Last night I made beef stock. Tasted very watery.
Today I spent several hours reducing same.
Tastes better but still very weak.
Reading about, I see that this stock is intended to be the foundation
for other things; serving as a 'base' with which to build i.e. use it
to deglaze a pan, then (thus fortified, or with additional flavoring)
reduce further and thicken.
Is there a standard taste or feel that cooks use to determine how much
reduction of the stock is enough or is that something that is a
variable, corrected during a final reduction?
Certainly the stronger the stock, the more flavorful the final sauce.
- Mike