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Soup Stock

A clear stock made by simmering beef, veal, bones, and onion for several hours.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Soup Stock

Why it works: Beef and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,092 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Soup Stock

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Combine the chopped beef and veal in a large pot.

  2. Add the cracked bones and chopped onion.

  3. Cover with water and bring to a boil.

Simmer and strain

  1. Reduce heat and simmer for several hours, skimming off any foam that forms.

  2. Strain the stock and discard the solids.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

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.

  1. Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,092 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Beef + vealtop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,784 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, green).

  3. Veal + oniontop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together6,841 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Beef
Lends deep, meaty flavor as its proteins and fats break down into the liquid.
Veal
Adds gelatin-rich body and a delicate savory flavor to the stock.
Bones
Release collagen and minerals during long simmering, giving the stock body and richness.

The step that matters

Skimming the foam. Foam is coagulated protein and impurities that rise as the liquid heats. Removing it keeps the stock clear and prevents bitter, cloudy flavors from mixing back in.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, veal):

  1. Onionthe original
  2. Tomatofits about as well
  3. Carrotfits less well
  4. Potatofits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, veal. 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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