Stocks on Bruce loves to cook

Stock

Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Stock is a savoury tea: flavour and gelatin pulled from bones and vegetables into water, then concentrated.

Every stock on this site follows the same five steps: roast, extract, lift out the solids, reduce, strain. The roast sets the colour, the reduction sets the strength, and only the extraction time changes. Bigger, denser bones take longer to give up their gelatin. No bones, no wait.

Basic chicken ramen stock

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is the basic chicken ramen stock I use for my lunch ramen (when working). It’s a hybrid of a French and a chintan-style stock, with ingredients that are easy to find.

Beef stock

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a rich stock that uses the bones left over when buying and breaking down whole cuts.

Ingredients

2–3 kg beef bones (side cut is best; knuckle or neck is good too)
2 yellow onions (250–350 g)
1 medium carrot (100 g)
1 large celery rib (90 g)
1 shallot
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme and rosemary, or a few sprigs
~2 tablespoons vegetable oil
~5 L water, or enough to cover

Method

Heat the oven to 220°C (450°F). Roughly cut the onions, carrot, celery, shallot, and garlic, and toss them with the oil.

Chicken or turkey stock

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a rich chicken or turkey stock that uses the bones left over from breaking down whole birds. Great for soup, sauces, and consommé.

Ingredients

Spines, ribcages, and wing tips from 3 whole chickens
2 large carrots
2 onions
1 shallot (optional; sub onion or garlic)
3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme or rosemary, or a few sprigs
~2 tablespoons vegetable oil
~5 L water

Add-ins

1 knob ginger, diced (optional)
Bouquet garni, fennel, and similar (optional)

Method

Heat the oven to 220°C (450°F). Slice the vegetables thinly (or roughly) and toss them with the thawed bones and oil on one or more roasting trays. A mandoline is handy for the denser vegetables; slice the softer ones by hand.

Rich veg/mushroom stock

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a rich vegetable stock, a perfect replacement for beef stock in soups and stews. It’s simplified with a French profile, but can easily be adapted to phở, ramen, or any cuisine with a few add-ins. This recipe blends the method from Bon Appétit’s Andy with Glen & Friends Cooking (AKA, Canada’s Alton Brown), which rely on thinly sliced veg roasted for hours to deliver a deeply flavoured and coloured stock.