Easy Sauce Recipes is an Amazon Associate and may receive compensation for purchases made through affiliate links.
Learn how to make homemade stocks of all kinds with my guide on How to Make Stock, and you will want to make it yourself all the time! Whether you're making homemade chicken stock, turkey bone broth, beef stock, or ham stock, follow my tips and you'll be making savory delicious stocks in no time! No more food waste, and it's budget friendly, too!
Jump to:
What is Stock in Cooking?
In cooking, stocks are a flavorful liquid made by cooking down meat bones, including chicken, beef, pork, seafood and more, with water and seasonings. They are used as a base to make soups, stews, and sauces, though they may also be added to other dishes, such as rice, for flavor.
Making your own stock is a great way to use up leftover bones rather than discarding them!
Stock vs. Broth
When you're browsing the grocery store, you might see boxes of stock next to the classic boxes of broth. They fill a similar purpose in cooking, but what's the difference between stock vs. broth?
It's all in how it's made! Broths are made with meat, boiled in water to extract the flavor. They're fast to make, typically thin, and have a mild flavor. Stocks, on the other hand, are made using bones, and are boiled for a longer period of time. Infused with the gelatin, collagen and marrow from the bones, stock is thicker and more deeply flavorful than broth.
While used the same way, I cannot emphasize enough how worth it making stock is! Its full, rich flavor and thicker consistency makes for the most amazing soups you will ever taste. And with my simple stock recipes and tips, it's easy, too!
Bone Broth Ingredients
- Bones and meat scraps
- Vegetable scraps
- Water
- Herbs
The ingredients for stock vary based on what type of stock you're making, but generally, celery, onions, carrots, and garlic are almost universally used.
You can add additional flavor by mixing in fresh or dried herbs. Bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, sage, and parsley are all great examples of the type of herb you can add to a homemade stock recipe.
You can make stock using leftovers from poultry, red meat, pork and ham, and seafood and fish. If you have a rotisserie chicken, for example, you can save the carcass to use to make your own chicken stock.
How to Make Stock
- Add the bones, vegetable scraps, and herbs to a large pot, then fill with enough cold water to cover everything.
- Set the pot over medium heat, and bring to a simmer. As it simmers, skim off any foam that rises to the top with a strainer.
- Cover, and let it simmer for 3-4 hours, making sure it doesn't come to a boil. Regularly check to skim off any foam.
- Pour the stock through a fine strainer to remove solids, then return to the pot. Rapidly boil to reduce and intensify the flavor, and serve!
- If you're storing the stock for later, cool it quickly by placing the pot in the sink with an ice water bath around it. Then transfer it to bags or containers in the fridge or freezer.
For a specific recipe with ingredient measurements and pictures, scroll to the bottom of the post for my delicious Turkey Stock Recipe! Also see our Ham Bone Broth.
Homemade Stock Recipe Tips
- You can use cooked bones or raw for stock, as they'll cook thoroughly in the water either way. If there's meat left, you can even briefly saute or roast the bones to add flavor.
- Fresh vegetables or saved, frozen vegetable scraps are both great for stock! Just make sure not to use scraps that are too small, as they will dissolve into the stock and make it cloudy.
- Make sure not to boil the stock before straining it! This will dissolve fats into the stock and make it impossible to properly skim.
- Stock is a fantastic way to use up scraps, so make sure to keep freezer bags labeled with protein type to collect bones and meat scraps in over time.
- Don't salt stock! Instead, add salt later, when you're using it for soup.
- You can leave the fat on the top. When stored in the fridge, the fat forms a protective, sealed layer over the top of the stock, and can be scraped off and used as schmaltz (rendered cooking fat).
Bones for Stock
A critical step for making chicken stock or other stocks is getting the bones! I always suggest keeping freezer bags for each kind of protein in your freezer, and collecting all the meat scraps, bones, and vegetable scraps from meals over time.
My favorite thing about making stock is it's a perfect way to reduce food waste! By making use of scraps and bones, you know that nothing is going to waste.
- Save the carcass from rotisserie chicken for some of the best chicken stock! It's precooked and seasoned so the stock will be extra delicious.
- Thanksgiving turkeys leave behind a huge amount of bones and scraps to use for turkey bone broth. You can also use the turkey neck.
- Save the bones from pork and beef ribs! You may need to gently rinse off leftover sauce before cooking them.
- Chicken wings, drumsticks, thighs and quarters are bone-heavy and budget friendly, making them perfect for stock.
- If you have access to them, chicken feet are incredible for stock! They're packed with flavor, typically sold very cheap, and make for a thicker stock.
Of course, if you have a local butcher, going there is the best way to get bones! Ask your butcher for bones and you may find them at discount prices. Butchers are also able to slice bones up into smaller pieces, making them easier to cook.
Bone Broth Recipes FAQs
Bone stock is easy to make and tastes even better than store bought! All it takes is bones, vegetables, water, and a pot with a lid. By simmering bones and vegetables in water for 3-4 hours, you will make a delicious homemade stock that puts anything in a can or box to shame!
