On Broth
And the magic of making it at home.
Beautiful broth.
Pretty much every culture praises it for its healing properties.
Yes it's had its moment as a wellness trend - and while I'm not arguing that it is magic, that'’s not anything new to me. It’s delicious and yes, good for you but I want to celebrate the magic that’s also found in the process of making it.
The process itself is something to be savoured.
To be revelled in.
The slow simmer of broth on the stove.
The smell that envelops your kitchen like a warm blanket.
The simplicity of it.
Just a few ingredients and time. That’s it.
Like I said, magic.
I’m not saying you need to do it all the time but it is good to know how to do it because there’s really nothing like a good homemade broth.
And you can make it with anything.
It adds to any dish - it's an instant flavour booster for sauces, rice pilaf, polenta, soups, as a braising liquid, the list goes on.
Let’s dive into the mechanics of it and let me share some things that I do when making mine:
Bones:
You can use any kind to make a stock; beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, fish bones (heads are amazing if you can get them, and don’t forget about seafood shells) etc. I usually have a ziplock bag in my freezer where I’ll add bones to stockpile them until I have enough to make my broth. I usually buy whole chickens and break them down myself to have the cuts I want and the bonus is you also end up with the carcass which is gold for making broth. You can also hit up your local butcher or meat counter at the grocery store and ask for bones for stock. I usually like to have about 4lbs of bones for my stockpot which usually fits around 16 cups of water (or 4 quarts) with the bones in the pot. There’s room for flexibility here, if your pot is bigger = more bones and more water, if you want to make less, go for it. For me, if I’m going to do it I always make lots so I can freeze it to have on-hand for later - cook once and remember my future self will thank me. Because as much as it’s mostly hands off, it does take time so you want it to be worth it. The thing to remember is it doesn’t have to be an exact science and I never measure things so start with these as loose measurements - it’s okay if the amounts aren’t exact.
Beef bones are the strongest kind of bones which means you can cook them for days without them breaking down - to get the most flavour out of them I usually do at least 24hrs up to 48. I will say I haven’t yet noticed a huge difference between a 24hr simmer and a 48hr one. For chicken, turkey pork or lamb the sweet spot here is at least 12hrs but no more than 24hrs as these will start to disintegrate.
Fish and shellfish the the most delicate so timing for this is even less before they’ll start to break down so the timing here is usually only about an hour. I also find I use less as the flavour can be quite strong so I’m usually cutting the amount in half.
Brown or not to brown - You can roast your bones (I don’t ever do this with the fish bones) in the oven before they go into the pot which which will add a deeper colour and that caramelized flavour. Not mandatory but if you want to try it, just arrange the bones on a baking sheet and cook them at 425*-450* for 25-30 minutes, turning once or twice to get that even browning.
Aromatics:
Aromatics are what will add more flavour to your broth. These are the supporting characters but just as important as it’s always about layering those flavours. That being said, I always keep mine basic so I have a good base to start with then I can use the broth for lots of different things later on. Use the base for soups and sauces or risotto and flavour from there. For example, toss in some cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and coriander and simmer for a bit you’ve got a little cheats pho. Same thing for a ramen - add the extra flavours to your base and you can take it anywhere!
My usual rule of thumb for the aromatics is; 2 parts onions, 1 part carrot, 1 part celery, a handful of peppercorns and a bay leaf or two. So for my pot as I’ve noted above it’s usually 2 medium onions and then I eyeball the number of carrots and celery based on my onions. If you don’t have onions, substitute leeks or green onions, shallots or even a combo of all of them.
The Tools:
As I said above, I’m one that loves doing this on the stovetop. There’s just something about it for me. The other factor is that my slow cooker just isn’t big enough so for me it’s not worth it to do it in there. I also like that I have more control over the temperature on the stove but you can of course do this if you prefer and have on that’s big enough. The timing is mostly going to stay the same, it just might take longer to bring it to a boil (which again will totally depend on your slow cooker and its heat settings) which I would still suggest to be able to skim the impurities off at the beginning. As for the Instant Pot, that’s something I don’t own so can’t speak to - of course you can experiment if you have one and see how it works for you. If it’ll get you to make broth at home, go for it!
On top of your pot, you’ll want to have a good fine mesh strainer and something to transfer all that broth to. If you have large mixing bowls or another pot that’s great, I have a couple of these stock containers that I love and also use for proofing sourdough.
The Process:
Add the bones and aromatics to the pot, fill with cold water. Starting the bones in the cold water and bringing up to a boil will encourage the bones to release any impurities that you’ll see as a foam when the broth comes to a boil.
