Those Who Stock

Salvation from guilt in the kitchen is delivered through a dark liquid brimming with the souls of the chickens, pigs, cows, and assorted vegetables that it is comprised of. There is no longer a bowl filled with chicken carcasses and carrot sprouts destined for the compost (or the trash can like normal Americans). That bowl is now a set of ingredients to be cooked down into the backbone of a great pan sauce. Mounded over receptacles of garlic confetti and onion nuisance can be steeped into the foundation of a braised short rib - just add the CabSav.

The How-To:

1. Grab that big beautiful stock pot and fill 2/3 full of water

2. Empty the food scraps into the water

3. Set the heat to medium (we don't want a rolling boil, just a steady simmer)

4. Reduce down until the pot is 1/3 full (or until as concentrated as you desire)

Tip: Skim off the fat that will bubble and foam on the surface.

That is the basic form - the simplified equation of stock-brewing. Stock can be incredibly complex (looking at you, cartouche and toasted peppercorn people), but the formula above works, and works well.

The Why:

Well, it's stock. Everything uses stock. From my casserole-loving Midwesterners to the elevating home cooks, the control of a homemade stock gives the cook a bassline that isn't available in the boxed variety found on grocery store shelves.

There isn't a set recipe, giving the cook a great deal of creative freedom in the process. Making a Roast Chicken stuffed with a mirepoix? Toss that leftover bony mass in with the celery roots, carrot shavings, and onion viscera to make an incredible chicken and veg stock.

Simple procedure for added depth of flavor.