i think I've clued into the secret of stocks and sauces, don't the bigger chefs put leftovers in them?

Question

I'm doing a variation on Gordon Ramsay's basic chicken stock.
It's based more on what I have leftover in my frig.
Smells good so far, but I'm no chef just an enthusiastic amateur.
I'm reserving the freedom to experiment and all that.
Isn't that one of the purposes for stocks in the bigger better restaurants? A place for leftovers so waste is kept minimal?

Answer 1

My ex was a chef at a very nice restaurant in Connecticut, and he is the one that taught me to make stock...chicken carcass, RAW veggie ends and leaves, onion skins and garlic cloves-skin and all...it all gets strained out, so what's the point of using good veggies, etc! You're doing great - but you can't just use ANY leftovers!
Cooking is a lot about trial and error, and also what you like taste-wise! You don't know unless ya try!
And p.s....ignore westie's sputterings...you will get a lot more flavor from roasted chicken and bones than you will from raw! And the onion skins do add a little bit of color, which is common to a lot of stocks. Also, obviously, there is just as much flavor and nutrients in the carrot tops, and the celery bases (that you wouldn't use otherwise) as there is in the rest of the veggie! This goes for other veggies as well! Use your head!

Answer 2

Now I have stopped spluttering, the stock is the basis of any good sauce, use leftovers and your stock is a left over, any chef worth his salt will start with good ingredients, an uncooked chicken carcass, roasted beef bones, lamb or pork etc, I dont think they would ever use peels, all onions carrots are peeled, celery can go in unpeeled and chopped including the leaves etc etc. Ps. My wife uses onion skins to dye wool yellow, so any stock made with them would have a yellow tinge to it

As an experiment, make a stock the classical way and then make one using left overs and taste the difference.

I do use my cooked left overs for my soups at home and they are delicious but would never ever do that in a restaurant where a paying customer was seated. Call me old fashioned or someone seeking perfection but penny pinching can be tasted in the food and one should cost ones food properly and give the customer what he is paying for.

Keep on cooking it has become a real passion for me and the great thing is one learns something new every day.

Answer 3

You can also use celery leaves, onion skins, and herb stems in stock. It all deepends the flavor. Usually it's made on purpose, not with leftovers, but one could certainly use leftover chicken drippings as a start, I'm sure.

Answer 4

I'm not sure the "better" restaurants do this all that often. But certainly it is done, very common, in fact at home and at restaurants if you're talking about using up stock that in a day or two will go bad, certainly they make use of it.

Answer 5

I dont know about the restaurants -- but I used to keep a container in the freezer for any bits of left-over veggies from supper(- a spoon of corn here - a spoon of beans there- one left over potato etc.) When it came time for soup I had a good amount of veggies for it. It works great!_