Stock — Types, Rules, Elements, Key Culinary Terms & Uses in Professional Cooking
Food Production · Part 4 · Module 8
Stock — Types, Rules, Elements, Key Culinary Terms & Uses in Professional Cooking
Stock is the invisible foundation of all great cooking. A perfect brown stock simmers for 8 hours; a fish stock must never cross 20 minutes. The rules of stock-making are the first discipline of every professional chef.
🍲 What Is Stock?
Stock = a flavourful liquid obtained by prolonged simmering of bones, aromatic vegetables, herbs and spices. Base flavour can be fish, poultry, meat or vegetable. Stock is the base for soups, sauces, glazes, and aspic jelly. Stock cubes are over-salty and lack intensity of properly made stock — useful only as emergency measure.
📏 Golden Rules of Stock Making
Slow, gentle, prolonged simmering = perfect stock. Vigorous boiling makes murky fatty stock
Skim regularly — fat and scum rise to the surface and must be removed
NEVER add salt to stock (salt concentrates when stock reduces — over-salts the glaze)
Start with COLD water — cold water encourages fat to rise to surface for skimming
Fish stock: NEVER simmer more than 20 minutes (bones become bitter after this)
Vegetable stock: 30 minutes simmering is sufficient
Vegetables never simmered more than 45 minutes (go mushy and bitter)
Brown stocks: simmer 3–8 hours minimum. Restaurant stockpot simmers all day
One burned carrot can ruin an entire pot of brown stock
Refrigerated stocks: re-boil every 2–3 days. Larder stocks: re-boil every day
🥩 Types of Stocks
Brown Stock
Made from beef/veal/poultry bones and vegetables that are ROASTED until dark brown before simmering. Gives deep, rich, dark colour and intense flavour. Used for rich sauces, gravies, espagnole sauce. 3–8 hours simmering. Veal bones produce stock that sets to a jelly (high collagen content).
White Stock
Made by simmering only — NO roasting of bones. Based on white poultry (chicken), veal, or vegetables. More delicate flavour and light colour. Used in velouté sauces, cream soups, white sauces.
Fish Stock (Fumét)
Made from fish bones and trimmings + mirepoix + sachet. MAXIMUM 20 minutes simmering — never more. After 20 min bones become bitter. Can reduce after straining to concentrate. Used in fish sauces, velouté de poisson, bisques.
Vegetable Stock
No bones. Made from vegetables only. Low fat, easily skimmed. 30 minutes simmering. Can be boiled rapidly after straining to concentrate.
Court Bouillon
Aromatic poaching liquid — NOT a stock in the traditional sense. Made from water, white wine, white wine vinegar, vegetables, peppercorns, bay leaves, salt. Used for poaching fish and shellfish. Simmered 20 minutes, then cooled and strained.
📚 Key Culinary Terms
Bouquet Garni
Bunch of herbs used to flavour western stocks: 1 sprig thyme + 1 bay leaf + ⅙ stick celery + ⅙ leek (for 4 litres of water). Tied together for easy removal.
Sachet d’Épices
Bag of spices: 1 sprig thyme + 1 bay leaf + 3–4 parsley stems + 5g peppercorns (optional) + 1 garlic clove (for 4 litres of water).
Mirepoix (Standard)
50% onion/leek + 25% carrot/turnip + 25% celery/celery root. Roughly cut aromatic vegetables. Used in stocks, soups, braises. (*Starred ingredients substituted for white stock.)
Glace de Viande
Concentrated meat glaze made by reducing brown stock to a syrupy consistency. Adds intense flavour and shiny coating. Stored in ice cube trays in freezer — lasts at least 1 year if fat-free.
Remouillage
“Rewetting” — second stock. After main stock strained, more water added to remaining bones and simmered ~1 hour. Weaker but usable as diluting liquid.
Aspic Jelly
Transparent/amber coloured jelly made by reducing stock. Used to garnish cold dishes (chaud froid, smoked fish). Cut into shapes using cutters.
🎯 UGC NET Key Points — Part 4 Module 8
◆ Stock = flavourful liquid from prolonged simmering of bones, vegetables, herbs and spices
◆ NEVER add salt to stock (salt doesn’t evaporate — concentrates during reduction)
◆ Always start with COLD water (fat rises for skimming)
◆ Fish stock: max 20 minutes only (bones turn bitter after this)
◆ Vegetable stock: 30 minutes · Vegetables: never more than 45 minutes
◆ Brown stock: 3–8 hours · bones roasted before simmering
◆ Bouquet garni: thyme + bay leaf + celery + leek
◆ Sachet d’épices: thyme + bay leaf + parsley stems + peppercorns + garlic
◆ Mirepoix: 50% onion/leek + 25% carrot + 25% celery
◆ Glace de viande = reduced brown stock (syrup) — stored frozen in ice cube trays
◆ Remouillage = second stock from same bones
◆ Aspic jelly = transparent/amber stock reduction used for cold garnish
◆ NEVER add salt to stock (salt doesn’t evaporate — concentrates during reduction)
◆ Always start with COLD water (fat rises for skimming)
◆ Fish stock: max 20 minutes only (bones turn bitter after this)
◆ Vegetable stock: 30 minutes · Vegetables: never more than 45 minutes
◆ Brown stock: 3–8 hours · bones roasted before simmering
◆ Bouquet garni: thyme + bay leaf + celery + leek
◆ Sachet d’épices: thyme + bay leaf + parsley stems + peppercorns + garlic
◆ Mirepoix: 50% onion/leek + 25% carrot + 25% celery
◆ Glace de viande = reduced brown stock (syrup) — stored frozen in ice cube trays
◆ Remouillage = second stock from same bones
◆ Aspic jelly = transparent/amber stock reduction used for cold garnish