how to make clear stock

4 Steps to Clarifying Stock

• Strain your stock or broth. Strain the meat, veggies, and herbs of your recipe by carefully pouring it through a colander or sieve lined with two layers of 100%-cotton cheesecloth ...
• Make an egg white-water mixture. ...
• Stir the water mixture into the hot, strained stock. ...
• Repeat the straining process. ...

Full Answer

How do you clear stock in cooking?

Go forth with your Stock Clarifying! Strain your homemade stock (if freshly made). Whisk egg white and 1/4 cup of cold water. Heat stock (or return to stovetop if freshly made) and bring it (back) to a boil. Add whisked egg white and water to the stock.

How do you clarify stock?

Go forth with your Stock Clarifying! Strain your homemade stock (if freshly made). Whisk egg white and 1/4 cup of cold water. Heat stock (or return to stovetop if freshly made) and bring it (back) to a boil. Add whisked egg white and water to the stock. Once stock has been brought back to a boil, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

How do you get rid of fat in stock?

This second filtering should remove most of the fat that remains in your stock. Run your stock through a colander and cheesecloth. Before you use the egg white method, you need to ensure that you first remove the large chunks of food. Put cheesecloth over the surface of your colander or sieve and drain it.

Is clear stock bad for You?

Clear stock and chicken soup are traditional foods fed to sick and convalescent folks. When you buy it in a can or a dry package it’s full of MSG, corn syrup, and other unhealthy ingredients, but when you make it from scratch you control the ingredients, as well as the process.

How do you clear up cloudy stock?

Turn down the heat when it boils and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Take the stock of the heat and let it cool for about fifteen minutes. There should now be a raft of stiffened egg whites on top of the stock and the stock should be more clear. Sieve the stock gently through a sieve lined with damp cheesecloth.

What ingredients are used to clarify stock?

Classically, when you want to clarify a stock — to make a consommé, say, or just to have a clear stock as the base for a sauce — you whisk some protein, typically egg white and maybe some crushed shell, into cold stock. Then you gradually heat up the mixture.

Which cooking method will produce a clear stock?

You should always watch out to not let it boil, or else the stock could come out cloudy. However, there's another technique for a clear, clean-tasting broth known as blanching. Blanching is when you drop something in boiling water briefly, usually done with vegetables to pre-cook them.

How is white stock made?

White stock is a flavorful liquid made by simmering bones, vegetables, and aromatics. It is almost perfectly clear and light in flavor, which makes it ideal for very light dishes. Unlike brown stock, this one uses the process of blanching bones to remove impurities instead of roasting them.

What kind of broth is clear?

A homemade vegetable or chicken broth can also be used as a clear soup. Some people may also make miso soup without solid ingredients as this yields a clear broth. Some clear soups may contain small amounts of solid food, such as bite-size pieces of vegetables.

Why is my stock cloudy?

Generally speaking, the cloudy nature of stock is simply due to impurities or particles in the stock. Stock should always be started with cold water and cooked, uncovered, at a simmer, without ever coming to a full boil. If the stock does boil, some of the fat will emulsify into the liquid, which can make it cloudy.

How do you remove impurities from chicken stock?

The traditional method of collecting the impurities in a stock is to make a raft out of egg whites. You lightly beat some egg whites and stir it into the the stock while it's simmering. Let it rest, and the egg whites will cook, float to the top, and collect impurities along the way.

How do you clarify stock without eggs?

Pour your stock through a large sieve or colander and cheesecloth. You can purchase a sieve or colander and cheesecloth at most grocery stores. Line the sieve with cheesecloth and drain your stock through it. This should separate the large pieces of bone and vegetables from the clear stock.

How to Prepare Ingredients to Make a Clear Broth

If using meat in your stock or broth, you must soak it for at least 1 hour to get rid of excess blood and impurities. This includes chicken/chicken bones, pork/pork bones, and beef/beef bones, etc. Change the water out 1-2 times, and once soaked, thoroughly rinse clean.

Proper Simmering Technique for a Clear Broth

Always start with cold water along with all the ingredients in the pot. Once it’s been brought to a boil, immediately turn down the heat to simmer. Stay close-by while waiting for it to boil so the soup does not have a chance to boil longer than that.

