You should make your own stock. Why? Not because it makes you better than that friend who always has more expensive pots and pans, or a more exclusive source of Humboldt Fog goat cheese than you do. While that may be a perfectly legitimate reason to make your own stock, there are far better ones.

Your food will taste better. Much better. Sooooooooo much better.
Salt. When you cook, your stock will invariably reduce, particularly when you are using it for sauces. Even low-sodium stock can end up tasting too salty. I am not worried as much about your health here. In fact, you should salt your food. The real risk of high-sodium comes from packaged, processed and prepared foods; not cooking from scratch in your kitchen.
Your entire house will smell incredible, warm and welcoming! but please, plan on cooking something else at the same time. When stock is done you throw all the solids away. So while your household has been salivating over the rich smells wafting from the kitchen, you’ve got nothing ready for them to eat. On the other hand, they’ll be desperate and hungry. Get them to wash the dishes before you feed them.

Homemade vegetable stock is quick and simple. You can have a flavorful liquid in under an hour. In fact, it will cook in the time it takes you to prep ingredients for a stir-fry or to start sautéing meat, and will be ready just in time to make a delicious pan sauce or a quick bowl of ramen.

Vegetable Stock

Your stock will cook in about 45 minutes. You can put it on the back burner while you go about cooking something else, or kicking your feet up on the couch. This stores well, so put some in the fridge or freezer. You can add lots of veggie scraps to flavor your stock, but avoid bitter and acidic foods like peppers, tomatoes and any member of the Brassica family – cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts and cauliflower.

Ingredients:

1 large carrot (2″ diameter and 8″ long)
2 ribs celery
1 large onion — or 2 if you don’t use a leek (about the size of a baseball)
1 leek, white parts only (optional)
8-10 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
6-8 parsley stems, 2-3” long - save the leaves for finishing dishes
4-6 sprigs thyme

Directions:

Roughly chop the vegetables. This is not the time for fine knife skills. 2-3” chinks are just fine. Add all of the ingredients to a 6-8 quart stock pot. Add 10-12 cups water, partially cover, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, being careful not to let the stock boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook at a bare simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Strain and discard all solids.
Return stock to the pot and cook over med-high heat to reduce to about 8 cups. You can test the level of flavor by putting a little in a small dish and adding a pinch of salt. Taste it. If it tastes to watery, reduce the stock further.
Store in refrigerator for a week or your freezer for 3-4 months.

TIP: If you wouldn’t eat something because it is nearly rotting in the bottom of your vegetable bin, then it doesn’t belong in your stock.

Homemade is better - Part I

Vegetable Stock

It was the kind of morning when you could not fail.