This was originally supposed to be included in Wednesday’s post, but I’d already written 1,500 words about salt, so here we are with a bonus edition. It’s an important one!

Stock isn’t a dish, it’s an ingredient, but it’s an ingredient you have to prepare. It’s not hard, though it does take some time, which is largely unattended. You can’t make gravy or dressing without it, and making your own is one of those details that will elevate your dinner.

Many Thanksgiving recipes you encounter will say it’s acceptable to substitute chicken for turkey stock and while that may be technically or even legally true, it’s morally bereft. Turkey gravy should be made with turkey stock and the stock should preferably be one you have also made.

This presents a conundrum: turkey stock requires turkey parts and you are weeks away from acquiring a turkey, which you will be cooking for dinner, not dissembling for stock. Plus you want that stock at least a day ahead of time.