General Best Practices When Making Broth or Stock

Do not stir the pot during the whole cooking process. Stirring will cause the ingredients to break down and cloud the broth.

How to Make a Clear Broth

We share the two secrets to getting a perfectly clear broth or stock, whether using meat, bones, or vegetables!

Why Blanch?

Blanching means to drop something in boiling water briefly, and it’s usually done with vegetables to pre-cook them. For stock, you blanch the bones and meat in water before you add the aromatics and simmer.

The French vs. Chinese Methods

I’ve come across two methods for blanching bones when making stock. The first was when I was in French culinary school and we were making white chicken stock. We put the bones in the pot with cold water and brought it up to a simmer before pouring the water off and rinsing the bones.

White Stock vs. Brown Stock

Stocks are divided into two categories: White stocks are used as the base for velouté sauce and various derivative sauces like allemande and suprême sauces. Brown stocks are used for making demi-glace and its derivatives, such as bordelaise and sauce Robert.

Bones for Making Stock

Bones contain collagen, which when simmered forms gelatin. The more gelatin there is in the stock, the more body it will have. When chilled, a good stock should actually solidify.

Cold Water for Clearer Stock

Certain proteins, most notably albumin, will only dissolve in cold water—and albumin helps clarify a stock. Therefore, starting a stock with cold water helps release the albumin, producing a clearer stock.

Mirepoix: Aromatic Vegetables for Stock

Mirepoix (pronounced "MEER-pwah") is a combination of chopped carrots, celery, and onions used to add flavor and aroma to stocks. The usual proportions (by weight) for making mirepoix are:

The Role of Acid in Making Stock

Acid helps to break down the cartilage and other connective tissues in bones, thus accelerating the formation of gelatin. The acid products used are generally one or another of the following:

Flavorings and Aromatics

Small amounts of herbs, spices, and additional aromatics (above and beyond the mirepoix) can be added to stock, using one of two methods:

Seasoning Stock

Because stock is often further reduced—like when making demi-glace, for instance—salting the stock would make the resulting demi-glace much too salty. It's better to make a habit of seasoning your sauces just before serving rather than salting your stock.

Clarifying Broth into Clear Stock

There are three distinct phases where you can choose (or not choose) to clarify your broth.

Straining Stock while Keeping the Fat

If you plan to make a blended or cream soup and wish to keep the fat intact but remove all the particulate matter, follow this alternative method.

Clear Stock the Old Fashioned Way

While I’ve described to you the three-step, opt-in/out method I use to create clear stock, I should note that my Grandmother did it quite differently!

How Long Does Clarified Stock Last?

The firm, round disk of fat that comes to the top as broth cools in the refrigerator serves a very important purpose. It seals the stock and locks in the freshness.

Stocking up – making clear broth from scratch

This is day 27 of the 30 Days of cooking from scratch challenge – #30fromscratch. We’re almost done. How has the challenge been for you? Are you achieving your goals?

Easy stock method

Many people save vegetable peels, onion skins, leftover meat, extra bones, the green, leafy ends of celery, and even vegetable trimmings for soup stock. Meaty bones will offer their collagen to the broth, making it richer, healthier, and higher in protein.

Pressure canning guidelines for clear broth or consommé

For clear soup stock from beef, venison, lamb, goat, or chicken – Process at 10 lbs. pressure; 25 min. for quarts, 20 min. for pints.

How to spice up the broth

Spices are what give stock its characteristic flavour . Parsley, sage, and thyme give chicken stock its “chicken” flavour. Beef stock is traditionally seasoned with onions, garlic, and dry mustard. Pick from the list below, according to your tastes and your ingredients on hand.

Directions

Place raw chicken in a large pot. Optional: For deeper flavor, roast the chicken parts for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F before proceeding with the recipe.

How to Store Homemade Chicken Stock

You can store it in the fridge for up to three days, or, if you don't need the full amount for soup, pour it into smaller containers and freeze for up to 6 months. Then you'll have small amounts ready to use when making a sauce, gravy, mashed potatoes, casseroles, or rice dishes.

VIDEO: How to Make Rapid Chicken Stock

Ready for a speedy alternative? See how to make chicken stock in your pressure cooker! "This simple yet flavorful chicken stock is great for everything," says Liam Walshe, "and the pressure cooker is the magic tool here! You need a decent-sized pressure cooker for this recipe.