* News Updates
* Special offers
* Post reviews
Create Account

Advice On the Preparation and Use of Vegetable Stock

Written By: Alexandra Perez-Urbina on Thursday, July 24, 2008

Chef Alex breaks down vegetable stock and gives great tips on making the most of it.

From organics to vegetable stock I go! Yes, veggie stock, a great way to be resourceful with little pieces of left over vegetables and peels (not everything has to go into the compost pile!). I know veggie stock may not be as cool as its meaty, collagen filled counterparts, but making a vegetable stock is a quicker process - important during the hot summer days!

According to my On Cooking textbook, vegetable stocks should have a light body and they should be clear/light colored. The book poopoo's using a large variety of vegetables because a stock is usually meant to complete a sauce that will "complement the finished dish." Also, while some chefs believe that one should only use fresh ingredients, others throw anything into the pot (egg shells, random vegetable pieces, peels, etc.). You could really even freeze leftover vegetables to make a stock later on.

Now, I turned to my trusty internet and to my vegan and quasi vegetarian friends for some advice, and I ran into varying schools of thought. Many of the vegetarian and vegan foodies encourage the home chef to be creative and throw whatever into the stock - in other words, experiment and have a blast! There are also themes going on in the vegetarian stock world framed to fit the food being made (for example, Asian style stocks with ginger and chili peppers). The non vegetarian sources were more conservative, but they were still more adventurous than my textbook. Epicurious has a vegetable stock video where they first roast the vegetables and deglaze the pan for a darker colored stock.

I also learned that vegetables with strong flavors should be avoided. A few examples are broccoli, cauliflower, and bitter greens (like kale). Potatoes can make the stock cloudy, but can also a little body. Tomatoes are also said to have a strong flavor and should be used moderately.

Below is an adaptation of the stock recipe from the On Cooking: Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals. It yields approximately one gallon of stock.

Vegetable oil.....4 Tablespoons
Mirepoix, (2 parts onion: 1 part carrot: 1 part celery) to 1-inch pieces.....6 cups
Leeks, white and greens, chopped....1 cup
Garlic cloves (you can chop them if you want).....4 (or more if you love garlic)
Fennel, rough chop.....1 bulb (you can add the stems for more licorice flavor)
Turnip, rough chop.....¼ cup
Tomato, diced.....¼ cup
White wine.....1 cup
Water.....1 gallon
Parsley stems.....8
Bay leaves.....2
Dried thyme.....½ teaspoon
peppercorns.....½ teaspoon


  1. Heat the pot (low-medium heat); add the oil and heat; add vegetables and sweat for 10 minutes (if you hear any sizzling, turn the heat down).

  2. Add the wine, water, and the herbs (parsley, bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorns). Increase the heat to medium.

  3. Bring your ingredients to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 60 minutes or longer if you desire more flavor.

  4. Strain, pour into smaller containers, cool (try to cool it to about 70° F in 2 hours and to 41° F in 4 more hours), and refrigerate.



The stock will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week and up to 3 months in the freezer.

Tips:


  • Try to chop uniformly. The vegetable pieces should be roughly the same size. On Cooking calls for many of the vegetables to be chopped into small dice (1/4" x 1/4" x 1/4" dimensions), and I don't think that is necessary - frankly, it's a pain in the butt. You're going to strain the ingredients anyway, so no need to make the veggies look pretty. Just get them to a similar size, so they all cook evenly and you'll be ok!

  • Remember to wash all of your vegetables and to really clean the leeks, they're about some of the grittiest vegetables around!

  • Peel the garlic and onions, of course - though one of my instructors would still throw the peels in, but that's not my cup-o'-tea!

  • You can peel the carrots or leave them with the peel (wash them well)

  • Don't forget to freeze some of your stock! Ice cube trays work well, as do high quality freezer bags (you can measure them to 1 cup for easier cooking!)

Send to a Friend Add to: Digg Add to: Del.icio.us

 Related Videos for Advice On the Preparation and Use of Vegetable Stock

 1  2  3  4  5 ...  Next >> 

Le Bec-Fin Food and Wine Pairing Le Bec-Fin Food and Wine Pairing
Posted on Monday, March 19, 2007

With a multi-layered dish like Le Bec-Fin's seafood risotto with chorizo emulsion, how are you supposed to pick a wine that will pair well with...read more

Glenmorgan Bar and Grill Food and Wine Pairing Glenmorgan Bar and Grill Food and Wine Pairing
Posted on Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Pinot Noir and salmon is a truly classic combination. But how well will a Pinot stand up to other flavors on the plate? In this...read more

Old Original Bookbinder's in Philadelphia Interview and Wine Tasting Old Original Bookbinder's in Philadelphia Interview and Wine Tasting
Posted on Monday, April 9, 2007

A marathon tasting! Few wines pair better with seafood than Sauvignon Blanc, and no country is producing it better these days than New Zealand. In...read more


 

  Be the first to comment on this article


trod20
Jacksonville, FL
Posted on 7/29/08

I've always been a foodie, but I've never attempted vegetable stock. Thanks for breaking it down.

You need to log into your ClassicWines account to leave a comment on this article. You can log in here. If you do not have a Classic Wines account you can sign up here.