Stocks and Sauces - The Wellness Kitchen

Definition of a stock

A Stock is a liquid that has been formed by extracting flavours, nutrients and salts during the cooking process from Bones, Vegetables and aromatic Herbs.

Simmer but do not boil stocks
Clear in appearance
Delicate flavour
Clear of grease

Storage of Stocks

When cooked stocks must be strained and cooled within 90 minutes and stored in a fridge, stocks can be frozen.

All stocks must be re-boiled after storage prior to being used.

Types of Stocks

White Beef Stock
Brown Beef Stock
Vegetable Stock
Chicken Stock
Fish Stock

Starches

Mainstay of many diets
Complex CHO yields energy
- 55-66% Total Kcal from CHO
- 4 kCal Per Gram
Uses
- Thickeners
- Stabilizers
- Texturizers
- Water or fat binders
- Fat substitutes
- Emulsification aids

Starches contribute to…
- Texture
- Taste
- Appearance, such as…
  - Sauces
  - Gravies
  - Cream soups
  - Chinese dishes
  - Salad dressings
- Desserts
  - Cream pies
  - Fruit pies
  - Puddings
  - Tapioca

Starches as Thickeners

“Starch” derived from German for “stiff”

Is a thickening or gelling agent

Starch granules

The plant’s cell unit for storing starch
Plants are the sources of starch granules
Granules differ in shape & size

Sources of Starch

Cereals
- Wheat, rice, and corn
Root starches
- Potatoes, arrowroot, cassava (tapioca)
Complex CHO
- Dried beans, peas, sago palm
Cornstarch
- Major starch source (95%) in the U.S.

To produce cornstarch…

Soak dried kernels
Crack kernels, remove extraneous material
Grind and screen kernels; sift down to yield starch and protein
Protein removed; starch filtered, washed, dried, and packaged

Starches vary by

Flavor
Viscosity

Starches in Food Products

Uses of starch in food industry
- Thickening agent
- Edible films
  - Protective coating for chewing gums
  - Bind foods such as meat products and pet foods
  - Hold substances such as flavor oils in chocolates
- Dextrose
  - Sweetener used in the production of confections, wine, and some canned goods
  - Dextrose equivalent (DE): A measurement of dextrose concentration (e.g., DE of 50 means the syrup contains 50% dextrose)
- Starch syrups
  - Over ½ of starch is converted to syrup (e.g., corn syrup)

Starch Structure

Long chains of repeating glucose

Amylose: Linear glucose chains
Amylopectin: Branched glucose chains

Most starches contain…

75% amylopectin and 25% amylose

Starch Characteristics

Starches Undergo…

Gelatinization

When heated in liquid, starch granules increase in…
- Volume
- Viscosity
- Translucency
- Dependent on
  - Amount of Water: Must be sufficient enough for starch absorption
  - Temperature: Most starches gelatinize when heated above 133°F–167°F (56°C–75°C)
  - Timing: Just long enough to reach peak viscosity
  - Stirring: Stirring early = uniform consistency + no lumps; Too long or vigorous = less viscosity
  - Acids: Reduce ability of starches to thicken
  - Sugar: Competes for available water, delays the onset of gelatinization, and increases the required temperature
  - Fat/protein: Coats starch, preventing water absorption

Gel Formation
- Sol
  - Fluid Starch Paste
- Gel
  - Semisolid Paste
  - Forms after Cooling < 100º
  - Requires Sufficient Amylose
- Amylose
  - More amylose creates a more opaque gel (e.g., as in cornstarch)
  - Less amylose creates a clearer gel (e.g., potato, tapioca)
- Waxy Hybrids – Corn & Sorghum Cross
  - Very low amylose and do not gel
Retrogradation
- Gel cools
- Seepage of water out of aging gel
  - Syneresis or weeping
  - Contraction of the gel
  - Amylose molecules tighten bonds
- Accelerated by freezing
- Prevention: Use foods immediately
Dextrinization
- Breakdown of starch molecules
- Presence of dry heat
- Smaller sweeter-tasting dextrin molecules
- Thickening power diminished
- Louisiana gumbo dark flour: Has almost no thickening power

Resistant Starches

Don’t digest in intestines or contribute to calories
- 3 types
  - Inaccessible starch
    - Granules trapped in food prevented from gelatinizing
  - Resistant starch granules
    - Indigestible because of their chemical configuration
  - Retrograded starch
    - Formed when heating/cooling starch renders molecules of amylose and amylopectin inaccessible to enzymatic hydrolysis

