What’s the Difference Between Broth, Stock and Bone Broth?

TriStar Centennial Center for Weight Management / / Blog, Food / March 1, 2018

In traditional foods circles you’ll hear a lot about broth, stock and bone broth – and they’re typically used interchangeably.  Bone broth, broth and stock are built on the same basic foundation: water, meat or bones (or both), vegetables and seasonings.

As it cooks, the liquid is typically skimmed (although this is not necessary since the foam that rises to the top of the stock pot – off-putting as it is – is rich in protein) and eventually the solids are removed by straining the stock with a fine-mesh sieve or reusable coffee filter.

• Broth is typically made with meat and can contain a small amount of bones (think of the bones in a fresh whole chicken).  Broth is typically simmered for a short period of time (45 minutes to 2 hours). It is very light in flavor, thin in texture and rich in protein.

• Stock is typically made with bones and can contain a small amount of meat (think of the meat that adheres to a beef neck bone).  Often the bones are roasted before simmering them as this simple technique greatly improves the flavor.  Beef stocks, for example, can present a faint acrid flavor if the bones aren’t first roasted.  Stock is typically simmered for a moderate amount of time (3 to 4 hours).  Stock is a good source of gelatin.

• Bone Broth is typically made with bones and can contain a small amount of meat adhering to the bones. As with stock, bones are typically roasted first to improve the flavor of the bone broth. Bone broths are typically simmered for a very long period of time (often for 8 hours, and sometimes in excess of 24 hours), with the purpose being not only to produce gelatin from collagen-rich joints but also to release a small amount of trace minerals from bones.  At the end of cooking, the bones should crumble when pressed lightly between your thumb and forefinger.

Any of these options when strained are acceptable for the clear liquid diet stage.