Glace de viande question

When I make stock, I usually freeze half of it, and reduce half of it to glace de viande. Is there any reason why I shouldn't reduce the whole amount into glace and reconstitute as needed if I need stock? It would save a lot of freezer space.

That's what I do Binko.

When I'm making a big batch of general 'meat' [pork, chicken and some beef] stock, I reduce it to the point where it will barely pour from the pan, even when very hot, and then put it into ice cube trays. The stock 'ice cubes' are very easy to store and use.

Geo

Thanks, Geo, that's exactly what I do. Looks like I'll just move to cooking the whole thing down from now on to conserve freezer space.

Huh...

I did this by accident the other day. My MiL made Pasta e Fagioli the other day. Since it was gluten-free, it sucked up all the broth, so when I took the leftovers home, I needed to make some broth. I had just make stock and I took some, added a bit of tomato paste and started to simmer to combine. But, I forgot it and came back awhile later to find about 3 T of it left. 3 T of goop.

So, I "reconstituted" it with some water. It was surprisingly effective. It seemed to be a bit different, though - like strong and weak at the same time? Could be my imagination. I guess I'd do a side by side comparison to see if it changes it in any way you don't like.

Hi,

I also reduce stock to just about nothing. It keeps freezer space available to clogg with something else.

Regards,

Is it possible to overreduce stock? And, if so, can overreduction be cured by simply adding water?

I've made a few heavy duty stocks (10-12 pounds of meat and bones per gallon of water) and reduced some of them heavily. However, once or twice, the syrupy reduction ended up cloying, sweet(ish)/sour(ish) and, for lack of a better description, almost tongue-coating in the sauce I used it in.

I interpret this as perhaps overreduction. Am I wrong?

Can it be prevented?

Bridgestone wrote:Is it possible to overreduce stock? And, if so, can overreduction be cured by simply adding water?

I've made a few heavy duty stocks (10-12 pounds of meat and bones per gallon of water) and reduced some of them heavily. However, once or twice, the syrupy reduction ended up cloying, sweet(ish)/sour(ish) and, for lack of a better description, almost tongue-coating in the sauce I used it in.

I interpret this as perhaps overreduction. Am I wrong?

Can it be prevented?

I don't think there is a right and wrong here; one should just go by what tastes good. Very heavily reduced stocks will indeed have the intense, syrupy, maybe cloying properties you describe - usually too much so for most dishes. A concentrated glace is usually best (to me) when diluted with a dry white wine.

The same principle applies when it comes to reconstituting a concentrated glace with water to make stock... go with what tastes good to you. To me, a reconstituted glace is never going to taste as balanced and flavorful as a pure stock. It always seems just a little flat to me. But it's still going to be darn good, so if you need the freezer space it might be worth it to sacrifice a little perfection.

I'm with Kennyz. Practically speaking, I reduce to the point where I can still pour the reduction when it's hot. It completely gelatinizes when cool. Never, ever, salt the original stock! Using a bit of wine in the re-hydration is a good idea.

Geo