Stock: Make Some

What you're looking at is this: 1 (one) lobster carcass, frozen shrimp shells saved from the last few months, 2 (two) leftover pickerel fillet pieces, including tails and some meat, 2 (two) large cut up white onions, a handful of baby carrots, 1 (one) half lemon, 1 (one) fist-full of celery roughly chopped (if chopped at all), several dashes salt, a pinch of peppercorns, and whatever herbs that are in your cabinet.

Or on your windowsill, if that's not too much to ask.

In the past, I've made stock using fresh herbs wrapped in a bouquet of cheesecloth (which comes out easily like a teabag at the end). Either way, the process is always the same.

1) Bring all to a boil
2) Simmer on low heat with lid on for as long as you can
3) Strain

Freeze it, 'fridge it, make ice pops with it - see if I care. But what I can promise is that not only will your house or apartment smell like you've been slaving over a stove for a decade, but your chowder, gumbo, soup, and bisque recipes will also absolutely glow with flavor thanks to your easily made, homemade, stock.

So, on the theory side, think this: stock is a broth, used in place of water. Usually, stocks are made from a combination of meat and vegetables. Any combination. You can make a delicate stock or a stronger stock, depending on the amount of time you leave it on the stove. Particularly with red meat stocks, you'll want to scoop off the coagulated blood and proteins that rise to the top, but leave the fat that surfaces. The fat will help during the cooking process and can be removed afterward if you're about to cook with your stock. If you freeze it, keep the fat on the top of the stock and freeze, removing it later on when you do use the stock.