Loving Spoonfuls

Stock Up for Summer

BY ANDIE MARSHALL

Planning and cooking meals is not my favorite way to spend time during the busy summer months. Making stock now and freezing it in various quantities makes it easier.

For years I thought “stock” was the same thing as “broth” but learned the hard way that it is not. I made chicken noodle soup for a group and intended to use boxed chicken broth but mistakenly bought chicken stock. My guests asked me why the broth was so “brown”—and while it tasted OK, I knew the soup was too heavy.

The distinction between the two has inspired countless articles in magazines, cookbooks and on the internet and debates among culinary professionals. In short, stock is an ingredient ready to be combined with other ingredients and then seasoned into a final dish; broth is a fully seasoned “finished product” ready to be heated and eaten. For me, “stock” is made with bones, simmered a long time, jelly-like when chilled and not eaten in its unadorned state. Unlike broth, it can be used as a base for braises and reduced for sauces.

Stock also lacks salt and pepper as seasonings. Fish can be poached in vegetable or chicken stock but it would be too salty if the stock were pre-salted. It is safer to omit salt and pepper from the stock and add them to taste at the time of each preparation.

Freeze stock in quarts for soups or in ice cube trays to add a couple of the cubes when making rice, risotto, or stir-frying. Regardless of the definition, stocking up to enhance your meals is easy and smart.

Marshall is a home cook whose fondness for soup began when she was a working mom. With soups, she always had nutritious, homemade and reheatable meals on hand.

CHICKEN STOCK

Andie Marshall

5 pounds chicken parts with bones 2 medium-size yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered 4 large carrots, unpeeled and halved 4 whole celery ribs with leaves, cut into thirds 2 parsnips, unpeeled and cut in half 6 cloves garlic 8 sprigs fresh parsley 4 sprigs fresh thyme 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (Wait until you are ready to actually use the finished stock before adding salt and pepper.)

Place all ingredients in large pot and cover with cold water plus 2 inches.

Bring to full boil and then reduce to simmer; simmer uncovered for 6 hours. After 1 hour remove the breasts and take the meat off the bones. Return the bones to the pot and save the breast meat for other purposes.

At the end of the 6 hours of simmering, strain contents through a colander and discard the solids.

Chill the stock overnight.

The next day, remove any surface fat.

Use immediately or pack in assorted sizes of containers, seal and freeze. May be kept frozen up to 4 months.