Roasting the bones before simmering in water adds more flavor to the stock.
If you've ever enjoyed chicken soup, beef stew or turkey gravy, you have eaten some form of soup stock. Soup stock is the liquid created from simmering the bones and meat of any animal (or vegetables for vegetable stock) in water seasoned with herbs and spices The liquid is strained from the solid ingredients, which is the stock, the foundation of most soups and stews. Some specific recipes, such as a beef bechamel or gumbo, call for thickening. Adding flour or cornstarch is the most common and easy way to thicken soup stock.
Instructions
1. Heat the soup stock until it is piping hot, but not boiling. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Use an appropriately sized pot, depending on how much stock you have or what the recipe calls for. You can use your own homemade soup stock or buy soup stock at the grocery store.
2. Mix 2 tbsp. of all-purpose flour with 1/4 cup cold water. If you are using cornstarch, mix 1 tbsp. cornstarch with 1 tbsp. of water. Mix until the cornstarch or flour is fully dissolved, creating a smooth paste.
3. Whisk the cornstarch or flour mixture slowly into the hot soup stock. Add just a few drops at a time so that you can see how thick it gets; you don't want to over-thicken the stock. If you end up using all of the mixture and the soup stock is still not as thick as you would like, repeat Step 2 and add more flour or cornstarch mixture.
Tags: soup stock, cornstarch flour, flour cornstarch, soup stock, soup stock