"Gil Faver" > wrote in message
...
> well, the subject line says it all.
>
> anyone found any good veal or beef stocks on the market? How does their
> price compare with making your own? I am thinking of buying 50 pounds of
> veal bones, making 1/3 into white stock, and 2/3 into brown stock, then
> making some brown sauce and demiglace.
>
> aside from my time (I donate that for free), what is the cost comparison?
>
> thanks.
>
I think the answer is no! There aren't any good commercial veal or beef
stocks on the market. There is decent veal concentrate made in France. It's
expensive, and hard to find. Once you've found it and ordered it, it may or
not be OK.
I recently got back into making my own stock, and reducing it to a
demiglace, after about a 15 year hiatus.
At our local market, I can get the veal leftovers free. That's a big plus.
However all of the beef parts are worth at least $1/lb in CA. If I want to
make a beef/veal brown sauce for steak or other beef dishes I have to buy
the beef bones and knuckles. I always throw in at least half veal bones for
added richness. Beef by itself is pretty flat.
Other than that, it's a good Saturday adventure to get into. Find a good
recipe. I use the fond brun recipe from the Larousse Gastronomique and forge
away.
I always brown the bones with onion and carrot in the oven first and add
water after.
Writing this makes me want to run to the kitchen and do it again.
Good Luck to you,

Kent