Finally figured out why my stocks always came out cloudy

For years I was boiling the bones hard right from the start. About 6 months ago I switched to a gentle simmer from the beginning and never looked back. Has anyone else had that moment where you realize something simple was messing up your base?

2 comments

2 Comments

wrenstone24d ago

I actually heard this tip from a chef on a podcast a few months back and it totally changed how I do my stocks too. They said the violent boiling messes with the collagen extraction and makes the fat emulsify into the liquid instead of floating to the top. I used to crank the heat because I thought it would pull more flavor out faster, but turns out it was just making everything murky. Since I switched to keeping it at that lazy bubble with just a few little ripples on the surface, my stock has been crystal clear every single time. It's wild how such a tiny change in technique makes that much of a difference in the end result.

foster.wade24d ago

Read that chef's thing about the lazy bubble and thought I'd try it, but I totally forgot about the pot and it went stone cold. By the time I noticed it had been sitting there lukewarm for like two hours, I just gave up and threw the whole thing in the fridge. Honestly that cold stock was the clearest I've ever had though, so maybe I'm onto something.