Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Question Redoux - Stock vs Broth

I'm reading more about soups and broths and come to find out that broth is not just a seasoned stock. My mistake. Broth is made from meats or vegetables. Because no bones are used, the stock is richer in gelatin, and therefore better in sauces. But, because stocks are not seasoned, broths have a more pronounced flavor than stocks and are better in soups. All this by reading chapter 9 in my Professional Cooking book, by Wayne Gisslen. If you bought it by the pound, it would cost several hundred dollars.

The book, not the broth!

Also, we had practical tests this week. Got a 97% on my written, product ID and knife cuts. I got an 80% on my sauce practical. However, my chef actually paid me a compliment today. I failed to make a Bearnaise sauce because I had run out of shallot and did not want to make a sauce I knew was incomplete. He told me I should have made it anyway, during school, and present something. But what he said later made me feel good. "I know you are not a flake and I know you want to learn, it doesn't have to be perfect for me to evaluate. But, I can't evaluate a dish you don't present."

That made me feel good!




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