Soups and stocks

Stocks are bases of many soups and sauces that are prepared and handled in a similar manner. The difference between individual soups and sauces often is only a matter of consistency, seasoning, or light variation in ingredients

Soup is a liquid food consisting mainly of the broth of meat, seafood or vegetables

Stocks

Stocks are thin flavored liquids derived from meat, fish, or poultry bones simmered with vegetables and seasonings. Simmering extracts the flavors and results in rich, flavorful stock. To make a good stock you need the right ingredients, preparation methods and aftercare

Ingredients

Quality stock results only when clean. Wholesome ingredients in the right quantities are used.

The right equipment also must be employed

to make a gallon of stock

You need 4 pounds of bones, 5 quarts of cold water, 1 pound of mirepoix (50% onions or leeks, 25% carrots), and seasoning. The bones should be trimmed of meat for economic reasons and cut into 4 inch lengths or cracked to increase surface area. Small pieces of meat, fish or poultry may be added to give flavor to the stock. A large piece of meat also could be simmered with the stock if it were needed later. The best beef bones to use are the knuckle, shank and neck bones, in that order. An excellent stock can be made from a chicken carcass or chicken parts (back, wings, and neck). The bones of lean white fish such as Haddock, sole and cod make a light, delicate stock.

Mirepoix

Is a mixture of roughly cut vegetables of high quality. Many mirepoix mixtures contain vegetables such as parsley, turnips, cabbage, depending on the flavor desired. To enhance their stock many cooks use various ingredients such as good trimming of mushrooms or parsley and chicken or roast carcass after they are trimmed of meat. However, the stock pot is not a garbage can in which to put all wastes regardless of quality or flavor. Various seasonings such as bay leaves, thyme, cloves, peppercorns, garlic and parsley stems also are added to the stock. These herbs and spices are usually wrapped in a small cloth or bag called a “sachet bag” or between two stalks of celery in a called a “bouquet garni.” Add only enough salt to help make the products more soluble, because stocks often are concentrated or combined with other foods, too much salt in the stock may over-salt the product.

the equipment needed in making stock

Is very simple. Beef Bones should be roasted, cut and cracked

A stockpot can be used for range cooking; A steam-jacketed kettle also can be used. A good stockpot should have a spigot so the stock can be withdrawn from the bottom. A cutting board, a French knife for preparing the vegetables, a ladle, a skimmer and a china cap (a conical-shaped sieve) also are required

Preparation methods

A good meat stock can be extracted in 8 hours, although some meat stocks may be simmered for 12 to 24 hours. Fish stocks cannot be simmered more than 2 hours or chicken stocks more than 6 hours without clouding

Certain common procedures are essential to preparation of a good stock. Place the bones in a stockpot, add enough cold water to cover them and bring the pot to a boil. From the top, skim off the scum (coagulated protein). Then lower the temperature to simmer. Most chefs start their stocks from cold water, saying that the stock has more flavor or that they get a clearer stock. The scum remains in the bones and does not become free in the stock.

The mirepoix and seasoning may be included with the bones at the start or added later as the stock simmers, depending on the type of stock. When the stock is done, it’s drawn through a spigot or poured from the pot in a china cup covered with cheesecloth. It can be used immediately or stored for later use.

Classification of stock

Stocks are classified according to ingredients and color. The four major types are

• Brown stock
• White stock
• Chicken stock
• Fish stock

Brown stock

Is made usually of beef and veal bones

Beef bones-from a more mature animal-give a rich flavor

Veal bones-from a younger animal-provide gelatin that gives body to the stock

Oil the bones lightly, place them in a roasting pan and brown in an oven until golden brown. Overbrowned bones produce a bitter stock; under browned bones yield a stock that is weak in flavor and poorly colored.

After browning the bones, put them into the stockpot. Pour the fat off the roasting pan bottom, and deglaze the pan by removing the browned portion with water over a hot surface. Add this liquid to the stock pot and cover the bones with water. Bring to a boil, skim and simmer for 6 to 8 hours. Add the mirepoix and sachet about midway in the cooking period. Some chefs add tomatoes to enrich the color and give more flavors

White stocks

This stock is more delicately flavored than brown stock. Veal bones are ideal for white stock, but beef and veal bones may be used together. The bones are NOT browned. They are cut, washed and placed in cold water, which is then brought to a boil. Change the water if the stock appears cloudy and at the start. Simmer for 4 to 6 hours. Add the mirepoix and sachet about halfway through. The finished stock is strained and used or stored.

Chicken stock

Chicken stock can also be called a white stock. It is prepared in the same way as white stock but is simmered only for 2 to 3 hours. Add the mirepoix and seasoning after the first hour of simmering. For white stocks some chefs eliminate the carrots from the mirepoix to assure proper coloring, but this is a matter o f personal preference. Chicken stock must always be strained before use or storage.

Fish stock

Bones, heads, skins and trimmings from white lean, deep sea fish are typically used for a fish stock. Rich fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel or trout give a strong and slightly dark stock. Do not wash the fish bones; because the cooking time is short, the delicate flavor may be washed away. Cold water containing the bones and trimmings is brought to a boil, skimmed and simmered. Add the mirepoix and seasonings immediately after skimming. An acid such lemon juice often is added to the simmering fish stock. Simmer only 30 45 minutes. Over-cooking will cause the stock to become cloudy.

