow You to Do – Stocks – Chicken Stock
I recently made chicken stock and followed the same process and ratio of 3 parts water and 2 parts bones that I used for making beef stock.
Chickent Stock: Bones
Chicken Stock: 3 parts water
Chicken Stock: Simmering
Chicken Stock: Requires Skimming
Chicken Stock: Mirepoix
Chicken Stock: Tomato Paste
Chicken Stock: Done Cooking
Chicken Stock: Requires Straining
Chicken Stock: Straining
Chicken Stock: Cooled & Requiring Another Skim
Interestingly enough, even though I did not roast the chicken bones and had more meat on them than the beef bones, the end result including consistency and color were about the same as the beef stock. The tomato paste overwhelmingly changed the body and color of the final product. Of course the taste was much different, but labeling is definitely required for storage.
I now have 2 basic stocks under my belt and now look forward to using them to enhance the flavor of my food. This is one of those challenging food lessons that is tough to gauge. While I do in fact have stock in my freezer ready to use, having not made stock before and no good final product to compare it to, it is hard to say if I made a truly good stock. This is another example of being able to learn method in the absence of a teacher while still missing the guidance and evaluation that in class and/or in person training can provide.
Stay tuned for more challenges ahead!
