It’s the age-old question, one that you have probably asked at some point. What is the difference between Stock and Broth?
There’s actually very little difference between the two liquids, but they’re made with different ingredients.
Broth
Broth is made by simmering meat (and/or vegetables) in water with mirepoix. (Mirepoix is a sautéed mixture of diced vegetables, such as onion, celery, carrots, bay leaf, salt, peppercorns and other herbs.) Let them soak in that simmering water for about an hour, then remove the meat after it’s fully cooked. For a vegetable (meatless) broth, Chef Jill recommends roasting your vegetables first and preparing your broth the same as above. Try roasted bell peppers, zucchini squash, tomatoes, onion, garlic, etc. The flavorful broth that results after simmering your meat and/or vegetables can be used in a number of ways in cooking. It is even popular to drink, especially when you’re feeling congested. The meat and vegetables you used to make it can be used in other recipes, or with the broth to create a delicious soup!
Stock
Stock involves the use of bones rather than meat (which begs the question, why is Bone Broth called a broth and not a stock? Unfortunately, there’s no good answer to that. It’s actually a stock.) To create a stock, clean the meat from cooked or roasted bones, then simmer the bones in water (and mirepoix, if you want to add flavor) just like with broth However, you’ll want to soak the bones for much longer than it takes for the broth. As the collagen is released from the bones, the stock will thicken. Try it next time you have picked a rotisserie chicken clean!
Broths often have more flavor, and stocks have more ‘thickness’. But stocks and broths can used interchangeably in recipes, for the most part.
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