Glaze essence and fumet

A glaze is a stock that has been strained and simmered until reduced one-fourth in volume. The mixture is syrupy and will coat a spoon. A stock simmered until half the volume is lost is called a Demi-Glaze.

A demi-glaze. Glazes and demi-glazes are used to enhance the flavor of soups and sauces or to enrich the final product.

An essence also is a rich stock. It is used to flavor and enrich items. It contains a rich stock, wine, vegetables and herbs. After simmering, the liquid is strained and reduced to the desired consistency – usually that of demi-glaze. Some popular essences are ham, fish, mushrooms, chicken and game.

A fumet is a rich essence that has been further reduced and has sherry or Madeira wine added to it. Fumets and essences have the same uses.

Care after preparation

Stocks must be handled with care because they are excellent media for bacterial growth. A stock should be cooled rapidly to below 45oF. Leaving it in the danger zone too long quickly produces a sour stock.

A stock is best cooled when transferred into small containers. Place the containers in an ice bath in the sink until the stock temperature is below 45oF. Then refrigerate or freeze it.

A good soup is made with quality ingredients and proper methods. One way to classify soups is according to consistency because this reflects their ingredients and dictates their use. Soups that cannot be classified this way are best classified according to their main ingredients.

A light soup should introduce a heavy meal. A heavy soup can precede a light meal or a sandwich or salad. Some heavy soups are meals in themselves. Many of these substantial soups are specialty or nationality soups.

Thin soups

The thinnest soups are clear broths, bouillons, consommés and other thin soups are made from clear stocks with only a few ingredients.

• A broth is a rich, flavorful stock
• A bouillon is made from stock, extra meat and seasonings and is perhaps clarified. A bouillon has a fairly strong flavor of the main meat ingredients.
• A consommé is considered the perfect clear, thin soup. One makes it by clarifying a rich stock or broth, using added meat and flavoring ingredients.

Other thin soups include light vegetable soup, milk or light cream soup, light bisque or puree soups and some clear soups, such as vichyssoise.

Thick soups

The difference between thick and thin soups is sometimes slight. A puree can be thin and light or it can be quite thick and heavy. Some vegetables soups are very heavy because they contain many ingredients. Many heavy soups are thickened with rice, potatoes, macaroni, starch or eggs. A chowder or gumbo also can be thickened by many ingredients.

Nationality and specialty soups

Nationality soups can be thick or thin. They form a separate category because of their specific ingredients, methods of preparation, or origins. French onion soup, the mulligatawny of India. Scotch broth with its special barley, olla podrida of Spain, Russian borscht and Italian minestrone fall into this category. Many specialty soups are served cold-for example- delicate avocado soup seasoned with lemon and sherry, jellied madrilène, gazpacho and chilled fruit soups.

Preparation of soups

Quality ingredients and proper production techniques are very important in soup preparation. Attention must be given to the soup’s consistency, seasoning, garnish and special production needs.

Consistency

A thin soup may often be watery because the stock itself lacks enough body. Good body in stock results from the ample amount of the gelatin that comes from the bones of young animals. Additional body can be come from thickening agents, such as starches, rice, macaroni, potatoes or pureed legumes. Meat, fish, poultry and vegetables are also “body builders”

Seasoning

When soup is seasoned, the flavor should blend; as in a balanced musical ensemble, one element should not predominate. Adding spices and other seasonings toward the end of the preparation ensures maximum flavor. Delicacy of seasoning is the key.

Garnish

A thin soup is often enriched by a garnish cut from the food item for which the soup is named. Creativity in soup garnishing, such as the use of sour cream, croutons, vegetable cuttings as is desired.

Special procedures in soup production

The following are standard procedures for making a good soup.

1. Always skim the surface of the stock. Whenever you prepare a stock for soup production, skim off both fat and scum as they appear. This produces a clearer stock, and a better soup
2. Strain your stocks and soups. You should strain all stocks after completion to remove impurities and obtain a clearer soup. Some soups, particularly thin ones, need to be strained through a china cup covered with cheesecloth. Bouillons, consommés and other clear soups should be so clear that they sparkle.
3. Use spices with discretion. Subtle seasoning is the key. A stock or soup should be a blend of flavor. Some chefs remove the small round part of the clove because it can give a slight bitterness. Other crack whole peppercorns in order to extract more flavors. Spices should not be added unless in a sachet bag or bouquet garni. Spices should be in the stock or soup only long enough to contribute their flavor; then the sachet bag or bouquet garni should be removed.
4. Sauté vegetable garnishes for improved flavor. Some vegetables added to soups improve in flavor if sautéed first.

Care after preparation

Most soups sour easily and must be handled just like stocks. Cool your soup quickly in a sink and refrigerate as soon as possible. A thick soup cools more quickly when stirred.

Carryover soups can have many uses

Many can be added to the stock, if they are the right kind, a soup can also be used as a base for other dishes. Often soups can be combined to make a new soup. For example, soup du jour can often be nothing more than “cream of yesterday’s soup”. A carryover cream of tomato soup blended with carryover split pea soup makes a Mongol soup. A carryover crème of potato soup can readily be made into a potato soup A La Jackson.

You can plan a run-out time for soups to reduce carryovers. For backup you can always use one of the so-called “convenience soups”. Many of these soups are of good quality and can be used in emergencies.