When the broth comes to a boil, use a slotted spoon to remove the foam that rises to the surface. Don’t worry if you don’t get every little bit, you’ll strain it later - the point is to get most of the grungy bits.
When the broth comes to a boil, turn it down to a slow simmer. That means you just want to see very gentle bubbles and no alot of them. This means the liquid will slowly extract the flavour and nutrients from the bones and keeps it beautifully clear where as if you boil it, the broth will become cloudy.
Broth is also a great way to see how flavours transform and come together. Taste your broth at the beginning and multiple times throughout the process and you’ll notice how the flavours start to come together. I always think of this kind of like tea. If you taste tea right after you put the teabag into hot water it will probably taste like hot water but as it steeps the flavour builds. This is the same thing just with more time.
Once your broth is done, take it off the heat and let it cool until your comfortable enough to strain it. I usually use tongs or a spider strainer to take out the larger bones then strain through a mesh strainer to remove all the smaller bits. Cool it completely and then pop it in the fridge and leave it until it’s cold. You’ll likely see a fat layer rise to the top once it’s cold. Skim this off with a large spoon and it’s ready to use. It’ll las for a week or so in the fridge and a few months in freezer.
A good broth should end up with a rich flavour of whatever ingredient you started with. You know you’ve hit it when the colour has changed and it’ll be a little gelatinous when it’s cooled (that’s a sign of the collagen extraction). It’s not a failure if you don’t end up with it looking jell-o like. Sometimes the type of bones won’t have as much collagen or they just didn’t release. Ingredients are always different so don’t worry about it too much - as long as you’re happy with the flavour, that’s what matters most.
To season or not to season:
I tend to not season mine with salt when I’m making it so I have control over that when I’m cooking with it in the future. You can absolutely season it while your cooking it and is another good space to practice your seasoning skills, you just want to think about what you’ll be using it for and making sure to adjust for that when you do cook with it.
Don’t have the time?
Okay, so what about when you just don’t have the time?
First, this it’s why it’s worth it to do it and have some in the freezer but maybe you’ve run out or I get it just haven’t done yet. That doesn’t mean you can’t still have a flavourful broth - two of my favourite ways to do that are using veggie scraps and stocking the pantry with a couple key ingredients to make Dashi.
Veggie broth - Toss those scraps in some water maybe with some extra onion and some peppercorns & a bay leaf, simmer for 30 minutes and you’ve got a broth. Scraps from peeling carrots, potatoes or squash skins, stems from any greens, you name it you can use it! I love doing tomato broth in the summer with all my heirloom tomato ends or those that are past their prime to eat. I used it to make the most delicious tomato risotto with burrata, it’s also great to have in the freezer in the winter for soups and sauces, and a great base for braises of all kinds! Again I’m always looking for ways to add flavour and this is one of those quick ways to do that - plus less waste when you’re getting all you can out of those scraps.
Dashi - Here’s a broth that’s quick to make and has so many uses. Usually the main ingredients are kombu, katsuoboshi and dried shiitake mushrooms. Kombu is seaweed - different than the one you find for sushi so these you’ll need to hit up an asian grocery store to stock your pantry. The katsuoboshi is smoked skipjack tuna that’s typically been aged and then dried and shaved into these paper thin pieces that you’re really just kind of steeping like tea with the seaweed and mushrooms. The time and effort has already gone into getting all this flavour into the tuna so you don’t need much time at all to create a delicious stock. I make this regularly and keep it in a quart container in the fridge so it’s easy access to add to whatever I’m inspired to make. Emiko Davies has a great recipe for Dashi and talks more about the beauty of it in her book, Gohan. A Dashi hack that I love are these Dashi packets which I’ll use in a pinch. They have all the ingredients in what looks like a little tea bag so all you have to do is add it to water and you’ve got a deliciously flavoured Dashi on the fly.
Please pop your broth questions below and let’s dive into it more!
Want more with me?
This publication is reader supported and it means the world if you choose to become a paid subscriber. You’ll also get access community threads, months round ups, more recipes and live hangouts, and more!
The Communal Table If you don’t know, this is my monthly cooking community where I lead classes, have guest teachers join us, there’s a cookbook club, foodie round tables where we nerd out about all things cooking and food, plus monthly giveaways of my favourite things, and so much more. If you’re looking for a space of rad people who love cooking as much as you do, come join us!
Ready to learn the pleasure and the principles of cooking well? Let’s THE CREATIVE KITCHEN This if for you if you want to learn some foundational cooking skills so you can find your own creativity and flow in the kitchen. Because that’s what it’s all about!