SmartShopIt Blog

The weather is definitely turning colder! I was sitting at my desk looking out the window the other day. I saw a squirrel busily traversing from one tree to another. It was taking the dead leaves from one tree and bringing them to a nest it was building in the other. A nest to shelter it from the bitter cold which was beginning to settle in. Then it ran down and dug furiously in the ground to bury something to store it for another day. A certain sign that winter is coming and ‘tis the season to stock up!

Liquid Gold

And with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season comes a lower price in the liquid gold called stock (or broth*), be it chicken, beef, seafood or vegetable. I always use this holiday season (along with Easter) to stock up (pun intended) on my stash. That’s because it’s sometimes hard to find a can of stock for lower then $1.00 during the non-holiday season. Now you can easily find them for $.60 on sale, plus a myriad of coupons are available. Hey a 40% increase in my purchasing power is certainly better then the stock market these days! If you look at a can of stock, you will see that the use-by-date is out there some 10 to 12 months, so building a six month supply at these prices is worth it.
My family knows I treasure this stuff and while I’ve made my share of stock from scratch, it’s also a lot of work to make. Having the stock readily available is a very nice convenience. The following are some tips on using canned stock:

Purchase low sodium broth whenever possible. This gives you more flexibility with your cooking. You can always add salt if needed. If you’re reducing the broth, say for a sauce or if you’re making rice pilaf or couscous, it may become too salty if you don’t buy the low sodium style.

Stock adds flavor to a dish. If it calls for water and you want more flavor, use stock. If the standing rib roast recipe calls for water to deglaze the roasting pan to make your gravy, consider using beef stock. Steaming rice? Consider using a chicken or vegetable stock to turn it into a pilaf. Want to make a tasty sauce for that tilapia you just sautéed? Deglaze the pan with some seafood or chicken stock and add some herbs and reduce.

At my local Asian market, I can usually find stock less expensive by $.10 – $.50 per can then the current going price in my American Mega-mart.  (Hey, everything from the Far East seems cheaper these days!)   The base flavor certainly has a slightly more ‘oriental’ taste, which is great for making won-ton noodle soup and if you are going to infuse it with other flavors anyway, it’s a good alternative in non-oriental dishes.

Kick it up a notch! Cooking is all about building flavors. You can add even more flavor by infusing the stock like brewing a tea. Making it more aromatic is great for soups and sauces. Do this by adding celery (good use for the leaves and heart), carrots (great use for the peels) and onions into the broth and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes. If you’re making a shrimp dish, consider adding the shells of the shrimp to chicken or vegetable stock turning it into a shrimp stock. For sauces, steep fresh herbs like thyme, sage or rosemary in the broth to infuse it with flavor.

Broth stores great in the refrigerator for a few days in an airtight container. For longer storage, put it in the freezer. If you use only a little at a time, put the broth in an ice-cube tray and, once frozen, move it to a zip top freezer bag and pull out the cubes as you need them.

Certain seasons are great for storing various products. Use this season to stock up and you will have flavor in your pantry for months to come.

Price Guide – Chicken, Beef or Vegetable Broth (Can 14 oz)

Smart Buy – Less than $.70

Average Price – $.95

High Price – Greater than $1.30

(Organic versions run higher in price.)

* Stock versus broth.  Before the culinary police come knocking at my door  I do recognize that there is a slight difference between the term stock and broth.  Although I find that most people use them interchangeably (myself included).  And unless your in a 3-star Michelin kitchen and the Executive Chef yells for stock, showing up with the right stuff won’t have the same detrimental effect.

From what I have researched, some say that stock is the simmering of water with the bones (and other components) and therefore has a more gelatinous consistency.  Broth (also sometimes called bouillon) is made from simmering meat and or vegetables (beginning with stock or water) to create the finished process.  Broth is usually reserved for describing the liquid of a soup.   Stock is considered the mother sauce to begin making broth, gravy, sauces or reductions.

Another major difference is that stock usually does not contain salt (therefore why those stacks of cans and cartons in the store are called broth).  Bottom line is that “stock” is harder to find in the store and usually more expensive.  Yes, you can use broth to make sauces and gravy, just make sure you purchase the low sodium kind.  You wind up adding some salt to stock anyway as consuming stock with no salt is a pretty bland experience.

Filed under: Pantry