Today in part 1, I want to tell you WHY you would want to go to the trouble of making beef or chicken stock (or turkey, veal, etc.), and I’ll also tell you about all the health benefits. In part 2, look for HOW to make it, how to freeze it, etc., along with some great info from Chef Glenn at Red’s on the River.
What’s the big deal with homemade stock?
Once you learn all the health benefits, not to mention how great it tastes, you’ll want to add it to everything you make. I put it in all my soups or stews (the aroma will just beg you to dip your homemade bread into it!), in my rice, with noodles, or in anything with a white sauce, and of course I use it to make gravy, but this is after letting it boil down. (Add your favorite ways to use it below!)
What makes it so nutritious?
I don’t want to get into trouble, so please read more about the benefits at the links below!
- “Science validates what our grandmothers knew. .. Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons–stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain.” From “Broth is Beautiful” by Sally Fallon
- Read the comment from Cheeseslave at my Who is Weston Price post (find out which WAPF recommendations I may never do!)
- Bone broth supplies amino acids that help the body detoxify.
- It supplies nutrients to help those with joint discomfort.
PLEASE COMMENT BELOW:
What other recipes do you use your stock in? Have you experienced any health benefits?
- Want to know the definition of stock vs. broth from Wikipedia? (I didn’t know, either, but I use the words interchangeably, even after I read this, I still say it wrong!)
- How to make homemade chicken noodle soup
- “Good broth will resurrect the dead”/”Grandmother knew best”: Sally Fallon’s article on the benefits of well-made stock
- Great info on healthy stocks for those that want to know more (I found this link through Bryan’s site, thanks Bryan!)
- Interesting read about how an Amish butcher farm makes huge batches of stock to sell
- Kimi talks about not letting anything go to waste – never toss bones out without making stock first!
- Many more topics & recipes along the right in the sidebar
Part of Kimberly’s Natural Cures Carnival!
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{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
alexsandra 01.16.09 at 2:02 am
Oh Kelly….you must have read my mind….I was driving home tonight thinking about making broth from some bones I saved in the freezer!
Now that I know how good it is I’m even more excited! Wow…that’s amazing. Thanks as always, I really love your info.
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jeanne 01.16.09 at 7:22 am
Kelly . . . I have been making homemade stock for years and years. I also freeeze mine in ice cube trays. Then I can add a cube at a time to recipes as needed. What a coincedence that I had just emailed you about my vegetable stock. I keep a container in my freezer in which I put all my vegetable scraps . . . onion skins, carrot peels, broccoli stems, etc.
When it is full, I place in a pot and add water. Simmer for a couple of hours and then strain. I use the vegetable stock for homemade vegetable soup or for making rice for stir fry or casseroles.
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Heather 01.16.09 at 9:08 am
I am new reader and very interested in all of your postings. I just made some chicken stock. One question – what do you do with the fat that rises to the top?
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Laura 01.16.09 at 9:49 am
I make beef and chicken stock regularly, but I can never get the jello consistency in mine that people describe. Any idea how to get that gelatin out of the bones or do I have to add feet for that? I add vinegar to the water and let it soak before I boil it, but it’s still not very jello-y.
BTW, chicken stock smells great when it is cooking, but beef stock . . . not so much. It tastes good, but I’m glad that I don’t have to make it as often as the chicken stock!
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Christine Kennedy 01.16.09 at 10:07 am
Laura, chicken stock will not gel as well as beef. The bones and amount of gelatin-giving cartilage are much smaller in size. Adding feet will help. Also, reducing the amount of water used to cook the stock will concentrate the gelatin more. Don’t really worry about it, the broth WILL have gelatin in it and all of the other important things as well, even if you don’t visibly see it gel.
Heather, you can use the fat that rises to the top for cooking, or do what I do. I separate my broth into 2-cup portions for the freezer. Each portion gets a piece of the fat. That fat will just get incorporated into whatever I’m using the broth for, ie., rice, soup, stew, etc.
Hope that helps!
