DIY: Stock- to make or to buy?

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Posted at 12:07PM, 21 November 2012 by Natalie Hardwick - Web assistant, bbcgoodfood.com

Is it always worth making your favourites from scratch? Our DIY series puts shop-bought and homemade to the test - this week stock...

While on one hand homemade chicken stock is as simple as throwing remants into a big pan, on the other it's something I seldom bother to make. Why? It always seems to take an eon to get anything close to a flavoursome broth, and by the time I've cooked, served and eaten the bird, I just want to kick back, relax and not think about the kitchen.

However, making your own chicken stock is not only essentially free, it also allows you to control key flavour elements, reduce salt levels, and create something truly nourishing. While there are now some gourmet stocks on the market that have upgraded from the humble powdered cube, a natural, homemade version is undeniably purer. So it's time to see whether hours of slow simmering are worth it...

The cost:

Cost of shop-bought stock:
One box of 12 chicken stock cubes- £1.13 (makes approximately 22 litres of stock in total)
or...
One pack of 8 gourmet jelly stock pots (approximately 4 litres of stock in total)- £2.41

Cost of ingredients for homemade:
One chicken carcass (free), 3 carrots, 2 celery sticks, 1 onion, 2 mushrooms, 1 bag of bouquet garni- 70p (makes 2 litres of stock)

The stock recipe I used: Emma Lewis' video guide to making stock

The carcass was the byproduct of a roast chicken dinner - as a bonus it had lemon, herbs and garlic already in the cavity, which I threw in for extra flavour - so it was essentially free. If you were to make stock en masse, it's possible to buy bones, off-cuts and remnants from butchers and fishmongers. If you're friendly enough you can sometimes get them for free.

The making:

This technique for making stock is completely foolproof - cover your bones, veg and herbs with cold water, bring to the boil and, according to Emma's video, simmer for:
- 1 hour for fish and vegetables
- 3-4 hours for chicken and poultry
- 4-5 hours for beef and red meat
Skim off the scum and leave to infuse, occasionally checking to ensure there's always water covering your ingredients. The final draining and straining was the only slightly cumbersome part, as I had to handle a huge pan and pour the contents into a small jug - thankfully I had a large colander to hand.

Tip:

Make sure you chop your vegetables nice and chunky so they don't disintegrate during cooking. Added mushrooms soak up any excess oils from meat and also impart a rich umami flavour.

The taste:

I cooked my stock for four hours to make it really condensed and opaque. It was worth the gas bill as the resulting liquid was flavoursome enough to eat with just some fresh ravioli and Parmesan (my Italian grandma's version of penicillin). The stock completely enriched the flavour of the soup I eventually used it in, and the same would apply with risotto or casserole. The shop-bought was very salty, even by my sodium-loving standards, and it didn't taste that natural.

Tip:

Tailor the ingredients of your stock according to how it will eventually be used - add rosemary if you'll be using it in Italian food, or some lemongrass, coriander stalks and a whole chilli if it's going to be the base for a ramen.

The verdict:

Shop-bought stock will always win on the convenience and price front - 12 stock cubes yield a lot of liquid, while my stock only amounted to around 2 litres. And I stand by my opinion that stock cubes are one of the best culinary inventions ever, for storage reasons alone. However, a homemade version feels so much more nourishing and clean, so for that reason I'll henceforth always try to use up my leftover bones!

Do you always make your own stock? Or do you think shop-bought does the job? Let us know:

Comments

johno

21 November 2012, 7:05PM
johno

With fuel prices the way they are today i really can't afford to have things cooking for 3 or 4 hours and although i love homemade stock i just don't think it's worth the time and expense these days with such good quality shop bought alternatives available.

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seeingreen

23 November 2012, 2:07PM
seeingreen

I agree with the above comment re fuel usage and if I had to make stock on my electric hotplate then it would be not very often, however I usually try to make it when my solid fuel Rayburn is lit, so it combines cost with the water heating and oven use. On occasion I do use an organic bouillon powder. Regarding flavour I would agree that homemade is milder in taste, probably due to very little salt, but the greater trade off is, you know it's wholesome - not something that can be said for the commercially produced gels, powders and cubes. Most of them contain monosodium glutamate or other glutamates, a flavour enhancer, which stimulates nerves, so making the product appear tastier. The downside if this is that repeated usage can cause nerve irritation leading to eventual nerve damage, especially in those with food sensitivities, the old and babies and children.

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Shirley

30 November 2012, 6:43AM
Shirley

I sometimes save up my chicken carcasses if I bone out before cooking and freeze then make a huge stock pot when I have 3 or 4.

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StormyRaincloud

30 November 2012, 9:43AM
StormyRaincloud

I love making my own chicken stock, I only use the chicken carcass though, I don't put veg in, I loathe the waste of veg, and it always tastes delicious. It's the salt mainly, although I do use stock cubes for when I just don't have time or we haven't had chicken on the menu plan for that week. Can't beat homemade for taste and health, but stock cubes have their place.

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mother inferior

30 November 2012, 5:27PM
mother inferior

A slow cooker makes great stock and only costs as much to run as a lightbulb. You needn't waste the veg either as you can purÃ©e them and add to soup or bolognese sauce. You can't beat a stock cube for convenience, though.

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TheSkatingChef

30 November 2012, 6:09PM
TheSkatingChef

If you go to your butcher and ask for chicken carcasses of even other bones. Just remember to cook other bones for and extra hour and a half

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Morland Farm Shop

1 December 2012, 6:12AM
Morland Farm Shop

Good article! Made chicken stock in the past with varying results... less than delicious was using the left-over carcass of one of those supermarket 3 for Â£10 species... uuuggh! Tasted worse than the roasted bird did... and that's saying something. Great idea about mushrooms soaking up the oil. Thanks.

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Anna

2 December 2012, 1:04PM
Anna

I always make my own stock. What puts me off about shop bought is that it seems full of chemicals and unnatural flavouring. You miss out on all the nutritional value of the home made version. The fewer unnatural ingredients in your food the better.

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AnnaG

2 December 2012, 4:43PM
AnnaG

I use organic stock cubes. Had them given to us a sample trial once and never looked back. They smell amazing, taste lovely and, of course they don't have any chemical nasties in them. I have made stock in the past but quite honestly couldn't tell any difference between the cube and home made, except that maybe the cube had a wee bit more flavour? Maybe it's something wrong with my stock making skills!

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Philb

3 December 2012, 9:35AM
Philb

Every time we have roast chicken I just put the carcass and any left over veg in the slow cooker, cover with water and leave to cook over night.

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CM

5 December 2012, 2:40PM
CM

pressure cooker stock is faster and great

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Sally

6 February, 9:11AM
Sally

Can anyone tell me the cook times for stock in a pressure cooker, and is it full pressure?

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C Rose

6 February, 1:53PM
C Rose

I do boil chicken bones but not for as long as described here. The resulting stock makes a good base for soup, chicken sauce etc but I tend to add in a stock cube too. This means I can make a little more, and it also enhances the flavour!

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