White Stock (Fond Blanc)
This isn’t a quick fix. This is foundation. This is where sauces are born—the kind that make people go quiet at the table.
Today you’re making a classic white stock the proper way: clean, clear, and without shortcuts.
Essentials
- Time: 4–6 hours
- Difficulty: Basic technique
- Yield: ± 2–3 liters
Ingredients
- Veal bones
- Chicken carcasses
- Leek, carrot, onion, celery
- Bouquet garni
- Cold water
Good to know
- Freezes well
- Use within 3 days
- Base for sauces and soups
Step 1 – Build the base
What you see: raw veal bones, chicken carcasses, vegetables and bouquet garni
Veal bones, chicken carcasses, the vegetables, and the bouquet garni form the backbone for the stock.
👉 No nonsense. This is pure flavor building.
Step 2 – Blanching
What you do: start everything in cold water
Bring the bones and carcasses slowly to a boil in cold water.
Why? You want impurities to rise to the surface.
Step 3 – Skimming
What you see: foam on the surface
Use a ladle or skimmer to remove the foam.
👉 This is the difference between a cloudy soup and a clean stock.
Step 4 – Add vegetables
What you do: add roughly chopped vegetables
Cut the vegetables into large pieces and add them to the pan along with the bouquet garni.
No need for precision cuts—everything is there for flavor.
Step 5 – Gentle simmer
What you see: light simmer, no aggressive boiling
Simmer gently for 3-4 hours, skimming off any scum and grease that rises to the top regularly – rapid boiling will both disturb the bones releasing more impurities, resulting in a cloudy stock with a greasy mouthfeel.
👉 If it looks like a jacuzzi, you’re doing it wrong.
Step 6 – Straining
What you do: pass through a sieve
Pass the stock through a sieve set over a large bowl or pot and discard the bones and vegetables.
Step 7 – Degreasing
What you see: fat layer on top
For a particularly clear broth, you can pass the liquid through a fine sieve or cheesecloth once more. Then let it cool in the refrigerator and remove the remaining fat.
👉 This keeps your stock clean and refined in flavor.
Step 8 – Final result
What you have: clear, golden stock
If you can see through it and the taste is deep but clean, you nailed it.
This is your base for sauces, soups, and next-level cooking.
Closing
Master this, and you stop following recipes… you start building flavor.