Using stock made from scratch
By silence777
@silence777 (121)
Philippines
February 8, 2012 10:47am CST
Do you use stock made from scratch in cooking dishes in your house?
In our country, most people use store bought cubes that substitute stock. I think that they use it cause it's cheaper and less time consuming. But I personally prefer using stock made from scratch because it doesn't contain salt which is good if you're not allowed to eat salty foods, it has no MSG, I wouldn't say it tastes better but it tastes different.
I encourage people to make stock rather than just buy a "cube".
Sure it will cost you more and be longer to prepare but I assure you that it's worth it. :)
1 person likes this
8 responses
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
9 Feb 12
I had a recipe to make my own vegetable stock, but lost it. I agree, making it ourselves is much healthier. Is your recipe a vegetable recipe? If so, do you mind sharing? You are permitted to share here since I asked..Thanks..:)
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
9 Feb 12
So you put these in a big pot of water and boil it, simmer it for how long? Like I said, I did have a recipe, but only made it once and can't remember the details much, other than adding the veggies in, bring to a boil and then simmer,...
@silence777 (121)
• Philippines
9 Feb 12
for my vegetable stock, I generally use Onion, carrots, and celery.
I sometimes put leeks, ginger, and garlic in there too. Depending on what I use it on.
1 person likes this
@silence777 (121)
• Philippines
9 Feb 12
here's a simple recipe for you
1-1.5L water (cold)
2 medium size onions
1 medium carrot
1 stalk celery
Put these in a cheesecloth and tie it together with a string:
Few peppercorns
2 pcs Bayleaf
Parsley stems
Optional:
Mushroom stems
Garlic
Ginger
Herbs
What you do is saute everything first, then put the water in then skim the impurities. Add the aromatics wrapped in the cheesecloth to the pot.
Bring it to a boil then lower the flame to simmer for about 30-45 mins. Skimming it as it simmers.
Remove the cheesecloth after 20 mins of simmering.
1 person likes this
@peavey (16936)
• United States
9 Feb 12
I nearly always make stock when I cook a chicken or boil beef and I keep it in the freezer in small containers until I'm ready to use it. Sometimes, though, I use a combination for the flavor: A cup of homemade stock and a cube of commercial stock. This is especially good for broth for chicken and noodles or chicken soup of any kind.
I have bouht the commercial cubes at a salvage store here for the last few years, so they're inexpensive.
I don't think it's very expensive to make your own stock, though - just the energy for boiling it and if you're already boiling the meat, why not just boil the meat, remove it and keep boiling for a little while longer? It doesn't take long to boil down at a good rate of boiling.
@silence777 (121)
• Philippines
9 Feb 12
Making stock is more expensive.
In our country, stock cubes cost only 5 pesos($0.10) per cube.
Of course you have to consider the gas you use in cooking the stock and the bones and other things you use.
@silence777 (121)
• Philippines
9 Feb 12
I think you misunderstood me.
I said that making stock from scratch is MORE expensove than just buying the cube.
When you make stock, you buy veg, the bones, and the electricity/gas you use. They all cost more than 10 cents which is the price if the cube.
And don't say there's no cost cause there is. Otherwise, the stock you make may be different from what I make.
@sylvia13 (1850)
• Nelson Bay, Australia
9 Feb 12
Stock cubes come in handy most of the time, but nothing replaces a healthy warm soup on a cold winter day! I usually prepare pumpkin soup and apart from soup vetables, I have also included some chicken bones and the result is amazing, as many times those chicken bones have bits of chicken on it, which one can add to the soup! Perfect grandmother's recipe for people who are having a cold!
@silence777 (121)
• Philippines
8 Feb 12
not a good idea to put stock in ice cube trays.
You could just make stock that will last you a few days and just store it in the fridge. It's not necessary to freeze them.
@marguicha (215329)
• Chile
9 Feb 12
I make all my stock from scratch. I don´t even have to think about it being time consuming because all of them come from other food that I also make from scratch. When I´m grinding meat (I like to buy meat and grind it at home), I same some tough parts and place them on a pot to boil with onion, a couple of carrots or leeks, swet pepper an whatever else I have on hand. When I have finished the grinding job, the stock is already finished and the carrots or leeks ready for a good salad. I let it get cold and freeze it or use it up soon. I save the stock from veggies to make risottos and also ask for heads when I buy fish to make fish stock.
@egdcltd (12060)
•
8 Feb 12
I usually use stock cubes, but that's because I rarely cook the sort of foods that would enable me to make the stock from scratch, such as a whole chicken, or fish with bones in, which you can then use the carcasses to make the stock with.
I have occasionally made stock, and it usually freezes well, so it's worth making it if you have the materials, and if you have a chicken carcass to make chicken stock, it's actually cheaper than buying a cube - because you already have the materials.
@cdcapitano (8)
• United States
8 Feb 12
I keep going back and forth between buying whole chicken and buying boneless, skinless chicken. When I buy the whole chicken, I make my own stock. Otherwise I keep cubes and cans in the pantry.
