On Food and Cooking

made into soup broths and aspics that will be
attractive to the eye. Many of the details of
stock making have to do with removing
impurities, especially the soluble cell proteins
that coagulate into unsightly gray particles.
The bones and often meat as well (and
skin, if any) are first washed thoroughly. To
make a light stock, they are then put in a pot
of cold water that is brought to the boil;
they’re then removed from the pot and rinsed.
This blanching step removes surface
impurities and coagulates surface proteins on
the bones and meat so that they won’t cloud
the cooking liquid. To make a dark stock for
brown sauces, the bones and meat are first
roasted in a hot oven to produce color and a
more intense roasted-meat flavor with the
Maillard reactions between proteins and
carbohydrates. This process also coagulates
the surface proteins and makes blanching
unnecessary.