Mastering Stocks and Broths

James Beard Foundation Book Award Finalist
A Booklist “Top 10 Cookbook of the Year”

This “exhaustive guide to understanding and preparing stocks and broths” explores the history, science, and fundamentals of this culinary staple—and includes 100+ recipes to try at home (Booklist).

Stocks and broths are the foundation of good cooking, yet information on their use is often relegated to the introductions or appendices of cookbooks. Until now there has not been a comprehensive culinary guide to stocks in the canon, save for snippets here and there. Hard to believe, since most passionate home cooks and professional chefs know that using stocks and broths can turn a moderately flavorful dish into a masterpiece.

In Mastering Stocks and Broths, author Rachael Mamane takes passionate home cooks and innovative chefs on a culinary journey, offering fascinating insights on:

• The importance, fundamentals, and science of stocks and broths
• 100+ unique, zero-waste recipes with stocks as foundational ingredients
• The history of stocks and broths, including the classic French technique and beyond
• The importance of quality sourcing
• The practical and health benefits of stocks and broths
• How to develop, store, and use stocks in a home kitchen

The recipes place an emphasis on the value of zero waste, turning spent bones, produce seconds, and leftover animal fats into practical products to use around the home. Readers will turn to this book when they find themselves wondering what to do with the carcass of a store-bought roast chicken and they want to learn how to make every inch of their vegetables go further.

Perhaps most important to remember: a good stock takes time. This is part of the pleasure―making stocks is meditative and meaningful, if you allow yourself the occasion. Building a stock often happens in the background of most kitchens―a smell that permeates a residence, a gentle warmth that radiates from the kitchen. Readers will be inspired by Mamane’s approach to truly slow cookery and her effervescent love for food itself.