Stocks 101-All About Home Made Meat, Fish and Vegetable Stocks and Broth

Bones. Vegetables. Herbs. Water.

Combine them all, add fire, and you have a magic elixir which can breathe life into a sauce, become the base for a delicate soup or hearty stew, or poach a fish filet to perfection.

Many people don’t realize how easy it is to make a flavorful stock. Once you make stock at home, you may never buy those cans or boxes again. Homemade stock is usually healthier too because commercially made stocks tend to be very high in sodium, while stocks made at home can be tailored to the cook’s preference for salt and fat content. Consider not adding any salt at all. Instead, add salt to the recipe using the stock as needed. Let meat and chicken stocks chill and when the fat rises to the top it solidifies and can be easily skimmed off.

Besides being healthier, homemade stock is often one of …