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Jill 01.16.09 at 1:40 pm
I started making my own stock 15+ years ago before I knew it was healthy! I just knew Martha Stewart said I should make it
It always bugged me that it turned to jelly, unlike the canned stuff. Well! 5 or so years ago when I read Nourishing Traditions I had that ah-ha moment! It’s supposed to be jelled! It’s a good sign!
Now I start my stock at night, and let it slow simmer for 12+ hours. I really like using chicken necks in it, they provide tons of flavor. Lots of garlic, lots of onion, celery leaves, herbs and stems from the garden, apple peels, even a hunk of lemon.
It really does heal! It really does cure! I swear by it and my family loves to gobble it up!
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Kelly 01.17.09 at 12:54 am
We just got home and I cooked all day (more about that on Monday), so this is the first chance I’ve had to check comments. Thanks for answering the questions above, Christine!
Jeanne, did you see the other post I put up for today? It’s YOUR tip!
Thanks for your comments everyone!!
Kelly
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jeanne 01.17.09 at 7:50 am
Laura, I have pretty good luck with my chicken stock turn in to gel.
The key to a good broth is very low temp for a long period of time.
Then place in a large bowl and refrig. By the next day it should gel.
Does anyone else add vinegar to the water before starting?
I like the idea of adding gelatin, has anyone else tried this tip?
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Shauna 01.17.09 at 9:43 pm
I make stock all the time, especially in the winter. We have homemade soups 2-3 times per week, and I try to have dishes on the other nights that incorporate the stock. (i.e. I cook my rice in the stock instead of water; I make my curried lentil stew with stock instead of water; etc.) It adds so much flavor, and I attribute the fact that we eat gelatin-rich stock most every day in some form or another to the fact that our family is rarely plagued with intestinal illnesses.
You just can’t beat the flavor either!
Tonight, I made “White Turkey Chili” (had turkey leg quarters in the freezer, so I used those in lieu of chicken). I pulled the turkey out of the freezer this morning, put them in the stock pot, filled it with water and let it simmer all day. Tonight, I pulled the turkey out, deboned it, used the stock/broth for the soup base, and then saved the bones in a freezer bag to make into another batch of stock later.
Soups made from stock are so soothing to eat, extremely satisfying.
I did notice that my stock from turkey bones gels much more than chicken….. I didn’t make the connection with the size of the bones, as another commenter said above – good point! Glad to know that the gelatin is in there anyway.
Shauna
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Kelly 01.17.09 at 10:17 pm
Hi Shauna,
I never get a great stock from the 2nd go-round with my bones, what’s your secret?
Thanks, Kelly
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Jenny 01.18.09 at 1:40 pm
We LOVE our bone broth. There’s inevitably some stewing away each and every day. We use it daily. Aside from the clear and obvious health benefits, the taste is unbelievably good!
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Kimberly Hartke 01.18.09 at 8:11 pm
Hi Kelly–getting in the habit of making stock can be so rewarding! Just this week, my Dad who is battling cancer, came down with a cold. It just so happened, that I had just finished making turkey noodle soup from homemade turkey stock (from my Christmas turkey carcass that had been stashed in the freezer). I was able to insist that I bring him some soup. I was able to leave him a huge pot, so he could sup on it all weekend while regaining his health, in fact he had it for dinner last night!.
Today, the remaining soup was sent to the football game with my husband, and his brothers scarfed it up and were all compliments about my wonderful soup! I still have leftover stock which tonight I used to make a slow cooked whole chicken. I added some salsa to the stock and cooked it slow for 6 hours while I went to a meeting.
I have found stocks to be a lifesaver in more ways than one!
Kimberly
http://www.hartkeisonline.com
Please visit my blog!
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Kelly 01.18.09 at 10:21 pm
Jenny, when you said you always have stock going it reminded me that Joe (next door) says, “Seems like you guys always have some carcass goin’ on the stove.”
Kimberly, I LOVE your blog!!! And I agree, one of the best things about stock is giving it to sick family or friends. A few years ago I gave some to my friend, Amy O., and she still talks about it. She had been sick a long time and couldn’t seem to feel better. She said it tasted so good and was just what she needed to help her begin to finally feel better again.
