Homemade stock is such an upgrade from store-bought. If you have a pressure cooker, like an Instant Pot, it is quick and very easy to make large batches of stock whenever you need it.
This is for a "light" stock - the ingredients are raw, so the finished product has a lighter color. Roasting the ingredients first will yield a darker and richer stock!
It can feel wasteful to buy chicken parts just to make stock with. Instead, I like to buy a whole chicken and use the carcass for stock.
When butchering a whole chicken, I will usually remove the breasts and the leg quarters (thighs plus legs), and keep the wings attached to the remaining carcass. Sometimes I will chop through the bones of the chicken before using it for stock to open them up for better extraction - but I'm not sure if that's really doing anything.
Whenever I have a chicken, I will store the leftover carcass in the freezer so that whenever I need stock, I have the basics on hand. You can cook this stock using all frozen ingredients and the time won't be affected much.
You can use whatever you have on hand, or want to flavor the stock with, but here's what I usually use:
The only needed spices really needed are the peppercorns and bay leaves.
It's best to use what you have on hand, as opposed to buying specific ingredients for this process. When working with leeks or spring onions, save the green tops in the freezer.
If you have a bell pepper instead of a carrot, that is an easy substitution.
Sometimes I'll make it with just onions if I have nothing else on hand.
Fresh ginger is a nice addition if you plan on using the stock for asian recipes
Store in the fridge for 1-2 weeks or freeze
Nothing so far has indicated that any salt has been added. I usually keep my stock salt-free, so that I have more options for how to use it. For example, reducing it down into a demi-glace would concentrate the salt too much if it already had some.
Unlike the chicken stock, this recipe allows you to use and eat the beef that was used to produce the stock. This beef stock is particularly good for French onion soup, Taiwanese beef noodle soup, and beef pho.
Spicing depends on how you intend to use this stock.
For French onion soup:
For pho or beef noodle soup
For pho (and beef noodle soup if you want), a large component of the flavor comes from charring the aromatics. This is usually done with a kitchen torch or on a stove with a gas burner. A broiler can also be used. Char the onions, ginger, and cinnamon stick so that they are half-charred.