Chances are you’ve heard of chicken broth, chicken stock, veggie broth and veggie stock. You know that they are generally the same type of liquid but they are different in ingredients. I’m not going to be the stock vs broth police because as home cook, I still use the words interchangeably.
For chicken stock or beef stock, a stock is typically made from the bones. A chicken broth or beef broth is made from meat and vegetables.
By that definition, veggie stock is technically not a thing because it would need to be made of bones and vegetables are a plant. Veggie broth is what you’ll see most commonly at stores or on the menu.
How are chicken stock and beef stocks made?
These nutritious stocks are made by taking the animal bones and simmering them in water for many hours. If the bones were already cooked, say in a chicken roast, then one wouldn’t need to simmer the bones for as long. In most cases, one would boil and simmer the bones for a stock for up to 48 hours for maximal flavor. You can add some vegetables like onions to round out the flavor.
Animal bones are extremely dense with nutrients. By using them for a stock, the nutrients are released and transferred into the liquid.
Because stocks take longer to make, this is a great opportunity to use a slow cooker and let it do the work for you. You still will need to strain the liquid but you can essentially get it started and “forget it”.
How do you make a chicken broth or veggie broth?
For chicken broth, you would add a chicken carcass, with meat, or just pieces of meat to brown in a stock pot. By browning them, you get the cooking process going and get some caramelized flavor. Then you would add in broth vegetables like onion, carrots or celery to enhance the broth flavor. Followed by adding quarts of water and bringing it to a boil. You let it simmer for a few hours to develop flavor then strain it.
For veggie broth, the process is the same as chicken broth except you don’t use any meat or bones. Veggie broth is great to have on hand because it’s so versatile for recipes. You can even learn how to make your own veggie broth with just veggie scraps.
Broths typically take less time to develop and are more widely made at home by home cooks.
What are the benefits of making my own chicken stock or veggie broth?
The flavor is unmatched compared to using water. No one likes watered down food or drinks. Stocks and Broths elevate recipes and ingredients you use it with. Next time you’re making couscous, swap cooking it in water with a cup of stock or broth instead. You’ll season with salt as normal but the grain itself will already taste delicious. Think about it, many great chefs and restaurants take great pride in developing a stock that is rich in flavor and texture. You can do the same at home.