4 Best Substitutes For Veal Stock

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There are many ingredients in popular dishes that aren’t readily available. If you live in India, you might not be able to find all the ingredients needed to make a Swedish dish.

As a result, people have to look for alternatives so they can make the dish they want to. Sometimes, people can’t use an ingredient because of their taste or allergies. This is why substitutes are so important.

Whether it is the issue of availability or personal taste, knowing the common substitute of an ingredient can always be helpful. You won’t have to give up the idea of making a dish simply because you can’t find an ingredient.

Veal is a very unique kind of meat that isn’t too widely used because of a variety of reasons. You can miss out on veal meat or its stock (veal stock) due to several factors.

There are many recipes that call for veal meat or veal stock. Sometimes, veal stock is simply out of availability, and other times, people don’t want to have it due to personal tastes or other reasons.

Because of being too high-end and expensive, veal stock isn’t readily available in the market. This is exactly why you have to keep several substitutes of veal stock in mind.

In this article, we have put together some of the best and most effective substitutes for veal stock that will compensate for the savory and mild flavors of the real thing.

What Exactly Is Veal And How Is Veal Stock Made?

Calves are the young bovines and veal is the meat directly extracted from very young calves of barely a few hours of age.

Veal is quite expensive and controversial meat due to its rare availability, less quantity, and its problematic origin. Many people avoid eating veal and don’t consume its stock which is understandable.

Veal has an intense flavor but with a quiet, soft, and tender taste and texture as the young bovines have sensitive and delicate bodies. Veal is small but expensive meat.

Now to the stock. The mildly thick gravy that is cooked from veal’s meat and bones is called Veal Stocks.

The liquid item used to make veal stocks is made with onions, carrots, and celery stalks with a pinch of black peppercorns and bay leaves. They are well-suited seasonings for veal stock.

Many people avoid using stocks completely due to ethical reasons. Vegetarians look for alternatives of stock so they can prepare a dish without any non-veg ingredients.

Veal meat and stock have always been controversial, which is why even non-vegetarians often avoid it. But there are many dishes that have veal stock as an ingredient.

So, people look for substitutes so they can make a dish without using veal stock.

How Do You Substitute Veal Stock with Other Meat’s Stock?

Whether it is a common ingredient like eggs or a premium one like veal stock, you can always find a substitute easily.

There are many people who want to avoid an ingredient for health or ethical reasons. In such a situation, it becomes necessary for them to find an alternative.

Several premium recipes call for an adequate amount of veal stock. Due to common reasons like unavailability and shortage of veal meat, obtaining veal stock is quite challenging.

Some countries don’t even have an abundance of veal so getting veal stock can be difficult.

Before you substitute any other meat stock with veal stock, make sure to ponder upon what recipe you are going to cook and how the substituted item is going to compensate with your required flavors.

Each type of stock has its own taste and consistency. So, whatever you are going to cook will get affected by the taste of the stock.

You should figure out which type of flavor you need in your dish before you pick an alternative stock. After keeping that in consideration, you may easily use the following substitutes of veal stock.

4 Best Substitutes For Veal Stock

Just because you can’t find veal stock doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a certain dish. You can easily find at least a couple of substitutes of veal stock regardless of where you live.

You can try one of these substitutes to make the dish you wanted to try. If you have a favorite stock, then you should definitely go for that.

Here are some of the well-balanced alternatives of veal stock:

1. Pork Stock – The Closest Alternative to Veal Stock

When it comes to catering to the mild flavors and tender taste, pork stock is nearest to veal stock.

Despite belonging to a completely distant species, pork stock has a shocking number of similarities with veal stock as compared to other meat stocks.

Pork has a light, mild, and tender essence with less intense but juicy flavors. Veal stock happens to have a similar taste and flavor. Moreover, pork is readily available in various grocery stores.

You can find pork anywhere in your nearby meat markets without any hassle and can easily replace an expensive and unavailable veal stock with widely available pork stock.

However, if you live in a Muslim country or a country where pork isn’t readily available, you won’t be able to use its stock as a substitute for veal stock.

Although pork stock is preferred by most people who can’t find veal stock, it is not the only substitute available. You can definitely try another one of the substitutes mentioned below and see how that works out for your dish.

2. Turkey Stock – Healthy Substitute for Veal Stock

Although taste is often the priority of people, it is good to look for healthier options. Red meat has a lot of fat which can negatively affect your heart. High cholesterol levels of red meat are also not good for your health.

In contrast, white meats are lower in fat and rich in taste. If you don’t want to use veal stock as an ingredient or if you can’t find it anywhere, consider using Turkey stock.

Turkey contains less cholesterol and fat, just like veal meat. White meats are considered to be richer in protein and lower in fat as compared to red meat.

This is exactly why turkey can be a healthy alternative for veal meat, and Turkey stock can be a healthy substitute for veal stock.

3. Chicken Stock – Another Healthy and Easy Substitute of Veal Stock

Just like turkey, chicken is another meat that will add value to your dish as a healthy substitute for veal stock.

Moreover, chicken can be found in the market without any difficulty. Simply make stock with chicken instead of veal and add it to your recipe.

Chicken is not only a healthy alternative to veal meat but it is also pretty easy to acquire. Chances are you have already made chicken stock plenty of times in your life.

You will be familiar with its taste and consistency already so you won’t have any problem mixing it with your recipe. You will know what’s the right amount of chicken stock you should use in your recipe.

4. Chicken and Beef Meat Stock – A Well-Balanced Substitute for Veal Stock

Sometimes, you need to mix different ingredients to achieve the taste you want. When it comes to stock, you may not know the taste of some of them. But if the recipe calls for a stock that’s a bit thick, you can’t just use chicken stock.

You will need to mix beef meat stock with chicken stock. This will not only improve the consistency of your stock but also enhance its taste.

However, it is important to remember that stock has its own taste. Keep that in mind when you are adding salt and spices to your dish. After all, you won’t want to overdo it.

The quantities of chicken and beef stock taken for making a substitute for veal stock mainly depend on the recipe you are making.

However, a well-blended combination of chicken and beef stock can make a tasty substitute for veal stock.

Conclusion

The aforementioned items are considered and tested to be some of the best substitutes for veal stock.

Regardless of the recipe, you are making, if you can’t find veal stock, you can use a substitute and get more or less the same taste.

But you will have to make changes in the recipe accordingly so the amount of salt and spices remain balanced. If you don’t want to make a trip to the market then the chicken stock is the best substitute.

Not only is it healthy but also quite easy to make. You don’t need a long time for the chicken meat to cook properly and the stock to get ready. 

If you are using chicken stock, you will be able to prepare your dish in a short amount of time. Once the dish is ready, you can try it to see how the chicken stock is mixed with the ingredients.

The taste of the substitute stock will add to the flavor of your dish and you won’t regret not being able to find veal stock.