Since we’re deep in the cold season, foods that warm you up are striking gold all over the place. So, having a nice soup sounds divine, right? But you have to choose between stock and broth to make them. What do you do? We have some thoughts on that, worry not.
Do you use ‘stock’ and ‘broth’ like they are the exact same thing? Well, they’re not, and don’t worry about it, this happens more often than you think. Why doesn’t anybody teach us these things, am I right?
After all, while observing them in ‘nature’, they seem to be the same thing, right? They do look quite similar. They’re both savory liquids that are flavored with veggies, bones, and scraps of meat that are simmered in water and then strained. And they’re both used in the same sort of dishes, right? They’re both bases for soups, all kinds of sauces, stews, even stuffing for the turkey!
But there are in fact a few differences between them.
How are stock and broth different?
There isn’t just one difference. You can tell which one is stock and which one is broth thanks to three factors: what ingredients are they made with, how long does it take to cook them, and are you going to use seasoning or not?
Stock is made by simmering animal bones with a little bit of meat to them, carrots, celery, and onions (also known as mirepoix) and some aromatics. It can be made just with meatless bones. These bones can be roasted first, which makes the stock richer and deeper in color. It’s cooked from 2-6 hours on the stovetop and it’s left unseasoned.
On the other hand, the name broth is used for any liquid that has meat cooked in it. It’s made by simmering this meat (which can have bones, but not mandatory) with mirepoix, and aromatics in water. Only the duration of the simmering is under two hours. Broth is seasoned, as opposed to stock.
When it comes to the uses, though, they’re both great for soups, sauces, braises, stews, and gravies. But the broth you can have on its own because it’s flavorful and seasoned.
If you want to make yourself some stock, here is how you can do it, easy-peasy!
