How to Make Homemade Stock

Save your scraps

The foundation of free stock is a bag of scraps in the freezer. Collect onion ends, carrot peels, celery tops, herb stems, and bones from roasted chicken or other meat. When the bag is full, you've everything you need for a pot of stock, and scraps that would have gone to waste become flavor.

Build the pot

Add your scraps or bones to a large pot, along with a roughly chopped onion, carrot, and celery if you've them, a bay leaf, and a few peppercorns. Cover with cold water — starting cold helps draw out flavor and produces a clearer stock. Bring it gently to a simmer, not a boil.

Simmer slowly

Let the stock simmer gently for one to two hours for vegetable stock, or two to four hours for chicken or meat stock. A rolling boil makes the stock cloudy and can muddy the flavor, so keep it at a bare simmer. Skim any foam that rises to the surface for a cleaner result.

Strain and store

Once the stock tastes rich and savory, strain it through a fine sieve, pressing gently on the solids to release the last liquid. Cool it quickly — set the pot in a sink of cold water — then refrigerate for up to a few days or freeze in portions. A cup-sized portion is handy for recipes.

Use it everywhere

Use homemade stock anywhere you'd use water or store-bought broth — soups, stews, rice, grains, and pan sauces all benefit. The deeper flavor it adds is the difference between a good dish and a memorable one.

Build flavor with aromatics

Beyond the basic onion, carrot, and celery, a few aromatics deepen the flavor of stock. A bay leaf, a few peppercorns, a sprig of thyme or parsley stems, and a clove of garlic add layers without any extra effort. Add them at the start so they simmer the whole time and release their flavor slowly.

For a richer, darker stock, roast the bones and vegetables first until browned, then add them to the pot. Roasting brings out a deep, savory flavor that plain boiling can't match.

Store stock in useful portions

Portioning stock before storing makes it far more convenient to use. Freeze it in one-cup or two-cup portions, or in ice cube trays for small amounts — each cube is roughly a tablespoon, perfect for deglazing or finishing a sauce. Label the containers with the date and type.

Chilled stock may form a layer of fat on top, which is easy to lift off before use. You can keep the fat for cooking, or discard it for a lighter stock.

Avoid a bitter or cloudy stock

A few habits keep stock clean and clear. Don't boil it hard, which makes it cloudy, and don't stir, which disturbs the solids. Avoid simmering certain vegetables too long — cabbage and broccoli can turn bitter. Skim the foam that rises early on, and strain gently at the end for the cleanest, best-tasting stock.

Use stock as a flavor base

Stock is more than a soup ingredient — it's a flavor base for countless dishes. Use it to cook rice and grains, deglaze pans, thin sauces, and braise vegetables. Swapping water for stock is one of the simplest ways to add depth to everyday cooking with no extra effort.

Make it your own

Stock is endlessly adaptable. Adjust the vegetables and herbs to what you've on hand, and over time you'll develop a house stock that suits your cooking perfectly.