Homemade stock is essentially liquid gold. Not only is it a budget-friendly way to use vegetable scraps and animal bones, but the resulting broth is also almost always better than the store-bought stuff. Making your own stock may seem like a tall order, but it doesn’t need to be difficult or time-consuming. From how long to simmer your stock to how to make broth in a slow cooker or Instant Pot, these are the basics of making your own bases.
Broth vs. Stock vs. Bone Broth
When browsing grocery store aisles, you’ll see boxes and cans of broths, stocks and bone broth. All three share basic principles: meat (and/or vegetables) and water, but the amount of each in a pot, other elements and cook time are what make them distinctive.
Broth is the thinnest of the three. It starts with meat (either on or off the bone) or vegetables as well as seasonings like aromatics (onion, carrots, celery), herbs, salt and pepper. Broth doesn’t need to simmer for a long time — less than two hours. It is best used in soups with numerous other elements or as a more flavorful swap for water when boiling vegetables, potatoes or grains.
Stock is the next step up and is made with animal bones (possibly with some meat left on them) and possibly some herbs or aromatics, but the real goal is to let the flavor of the meat shine. It’s simmered for a longer time, between two and six hours. Stock is also wonderful in soups and hearty stews, and is better suited for sauces and gravies than broth.
Bone broth is the thickest of the three and is made from just bones and water, simmered for a very long time, up to 48 hours. Bone broth is thicker and more gelatinous than stock and will congeal when refrigerated; when you make it, try adding a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, which create an even richer finished product. It’s great for sipping on its own (it has some major health benefits) and can be used in soups too.