Modified Starches

Chemically or physically modified to create unique functional characteristics
May affect the starch’s…
- Gelatinization, heating times, freezing stability, cold-water solubility, or viscosity
3 types…
- Crosslinked starch
- Oxidized starch
- Instant or pregelatinized starch
Cross-linked
- Chemically treated link starch molecules w/crossbridges
- More heat resistant
- Ideal for use in cooked or canned foods such as pizza, spaghetti, cheese, barbecue sauces, pie fillings, bakery glazes, and puddings
Oxidized starch
- Exposed to chemical oxidizers
- Less viscous than cross-linked, but clearer and more useful as stabilizers and thickeners
- Powder-like consistency makes ideal for dusting foods (e.g., gum)
Instant or pregelatinized starch
- Do not have to be heated in water to expand and gel
- Have already been cooked and dried, so absorb cold water immediately and expand
- Instant drymix puddings, gravies, and sauces

Sauces

Functions

Moistness
Flavor
Texture
Body (especially to soups)
Appearance: Rich color & shine
Fish, meats, vegetables: More appetizing & appealing w/a sauce

Types of Sauces

Thickened
- Cheese Sauce
- White Sauce
- Some Gravies
Unthickened
- Other Gravies
- Hollandaise
- Butter
- Fruit
- Barbecue
- Tartar
- Tomato Sauces

Mother sauces
- Grand, leading, or major sauces
- Sauce used to create other sauces
  - Béchamel (white)
  - Espagnole (brown)
  - Hollandaise
  - Tomato
  - Velouté
Small sauces
- Secondary sauces
- Created when a flavor is added to mother sauce
- Examples
  - Cheese
  - Curry
  - Mushroom
  - Shrimp

Preparation of Thickened Sauces

Proper preparation steps consist

Selecting the right ingredients
Combining them
Slowly heating the mixture to the point of gelatinization

Ingredients of thickened sauces
- Liquid
  - White or brown stock
  - Milk, clarified butter, tomato juice
- Thickening Agent
  - Starch
- Seasonings/Flavorings
  - Salt, black, white, or cayenne pepper, lemon Juice, herbs, wine

Roux
- Foundation of thickened sauces
- Equal parts fat & flour
- Three Types
  - White
  - Blond
  - Brown
Variations in heating times of fat-flour combination causes differences in colors & flavors (e.g., longer cooking = brown roux)
Beurre manié (pronounced burr mahn-YAY)
- Equal parts butter & flour
- Mixture not cooked
- Slowly whisked into a simmering sauce
- Use only small amount to prevent taste from becoming starchy
Slurry
- Combine starch & cool liquid
  - Cool liquid inhibits granule expansion
- Mix into simmering liquid base
  - Heat causes granule expansion
- Sauce thickens
- May yield starchy taste
- Less stable thickening
Sauce from roux
- Melt fat
- Mix in flour
- Heat until desired doneness
  - White, blonde, brown
- Combine liquid & roux
- Gradually add liquid while whisking
- Heating the sauce
  - Just to boiling, then simmer to desired thickness
- Adding seasonings/flavorings
- Preventing lumps
- Blend fat & flour until smooth
- Add small amount of sugar
- Vigorously mix ~ 2 T. starch w/ cold water
Cheese sauce: Created by adding cheese

Preparation of Unthickened Sauces

Gravy
- Uses juices or drippings remaining in pan after meat or poultry is cooked
- Drippings served thickened & w/ added seasonings or unthickened as in…
Au Jus
- Unthickened; served w/ its own natural juices
Gravy
- Step 1 — Degreasing: Separates liquid/residues from fat
  - Separate liquid from fat
  - Methods
    - Refrigerate mixture so fat rises to surface
    - Tip pan & skim fat
    - Special utensil (e.g., fat separator)

- Step 2 — Deglazing: Loosen particles stuck to bottom of the pan
  - Add liquid to pan drippings
  - Simmer/stir to dissolve & loosen cooked-on particles sticking to bottom of pan
- Step 3 — Reduction: Concentrates volume & flavor
  - Simmer or boil until volume is reduced via evaporation
  - Becomes thicker, concentrated, more flavorful
- Step 4 — Straining: Removes large particles
  - Cheesecloth
  - Strainer
  - Sieve
  - China Cap
  - Step 5 — Seasoning
    - Last step because if done before reduction it can become too salty or strong

Other unthickened sauces

Barbecue sauce
Butter sauce
Fruit sauce
Tartar sauce
Tomato sauce

Storage of Starches and Sauces

Keep in airtight containers
Store in cool, dry place
Keep away from moisture, oxygen, light, pests
Sauces made with dairy are prone to bacterial contamination and should be
- Heated to 165°F (74°C)
- Kept out of the temperature danger zone

Thickened sauces should be prepared, served, and stored with caution