Cooking Without the Cube

Cooking from scratch is a rapidly becoming either a weekend sport or a long-lost art in most modern households, but to reclaim the health benefits lost with the advent of the bouillon cube, cooks are returning to their stockpots and learning the simple healthy ways of bone broth.

Broth has traditionally been known as a remedy for a variety of ailments, and while that point of view seems to have fallen to the wayside, creating broth or stock remains a basic cooking skill that is critical to any gourmet cooking. While the art of broth making may currently be thriving only in the realm of restaurant cuisine, it is neither difficult nor complicated. Anyone who can boil water can make a healthful, tasty broth.

A return to the home preparation of bone broth is long overdue; especially in the light of modern information that confirms bone broth can contribute to robust health. The components of bone broth are the components of bone itself: bone, marrow, cartilage, collagen, gelatin, and minerals. Each of these substances has benefits to human health. In her article, "Traditional Bone Broth in Modern Health and Disease", Allison Siebecker says, "Broth can be thought of as a protein supplement, and a calcium supplement." The process of cooking these components in a mildly acid solution breaks down the ingredients into the pot of water, so that they are easily available for digestion. Bone broth is an inexpensive and simple way to reap the health benefits of these nutrients and minerals at home. On the other hand, store-bought bouillon cubes, powders or pastes contain no healthy components at all - they are mostly salt and sugar.

Many of us have probably inadvertently made bone broth at one time or another - any time meat with a bone is cooked and the resulting liquid is gelatinous after cooling, a bone broth has been formed. To get the maximum amount of nutrients from the bone and associated components it is necessary to deliberately boil bones in water for a long period of time. A small amount of an acid substance such as vinegar added to the pot assures that the healthy components will be removed from the bone and become part of the liquid.

Broth Making: Simple and Easy

Ask a number of people how they make bone broth and one will probably hear an equal number of different answers. There are many methods that develop by personal preference, but the basics are the same for them all: water, heat, time and acid.

Many people prefer bones from a roasted carcass, such as a chicken after the meat has been used for a meal or bones browned in the oven before boiling. Raw bones can also be used, as well as whole carcasses or even just parts like necks or feet. Seafood can be used, including shellfish shells, dried shrimp or fish.

The basic recipe for broth is simply to place your bones or carcasses in a pot, add a splash of vinegar and just enough cold water to cover the bones, then cook for a prolonged period. Most sources instruct that the cooking time should be at least six hours, and some advise that it should not be more than 12 so as to avoid a bitter taste in your broth. Some recipes tell the cook to allow the broth to simmer till the bones are soft.

Any kind of vinegar may be used, and if no vinegar is available, lemon juice will work as well. The cooking may take place in a stockpot on the range top, in a crock-pot while you are at work or asleep, or even in the oven. After about an hour of cooking there may be a layer of foamy scum that rises to the top, if so, simply skim it off with a spoon and discard it. But broth is not fussy, if you don't make it home on time or forget to skim, the broth will still be fine.

Once simmering is complete, all that needs to be done is to strain out the bones and cool the liquid for storage. If a whole carcass with meat still on was used, you may separate the meat to use in recipes after straining out the liquid. