Stock

Using stocks in place of water in a recipe gives an added dimension of flavor, so they're well worth making and using if you can. Many of the stocks in this book are described within the recipes, but here is a general method of making a variety of stocks. The key to making good stock is to simmer it very slowly for a long time, with only a few bubbles breaking on top of the pot. Slow-cooked stocks come out clear and full of flavor. The longer you cook a stock, the more intense it gets and the less of it you need in a recipe. Stocks hold up for a few days in the refrigerator or for a long time if well sealed in a freezer. Many cooks freeze stock in ice-cube trays, so they can slip out a few cubes and add it to recipes conveniently. Canned chicken stock can be used if you don't have your own. It's not as good, but it's acceptable. Canned beef stock is not very good, and I wouldn't recommend using it.

The reduction can stand in for some of the beef stock in French onion soup, pot roast, and beef stew, where it will add flavor and richness.

No matter how fast you prepare Thanksgiving dinner, you must have gravy, and you must have stuffing. And both need homemade turkey stock. This one is fast, even with the time it takes to brown the giblets, neck, and wing tips. You can mostly ignore it while it simmers, but you won’t be able to deny its enriching, ennobling presence in your finished gravy and stuffing.

To make the most of the turkey's giblets and neck, we first brown them to give the resulting stock (and later, gravy) depth of flavor.

Along with the pan juices, this stock flavors the gravy. Make and freeze it up to two weeks ahead.

This recipe originally accompanied Poached Salmon with Basil Butter and "Succotash" . This is a good, all-purpose stock for fish recipes. Be sure to rinse the bones very well as indicated to ensure a clean-tasting finished product. The best way to obtain five pounds of bones is to call your fishmonger and ask him or her to set them aside for you to collect at the end of the day.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Aroma: The Magic of Essential Oils in Food and Fragrance by Mandy Aftel and Daniel Patterson. This is an incredibly useful and versatile stock. It has a sweet vegetal flavor that can be used in many different ways—as a base for sauces and soups, adding richness and depth without changing the essential flavor of what it is paired with. It keeps in the refrigerator for one week, or you can freeze it indefinitely.

There will be very little fat in this stock, so there's no need to skim it.

An easy version of the classic.

Classic Italian stock vegetables enhance this amber-gold broth for an unbeatable gravy that really complements the turkey.

This quick stock, which uses the turkey's neck, heart, and gizzard to enrich purchased turkey or chicken stock, makes enough for the stuffing, mole sauce, and turkey and gravy.

We come back to this basic stock recipe year after year because we love the depth and dark hue that come from roasting the meat and vegetables beforehand—they translate to a terrific gravy.

All of the gravy recipes here call for this enhanced stock. What makes it so special? Instead of water, canned chicken broth gets the recipe off to a flavorful start. Simmered with vegetables and the turkey neck, heart, and gizzard, this stock is the key to great gravy.

This excellent, all-purpose broth can be made three days ahead; keep it covered and chilled.

This yields enough broth for the gravy and the stuffing . Use heavy large rimmed baking sheets; regular ones may buckle.

Roasting the turkey and vegetables before simmering them results in a dark stock that takes you more than halfway to a rich brown gravy. The recipe yields enough for the gravy and then some, but you'll be happy to have the extra when it comes time to make soup.

_(Iriko Dashi) Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are adapted from Elizabeth Andoh's book_ Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen. _Andoh also shared some helpful tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. This recipe originally accompanied Thick White Noodles in Soup, Topped with Eggs and Scallions and Cold Noodle Salad with Ponzu Sauce._ In the Sanuki region of Shikoku Island, noodle soup stock is typically made from dried sardines called iriko, in combination with dried kelp (kombu), and dried black mushrooms (hoshi shiitake). Some Sanuki stocks are enriched with bonito flakes (katsuobushi) and if you prefer a smoky flavor to your broth, I suggest you add these flakes, too. All the dried foodstuffs used to make stocks are rich in naturally occurring glutamates and provide intense flavor to the soup.

The quantity of meat you'll have in your finished stock will vary depending on whether you use shanks or hocks. Although shanks from the butcher yield more meat, they are not as widely available as hocks, which can be found at most supermarkets. This recipe is an accompaniment for Sea Scallops with Ham-Braised Cabbage and Kale .

You can omit the salt in this recipe if the recipe you are using calls for it.

Scott Uehlein, executive chef at the renowned Canyon Ranch Health Resort in Tucson, Arizona, says this broth is delicious over seared tuna or noodles.