Food prepared in posh restaurants is an assault to the senses, in a good way. Food has become a product of skillful and artistic kitchen maneuvering completely unheard of in the past. The food not only looks good, it also tastes great. But even before such culinary masterpieces can come into fruition, the most basic of techniques are first applied. Even seasoned chefs get back to basics in order to achieve the most flavorful dishes known in the culinary circles. Even the most basic chicken stock recipe can give a very satisfying gastronomic experience.
Stock-making is arguably one of the most challenging yet satisfying processes done in the kitchen. It does not involve painstaking procedures, but it’s easy to mess up if the stock is prepared haphazardly. One would ask how could one ruin the most basic method such as simmering an ensemble of water, chicken parts, and vegetables? The method may be basic but it is a rather delicate one. It is not just putting the ingredients in a pot of water and let it cook until ready. It has to have a mix of cooking skills as well as awareness of how certain ingredients react with each other when combined.
Some chicken stock recipe would recommend the use of chicken parts with the meat still intact. Others swore by the belief that leftover bones packs the most flavor that there is really no need to include the meaty parts of the chicken. Either method is acceptable and it all boils down to the preference of the cook or the chef. Sometimes, the preference is overruled by what is available in the fridge or the cupboard.
So what this actually means is that techniques, methods and procedures would vary depending on certain factors such as availability of ingredients. Culinary experts are divided on which method emerges more superior than the other, but it appears that most hotels and restaurants prefer stock prepared with leftover bones. This is because the flavor is locked in the cartilage and connective tissues and extracting them through hours of slow simmering gives the most flavorful chicken stock. The essence, when combined with the mix of celery, carrots, and onions, makes the chicken flavor come out. In some cases, the bones are first roasted in the oven to lock in the flavor; this is akin to flash frying the meat before proceeding to the next cooking step (e.g. roasting).
Since stock is the base for soups and sauces, it is not salted or seasoned. Doing so would make it difficult for the cook to adjust the taste of the soup or sauce. So the stock should have a neutral taste; not salty, not bland. Bland stock means the flavor from the chicken bones or meat have not been fully extracted. Those who have more sensitive taste buds could tell the difference in taste because even though there is no saltiness in the stock, the aromatics lend distinguishing flavor. To know which chicken stock recipe to use, you must first determine what dish in which to use the stock on. This way, the right techniques would be applied to create a culinary masterpiece.
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