Ingredientintermediatedraft
Stock and broth
Also searched as: stock, broth, bouillon, jus, veal stock
In short: A stock is flavour simmered out of bones, meat and vegetables. The gelatine in it makes sauces silky when reduced.
Picture it
Like a store of flavour and body laid up in liquid in advance.
What Stock and broth does
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What happens
As bones simmer for a long time, dissolves into gelatine. A good stock sets in the fridge. When reduced, the gelatine concentrates and thickens the sauce without starch.
What the ingredient does
thickens through gelatine when reducedConnective tissue turns into gelatine
adds depth and umamiMore flavour
base for reductionsReducing (reduction)
Rules of thumb
- Only let stock simmer gently; then it stays clear.
- Shop-bought stock often has little gelatine: help it along with butter or a little starch.
Sources
- Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004), Kapitel Saucen, Eier