There’s nothing like the flavor & aroma of homemade stocks simmering on the stove or roasting in the oven. Stocks have been used for centuries in every cuisine -- European, Asian, African and American.

During the Middle Ages in Europe, travelers stopped at restaurants to “restore” themselves with soup, bread and ale. Restaurants simmered leftover scraps of meat and vegetables in a large stockpot to get the most flavor possible out of their materials. Lavish meals were cooked for royalty, and the great chefs who cooked for them made a science out of cooking. After a stellar career in Paris at the Savoy Hotel (with Cesar Ritz), the great French Chef Escoffier (1846-1935) published “A Guide to Modern Cookery” in 1907. He detailed all the fine points of cooking. On the first page, Escoffier recognizes the importance of stock, “[In traditional French Cookery] stocks are the keynote of culinary structure.”

(Click on the image for Homemade Chicken Stock Recipe)

During the 20th Century, the use of the stockpot in France was found to be a health hazard, and thus the on-going use of a stockpot to simmer leftovers was eventually outlawed.

In the past 50 years, broths were introduced as a by-product of other manufacturing operations, but because of the excessive use of additives like salt and MSG, these products have not approached the quality of real stock.

Even today, chefs and good cooks insist on the use of stock as a key ingredient to prepare a wide variety of foods, like pasta, soups, vegetables, potatoes and marinades.