Remember when every kitchen had a dedicated stockpot simmering all day?

Three years ago at The Oak Room, we'd start a veal stock at 6 AM and let it go until close. Last week, I saw a new cook try to sub in a powdered base for a pan sauce and it just didn't have the same soul. Do you still make your own stocks daily, or has that become a weekend-only project for most places now?

3 comments

3 Comments

luna2616d ago

Honestly, I get the romance of it, but that all-day simmer feels like a luxury few can afford now. Between the energy costs and the labor, it's a huge drain for most kitchens just trying to stay open. A good powdered base is a solid tool, and a skilled cook can absolutely build a great pan sauce with it. The "soul" comes from the technique and care you put in, not just the pot on the stove.

robin8966d ago

Read an article about a chef who still does a daily stock, says it's the only way to build real flavor layers.

flores.mark6d ago

My local hardware store used to have a guy who could sharpen any blade by hand, just watching the steel. They replaced him with a machine that does it in 30 seconds. It works, but it's just a sharp edge now, no story. I see what luna261 means about cost and time, but that's the pattern. We're swapping out the slow, skilled stuff for the fast and fine enough, and calling it progress. The soul wasn't in the stockpot itself, it was in the choice to keep it going.

-1