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Mark 01.19.09 at 9:36 am
One of the most important things after reading some of the posts is how to cool the stock down before refrigerating or freezing. Some tips: once you have decided the stock is ready to be strained and cooled so it can be refridgerated 1.) Place a clean stockpot into the sink and fill the sink up with cold water about half way up the stockpot and then strain your stock. You can ice cubes to the sink to help cool the stock down. It would help to stir the stock every 10-15 minutes this will help cool it quicker. By getting the stock out the stockpot you used to cook it in is important because the residual heat will stay in the pot much longer. This step is so important and I think it gets overlooked. The most important temperatures to remember when making stock’s are 40-145 F. Either keep it above 145 F or below 40 F. These temperatures are crucial and are consider the “danger zone”. This is where certain bacteria’s thrive and pollute your stock and since we are all making stocks for the health benefits we can not overlook this important step. I make about 40 Qts. of stock a week and found by investing in a product called “rapid cool”. It is a reuseable cylnder and you fill up with water and freeze it, it is like a big ice cube and once it melts it is sealed and will not dilute your stock. Further tips to follow. Thanks.
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Janet W 01.19.09 at 1:21 pm
If anyone wants good stock made from Sally Fallon’s recipe, U.S. Wellness Meats sells it. They also sell chicken feet, grass fed meats including bison, Amish made raw cheeses, much more. It is not local, but if you don’t have access to locally produced foods, they are magnificent!
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Kelly 01.19.09 at 11:09 pm
Janet, I totally agree!
Mark, thanks for the tips. What in the world do you do with 40qts. of stock a week?!
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Samantha 03.05.09 at 12:21 am
If you’re interested in a vegetarian gelatin, you can use agar-agar, which comes from seaweed instead of animals. It can be hard to find unless you have an Asian market nearby, but it works just as well and doesn’t hurt any animals unnecessarily.
(I’m not even close to being a vegetarian, but I try to avoid animal products that aren’t…ethical, I guess.)
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kristina 03.11.09 at 1:10 pm
Does bonebroth have to made from organic bones? Where do I get all the bones if I don;t eat that much meat?
Thanks,
Kristina.
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Kelly 03.13.09 at 12:49 am
Hi Kristina,
No, they don’t have to be organic, but the healthier the animals are raised, the healthier the broth will be. If you don’t eat a lot of meat, check with your local farmer (or butcher) about just buying the bones.
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Jason 04.19.09 at 7:28 pm
Does anyone know the approximate amount of calcium in 1 cup of bone broth made this traditional way? I understand it would be different depending on circumstances, but is there any information on the web or estimates?
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Kelly 04.20.09 at 1:29 am
That’s a great question, but sorry, I don’t have a clue. I’ll try posting it to the Yahoo group, “Discussing Nourishing Traditions”, and see if someone on there knows.
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Kelly 04.22.09 at 8:42 pm
Jason,
An update: I’ve posted your question to two different forums now and found out that “someone” (I haven’t connected with them yet) is planning to have bone broth tested for minerals. I’m not sure when, but as soon as I hear anything, I’ll post it here.
Kelly
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Steve 04.23.09 at 10:51 am
For those asking about jello…
For the best gelatinous broth you should try to use range fed animal parts. i.e pastured chickens with access to grubs, bugs and worms; cattle that eat grass, not grain; game animals etc…. As they say in Nourishing Traditions also be sure to include chicken feet and other parts that are particularly gelatinous. This is much better than adding gelatin after the event.
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Kelly 04.24.09 at 8:05 pm
Jason,
I have a couple responses for you from the forum:
One person said this:
I think this one is impossible to answer, at least for homemade. It depends so much on how much vinegar you add to the bones, the temp at which you cook the bones, how many times you cook the same bones, how many veg scraps that have (or don’t) extra calcium, how far down you reduce the stock, etc, etc… It could be anywhere from modest to incredible, seems to me. And no guarantee that one assay will mean anything to the next batch. But it’s certainly more than if the bones aren’t in there.
Another person replied with this:
You’re right. Too many variables not to mention what sort of animal the bones are from, it’s age, and how it was raised. They’d have to check a bunch of different homemade broths and give an average or something.