Stock is very simple, and includes 3 basic ingredients: bones, vegetables, and water. Other ingredients like herbs and spices can also be added for extra flavor! The bones should all be from the same protein, such as chicken, turkey, pork, or beef. The vegetables are up to you!
Stock is very simple to make, but there are some basic rules to making sure it turns out delicious. First off, never boil stock with solids in it. Boiling it will dissolve fats into the liquid, making it cloudy. Second, don't add salt. And lastly, cool stock very quickly in a water bath, to keep it sanitized!
The best thing about homemade stock is that it's practically free. By just saving bones and meat scraps from meals over time, these often-discarded scraps can be simmered into broth, making for delicious broth using ingredients that would have simply been thrown away!
How to Cool Stock
- Fill the sink with cold water and ice.
- Place the stock pot in the middle of the sink.
- Add more ice to the water around the pot as it melts.
- Repeat until the stock is cooled down, then add to containers to store.
A very important part of making stock is cooling it correctly! Due to what stock is made from, it's a breeding ground for bacteria, and if you're not using it immediately it needs to be lowered to 41°F as quickly as possible.
This means that just letting stock cool down on the stove or placing it directly into the freezer or refrigerator won't cool it quickly enough to be safe. It will also heat up the fridge or freezer, risking thawing frozen meat or spoiling milk.
The way to solve this is an ice bath! Fill the sink with cold water and ice, then place the stock pot in the middle. Add more ice as it melts until the stock is cooled down- then it's safe to pour into containers and freeze or store in the fridge.
Freezing Stock
To freeze homemade stock, add cooled stock to airtight freezer-safe containers or freezer bags. Liquid expands, so make sure to leave at least half an inch of space at the top of the container. Label with the freezing date. Most stocks will last up to 6 months in the freezer if properly frozen.
How to Use Homemade Stock
- Use chicken or turkey stock in place of chicken broth in soups!
- Stock is similar to drippings, and thus makes for full-flavored and incredible gravy.
- Stock is great on its own as a light-weight soup or hot drink.
- Add a splash of stock to scrambled eggs or sauteed greens to add a ton of flavor easily.
- Use stock as half the liquid in rice for extra tasty rice!
Sauces for Meat
📌 Pin it for later!
Did you enjoy this page? Save it on Pinterest for later!If you enjoyed the recipe, leave a comment and a rating below!
📖 Recipe
How to Make Stock
Equipment
- 10-Quart Stock Pot or Larger
- Baking sheet
- Slotted spoon
- Tongs
- Cheesecloth or Flour Sack Towel
Ingredients
- 3 Pounds Raw Turkey
- 1.5 Gallons Water
- 8 Whole Carrots chopped
- 8 Stalks Celery chopped
- 2 Onions quartered
- 2 Cups Fresh Parsley loosely packed
- 1 Cup Fresh Sage loosely packed
- 5 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place raw, thawed turkey and place on the baking sheet along with carrots, celery, and onions.3 Pounds Raw Turkey, 8 Whole Carrots, 8 Stalks Celery, 2 Onions
- Brush the turkey and vegetables with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper
- Bake for 45 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- Add roasted ingredients to a stock pot along with thyme, sage, parsley, and water. Drain the juices from the baking sheet into the stock pot.1.5 Gallons Water, 2 Cups Fresh Parsley, 1 Cup Fresh Sage, 5 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- Bring the pot to a boil, then cover with the lid and simmer for 3 hours. Occasionally check the pot to be sure the water has not evaporated too much.
- After 3 hours, remove from the heat and allow the stock to cool until excess fat has hardened at the top. Using a slotted spoon, remove all large chunks from the stock and as much of the fat as possible, and discard.
- Lay a cheesecloth or flour sack towel over a large bowl or container big enough to fit the stock liquid. Carefully pour the stock into the container over the cheesecloth, making sure the sides don’t fall into the bowl.
- Slowly lift all sides of the cloth/towel up and let the liquid drain through it. When it stops draining, slowly squeeze from the top down to get any remaining liquid out. Do not squeeze too hard, or you may squeeze through excess fat.
- Taste the stock and add more salt and pepper if desired. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or use immediately, and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use cooked bones or raw for stock, as they'll cook thoroughly in the water either way. If there's meat left, you can even briefly saute the bones to add flavor.
- Fresh vegetables or saved, frozen vegetable scraps are both great for stock! Just make sure not to use scraps that are too small, as they will dissolve into the stock and make it cloudy.
- Make sure not to boil the stock before straining it! This will dissolve fats into the stock and make it impossible to properly skim.
- Stock is a fantastic way to use up scraps, so make sure to keep freezer bags labeled with protein type to collect bones and meat scraps in over time.
- Don't salt stock! Instead, add salt later, when you're using it for soup.
- You can leave the fat on the top. When stored in the fridge, the fat forms a protective, sealed layer over the top of the stock, and can be scraped off and used as schmaltz.
Leave a Reply