Stocks

Question 1

Cooking time for white chicken stock?

Answer 1

2 - 4 hours

Question 2

Cooking time for brown chicken stock?

Answer 2

4 - 6 hours

Question 3

Cooking time for fish stock?

Answer 3

20 - 30 minutes

Question 4

Cooking time for vegetable stock?

Answer 4

30 minutes

Question 5

Rules of making stock

Answer 5

• Good quality ingredients
• Vegetables in large pieces
• No starchy vegetables
• Use a tall stock pot
• Always use cold water to start
• Never add salt
• Depouiller
• Don’t allow to boil
• Skim regularly
• Follow cooking times
• Strain through a j cloth and a chinoise, but don’t press
• Always date and label your stock clearly
• For meat stock
• Trim carcass well of fat/skin
• For fish stock
• Not too many fish heads
• No oily fish

Question 6

What can go wrong during stock making and why?

Answer 6

• Cloudy: veg too small, starchy veg, allowed to boil, not skimmed enough, pressed when straining
• Oily: used oily fish (for fish stock), not trimmed enough fat off carcass (for meat stock), not skimming enough, did not depouiller
• Bitter: too many fish heads used (for fish stock)
• Dull flavour: cooked for too long
• Bland: not cooked for long enough, not topped up with water (less surface area in contact with ingredients)
• Too salty: added salt