No definite answer for you, but with real food it isn’t always easy to know exactly what you’re getting in nutrient amounts, but it’s still great knowing that traditional foods are much higher in nutrients than processed foods, that’s for sure.
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Kelly 04.25.09 at 8:48 am
Steve, thanks for the great info!
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Jon Reed 06.16.09 at 2:36 pm
I’m not sure if this is broth or not but if it is. it’s truly remarkable — I had a lot wrong with me health wise and over a short period I was cured of all! Just wanted to share. Thanks, broth enthusiast. Jon
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Kelly 06.19.09 at 10:40 am
Wow, Jon, how amazing! Did you do anything else new at all? Like adding in more healthy fats or anything?
Thanks for sharing.
Kelly
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Kim 08.23.09 at 10:55 pm
I’ve just made my first batch of chicken stock and I feel very victorious. Now I don’t know what to do with it. I can think of a noodle soup or rice soup but does anyone else have other soup ideas. Are ya’ll eating it just plain? If so, do your kids eat it?
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KitchenKop 08.24.09 at 12:08 am
Kim, good job! It feels awesome, doesn’t it?!
I should have added this to the post, but I love to freeze it in quart-sized baggies (after it’s all the way cooled), and keep it on hand for the many recipes that I end up needing it in. I add it every chance I get to anything that it will remotely work in.
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Shantell 11.04.09 at 12:34 pm
I’m glad to see how many bone broth enthusiasts there are out there. Growing up I never really knew why Grandma’s soup tasted better than anyone’’s. Later, when I started using her recipes and wowing friends with my “old fashioned” cooking, others were impressed but I knew I couldn’t re-create what I had eaten as a kid. Something wasn’t right. When her cursive written recipes called for stock, I used store bought. Come to find out… much later… she had stock piles (pun totally intended) of stock in her chest freezer. I found this out from an aunt who remembers bread pans filled with broth that she had to help wrap in wax paper once frozen. Long story, longer… I now make my own stock piles and feel that I’m giving my family a tradition that was almost lost.
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Elaine 11.14.09 at 9:46 am
I made turkey stock a couple of days ago from leftover turkey bones and put it in the fridge to let the fat rise to the top. Today when I took it out to freeze it I realized it was like jello. Thinking I’d done something wrong, I searched the web only to learn that’s actually a GOOD thing. Yeah! Now for my question…I made the stock to use in my Thanksgiving gravy which calls for six cups of broth. Can I use the stock as I would store-bought broth? Is is more concentrated? Do I need to heat it to a liquid before I add it to my rue? I’m not sure how to use it from this gelatinous state. Help! Thanks!
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KitchenKop 11.14.09 at 5:24 pm
Hi Elaine, yes, you can use it the same (only be prepared for much better flavor!), but do heat it to liquid before adding it to your gravy mixture.
Kelly
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LaVonn 12.02.09 at 3:37 pm
Please point me to the post or website that will explain to my husband that gelled stock is good and is not fat. (I discarded the fat off the top already but the stock does have a fatty tongue feel) Thank You!
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KitchenKop 12.02.09 at 9:39 pm
LaVonn, here’s a good one:
http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/brothisbeautiful.html
Take care!
Kelly
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LaVonn 12.03.09 at 12:55 pm
Thanks very much for that link. I also shared Part Two of your blog with my husband. We both enjoyed the soup made from the stock even more after learning that the jellied look is a sign that the stock is super nutritious!
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Paula 12.07.09 at 2:50 am
I’m sick. I threw out my “jelly” turkey stock today thinking it was all fat. I smelled and tasted yummy, but I only saw the gelatin as fat and not good for my family. If I only had waited and read this blog first. Ugh! (I had added leeks, carrots, celery, turkey and chicken carcus, peppercorns, thyme and salt) Live and learn. I can’t wait to try again now that I know better. Thanx for the info.
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KitchenKop 12.07.09 at 1:31 pm
Oh no! Paula, I’m so sad for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But if that’s the worst kitchen mishap you ever have, you’re lucky!
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