Level Up - Stock
Level Up Your Cooking Skills with Homemade Stock
Level Up is a new series from Bon Appétit Management Company focused on cooking techniques that our chefs use every day to elevate their from-scratch dishes — and you can, too! Read the tips, watch the video, and try the recipes. We’re collecting all of the Level Up installments here.
Homemade stock is a culinary gamechanger. And guess what? It’s the easiest thing to throw together.
Toss some rough-chopped onions, carrots, celery and parsley in a pot with some meaty bones (a leftover roast chicken carcass or T-bones are great, just don’t mix your meats). Want vegetable stock instead? Use mushrooms — stems and all — for that umami oomph. Add enough water to cover, bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer for an hour or so (or in the case of fish stock, mere minutes; ditto if you use an Instant Pot!). Strain your stock, salt to taste if you choose (or do so later), and you’ll have a flavorful liquid that makes a fantastic base for homemade soups or sauces. Store it in the freezer, and next time you’re craving homemade soup, you’ll already be halfway to the finish line.
Recipes for Using Homemade Stock
Bon Appétit Management Company’s Stock 101 Guide
This easy visual guide will help you make perfect stock every time.
Garbanzo Cauliflower Soup
This hearty vegetarian soup is packed with nutrient-dense ingredients and gets its savory depth from homemade vegetable stock and smoked paprika. Use our Stock 101 guide to make vegetable stock and keep it in the freezer so you can level up your weeknight cooking game.
Wheat Berry Bowl with Lime Zest Vinaigrette
This hearty, flavorful bowl with a zesty vinaigrette has everything you need for a meal that will power your day (and week).
Links We Love
- Savory vegetable stock elevates soups and sauces without meat. Get The Kitchn’s guide for how to make a versatile vegetable stock.
- Stock is the secret ingredient for a simple pan sauce. Level up your next meal with Cooks Illustrated’s Pan Sauces 101.
- In a hurry? Get big stock flavor without the slow simmer. Check out this Bon Appétit magazine recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Stock.