Every time I give a cooking class the subject of stocks inevitably comes up. Many people wonder which stocks are gluten-free. My answer: The best and safest gluten-free stocks are the homemade kind! I am a big believer in making homemade stocks. They are incredibly easy to prepare, tastes better than the boxed or canned variety and are completely gluten-free and wholesome.

Chicken Stock

It truly is simple. Let’s start with chicken stock since most often that is what is most commonly called for in recipes. I usually buy whole chickens for all my chicken recipes and then I cut them up. I rarely, in fact I can probably say — never, use the backs or the necks. Years ago, before I knew better, I would simply throw them away. What I have since learned is that the backs and necks make wonderful stock. So as I am preparing my chicken I take the back and put them in a freezer safe zip-lock bag and freeze them until I am ready to make stock. When I have a day where I will be hanging out at home I place the frozen back in a stockpot and add an onion (unpeeled), a garlic clove (unpeeled), 2 carrots (cut in half),and a couple of celery sprigs (cut in half). I then fill the stockpot with water and place over medium high heat. Bring it to a boil and skim off any foam off the top. Reduce the heat to low and add a few parsley sprigs, 6-8 peppercorns, 1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme or about _ teaspoon dried thyme and a bay leaf. Simmer over low heat for 6 hours. Remove it from the heat and let cool. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. I then pour the stock into inexpensive disposable Tupperware containers (these are already measured out into 1 cup, 1-1/2 cups or larger). Seal the lid and place in the freezer. One pot of chicken stock will yield about 12-14 cups (at least!). When I need stock I take out however cups I need and microwave until thawed. Simple, efficient and way better than the canned variety!!!

Basic Beef Stock

Basic beef stock is prepared in the exact same way as chicken stock except you substitute meaty beef bones in place of the chicken backs and parts. Ask your butcher for beef bones — they usually have plenty in their freezer.

Brown Meat Stock

Brown meat stock is richer in flavor than your basic beef stock. To prepare brown meat stock use the same vegetables as listed above but increase the amount by half and about 2-3 quarts of bones. For the bones, the more meat clinging to them the better. Neck and hip are desirable, as well as joints. Raw is best, but cooked bones are usable too. Arrange the bones in a roasting pan, in 1 layer, and spread the vegetables among and around the bones. Roast for an hour or more in the middle of the oven at 400 degrees F, turning and basting occasionally. You want them well browned but not burned. Lift the ingredients into a stock pot, pour out and discard any accumulated fat. Deglaze the roast by pouring in _ inch of red wine and/or water. Bring to a simmer on the stove top, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour the juices into the pot with the bones and vegetables. Add 4 parsley sprigs, 1 small thyme sprig, a bay leaf and 2 cloves of unpeeled garlic. Add 1-1/2 cups chopped cored but unpeeled ripe red tomatoes. Fill the stock pot with water. Simmer for 6 hours. Strain and store as detailed above.

Fish Stock

The traditional way to make fish stock is to use lean fresh or frozen fish heads, bones and trimmings. Today it is often difficult to find fish heads and bones in the super markets. You can use fish fillets rather than bones if you want to — this can be a little pricey but you can also use shrimp shells. When you make shrimp, shell and store the shells in a zip lock freezer bag. When you are ready to make fish stock take 1 cup of finely chopped onions and _ cup fairly chopped carrots and sauté in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add 1-1/2 to 2 cups shrimp shells, 1 small garlic clove, mashed, _ cup dry white wine and about 4 cups of water. Simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and either use immediately or freeze.

A couple of notes:

Do not salt your stock until you are ready to use it. Stock will store longer without salt and give you the ability to have full control of the amount of sodium as you cook.

To intensify the flavor of a stock, boil degreased stock down rapidly by half or more, until it has developed flavor and strength.

Never cover a warm stock or it will sour.

As you can see making your own stock is very easy to do. Stocks are an essential part of a well-stocked pantry and a life-saver for gluten-free cooking. As you start to make these stocks you will realize how wonderful it is to have them on hand.

- Glutenfreeda