I’m currently sitting in my kitchen, sipping on a mug of bone broth, wishing that the rain would stop and that the weather would make up its mind on whether it wants to be cold or freakishly warm. My husband doesn’t understand why I’m drinking broth from a coffee mug and my toddler keeps asking for a sip. I figured that Matt isn’t the only person who would be confused by this choice, so why not write about it? THEN I thought about how many recipes utilize broth and stock of all kinds and so … here we are. A broth breakdown, if you will.
First things first … what is the difference between broth and stock?
If you’re like I was up until last year, you probably thought the two were interchangeable. But in fact, there are small but significant differences between broth and stock.
Broth: Broth is technically any liquid that had meat cooked in it. It’s also typically seasoned and not cooked for any significant amount of time. Broth remains thin and won’t gel when refrigerated.
Stock: Stock is made by simmering a combination of bones (animal of course), mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery), and aromatics in water. Many times, the bones are roasted prior to simmering. The roasting isn’t required, but does provide a richer flavor. Stock is cooked anywhere from 2-6 hours and is usually unseasoned.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can focus on broth today.
Bone Broth: The reason I’m writing this post in the first place. As a nutritionist, I specialize in gut health. Bone broth is a super gut friendly and gut healing food because of how it is made. It’s technically a stock but the name grants it permission to be here. When making bone broth, the goal is to render as much collagen from the bones into gelatin as possible in the simmering liquid. This will also extract an abundance of trace minerals. Benefits of drinking bone broth include: it’s a great source of protein, it’s a natural source of collagen, trace minerals and anti-inflammatory amino acids, and it improves intestine and digestive tract health. Hence why I was sipping some on this rainy day.
Chicken Broth: Chicken broth is often lighter and more mild than something like beef broth. The taste is familiar to most and this broth is used in countless recipes.
Beef Broth: Aside from the obvious fact that this stems from a beef source and not a chicken source, the flavor profile is different too. I’m not a chef myself, but I do tend to just use whatever broth I have on hand regardless of what is specified in a recipe. That being said, beef broth has more depth of flavor and is richer (in my opinion).
Vegetable Broth: I think we can all agree the names are self-explanatory. This one will be the most mild in flavor and can thus be used across the board without overpowering any other flavors. This is also, of course, the way to go if you are cooking vegetarian or vegan dishes.
And there you have it! In addition to using broths in the obvious soups, stews, and sauces, I recommend cooking your grains in broth instead of water. It will add more flavor as well as an abundance of nutrients. You can also saute greens and things like leftover stir fry in broth to bring them back to life in the most delicious way.
Rebecca McKinney
I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.
So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!
Eat well & travel often,
Becky McKinney
Latest posts by Rebecca McKinney (see all)
- Why Food Makes the Best Gift for a New Mom - April 12, 2023
- 5 Ingredients to Cook With This Spring - March 15, 2023
- 10 Reasons to Dine Out on Valentine’s Day - February 2, 2023
Leave a Reply