Stocks have become the foundation of my cooking.  I use it not only to make soups, add it to stews or making fabulous sauces, but cauliflower cooked in chicken stock and butter, or potatoes simmered in duck stock with a bit of duck fat, even risotto made with fish stock, finely chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese, changes an ordinary side dish to something  sublime.  Making stock, however, is time-consuming with lots of fussing and do’s and don’ts, and unless you are committed to getting maximum flavor out of your food, you will find it a bore and unnecessary.  For me it certainly has become a labor of love and deeply satisfying and the more I do it, the easier it gets.  There are some basic rules, though, but you will not regret sticking these.

• Use bones as they often have stray bits of meat on them. Roast the bones in a hot oven until crispy and brown before adding to the stock pot, except in the case of white chicken or seafood stock.
• Start off with the vegetables according to your recipe and always sauté them before adding the roasted bones.  Only then add cold water.
• Never let the stock boil. Bring it to a bare simmer only. Boiling will cloud your stock and can make it bitter.  The longer the stock cooks, the better the flavor.  But not for fish or seafood stock. Cooking time for this is not more than 20 minutes, otherwise it becomes bitter and nasty.
• Do not add salt.  In doing so, means you’re committed to that salt later. Remember the idea of making stock is to concentrate flavours.  And the more you reduce the sauce you are making from the stock, the more the amount of salt concentrates and increases in saltines.  Salt does not evaporate with the water.
• Skim the stock while it is simmering. During the simmering process fat and impurities will float to the surface and gather in a foamy scum. Use a large spoon and skim it off.  It is especially important in the beginning.  Have a container with warm water ready to rest your spoon in between skims.  This way the scum from the previous skimming won’t stick to it and is put into the stock.
• When the stock is ready, turn off the heat and let it sit, not only to cool but to infuse a little longer.
• Strain the stock with a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. If you have rather large bones, lift them out with tongs first.
• Stock will last for about 4 days in the refrigerator, but it works very well freezing it in small containers.

See recipes for Chicken stock, Beef stock, Fish stock (see Poached salmon in seafood broth with fennel and tomato), Lamb stock (See Lamb neck casserole  with Moroccan flavors), Prawn stock, Pork stock,  Duck stock, Venison stock, etc.

neral