Why it works: Parsley and thyme match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,057 recipes. Both carry cuminaldehyde, which smells Spicy, cumin. The science ↓
White Stock
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
In a large pot, combine the knuckle of veal, lean ham, onion, celery, peppercorns, cloves, herbs, salt, and cold water.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
Simmer for about 4 hours, adding water as needed to keep the ingredients covered.
Strain the stock through a fine sieve and discard the solids.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Parsley + thymetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,057 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Celery + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,810 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Clove + thymetop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together4,108 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Celery + thymetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,193 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Celery + clovetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together4,668 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Knuckle of veal
- Releases gelatin and collagen as it simmers, giving the stock body and a silky mouthfeel.
- Lean ham
- Adds savory, salty depth to the stock without much fat.
- Onion
- Contributes sweet, mellow aromatic flavor to the stock.
- Celery
- Adds a subtle vegetal, aromatic background flavor.
The step that matters
Keep the stock at a gentle simmer and skim the foam. A hard boil makes the liquid cloudy and can emulsify fat into it, while skimming removes coagulated proteins that would muddy the flavor. A gentle simmer keeps the stock clear and clean-tasting.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, ham, celery, clove, parsley, thyme):
- Carrotfits better
- Leekfits better
- Shallotfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against veal, ham, celery, clove, parsley, thyme. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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