How to make the perfect soup stock

Instead of buying soup stalks at the grocery store, why not make your own? Making it in your own kitchen gives you the opportunity to create the exact flavor and richness that you desire

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Different ingredients for different soup stocks

1. I have bought some different name brand soup stalks at the store and where not satisfied with the taste. My family is so used to home cooked everything that they can taste the difference. So I make my own sup stalks quit often and it does not have to be difficult at all.
2. There are many differnt varieties of soup stalks that you can make as well as buy in the strokes, such as...
   
   Chicken stocks,
   Meat Stocks,
   Vegetable stocks,
   Seafood stocks.
3. Making soup stalks and storing some away for later usage is great for living up even the dullest meals. You can make plenty ahead of time and then store it in individual portions in airtight containers in your freezer. It is also a relatively cheap alternative to make dishes come alive. Since you can use scraps of meat and vegetables you really use the whole vegetable or pieces of meat rather then tossing them. Here are a few tips that can help you get started in creating your very own soup stocks...
4. ** Chicken stock **
   
   This is a great way to use the parts of the chicken that you do not consume. The bones make for excellent flavor in a stock. So instead of throwing away the bones and the leftover chicken next time, use it for a great chicken stock. You can use fresh uncooked chicken as well, but scraps are great for this as well as bones because it is very cheap to do and adds great taste to many meals. I love using chicken stalk instead of water when steaming vegetables and put in white rice instead of using water. It adds so much flavor! You are not going to just want to use chicken. Here is a great recipe that you can use to create a great tasting stock..
5. Chicken bones or leftover chicken (as much as you want the more the better),
   1 large onion (you can place it in whole),
   3 carrots (whole),
   3 stalks of celery (whole),
   salt to your liking and pepper,
   6-10 cloves garlic (whole),
   Water to fill the pot
6. Place all the ingredients in a large pot and allow it to simmer. Allow it to cook for about 2 hours. When it is done, allow it to cool a little and then strain it into a clean pan. Separate into containers to store it in the freezer. I like to place it in ice cube trays and freeze them. Then I place them in zip lock bags and when I am ready to use it I simply pull a few out.
7. ** Vegetable soup stock **
   
   You can pretty much use any vegetable you want to create this stock. Keep in mind that some certain vegetables can be a bit overpowering such as cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes and broccoli. The flavor will come out differently of course depending on the amount and type of vegetables that you use. Keep in mind that as long as the peels are washed they are great for making stalks. You are going to strain the stock before using, so all the particles will be gone. SO use your onion, garlic, carrot, potato, squash, celery etc. etc. scraps. They add a great flavor and richness to your stalk. When you see that a vegetable is at the beginning stage of going bad use it for a vegetable soup stock rather then tossing it. You want to make sure that there is at least half vegetables and half water, if not more water to make a flavorful stock.
8. ** Meat stock **
   
   Basically make meat stalk the same way as the chicken stock, you can choose to add a couple of tomatoes and bay leaves for a richer taste. Chop the tomatoes first though and add seasonings such as basil, oregano and such to your liking.
9. ** Seafood stock **
   
   This is fairly simple to make and you use scarps of fish. You can even purchase the scraps at your grocery store that are sold for this purpose in mind. Here is a recipe for a great seafood stock..
10. Fish or any shell fish you have scarps and bones (as much as you like, the more the better),
    2-3 tablespoons butter,
    2 stalks celery (diced),
    2 large onions (diced),
    3 carrots (diced),
    Salt and pepper to taste,
    2 tablespoons Cooking wine,
    Juice from 1 lemon,
    6 garlic cloves (diced),
    Water to fill pan
11. Saute the onions in the butter until slightly brown. Add garlic and other vegetables. Add the water and allow it to simmer. Every so often check it and take the foam off the top. After it simmers for about 1 and a half hours allow it to cool. Next strain it into a clean pot and then place is storage containers.
12. Once you create your own stocks and use them in different recipes you will discover how simple and tasty they are. They are alot different then the typical store bought ones and you and your family are sure to notice. It can almost be free to make when you use the items you would normally be tossing in the first place.
13. My favorite way to store all the stocks are to place them in ice cube trays and allow them to freeze. Next I place them into labeled and dated Ziploc bags. So when I need them they are right there in the freezer clearly marked so I can see the different ones and take a couple out for my recipes. It really is amazing how much flavor stocks add to your meals. So have fun and make a flavorful meal using a homemade stock!
    
    Good Luck and Happy Cooking....