Annie Hedden wrote:
> Haha, alright, I came off as anal, but I assure you, I live in complete
> squalor. I've made soup stock many times, but the reason I say "construct"
> and "chemsitry" is because --
>
> when making meat stock, the gelatin is prized from the animal. So, for
> instance, is there a replacement for the gelatin? Okra produces a sappy
> liquid, which is used for gumbo, but what about using it in stock itself?
> What about fruit pectin instead of gelatin? This is why chemistry is
> important, so one thing can be replaced for another and still stay in the
> boundaries of being stock. Stock is a serious subject if you come from the
> French side of cooking (aka, everything the Joy of Cooking bases itself
> around). To change what stock you are using changes everything. Developing
> a unique stock is necessary for anyone seeking an anal originality in their
> cooking. I don't know about you guys, but I won't be able to call myself a
> cook until I can find a stock recipe that says "I am a anal, brilliant
> ******* who can make a great Veloute sauce because no one has any clue
> what's in my stock". Stock in French is "Fond" (did I miss an 'e'?) and
> this means "base". I don't want to put make-up on my cooking, I want to
> build it up from the genes.
>
> Applying my God Complex to Cookery,
> Steve

You have managed somehow, to dig yourself even deeper! I hope you enjoy
your search for the Holy Grail of stock. I'll just keep making mine the
way I've made it for years. It's just stock!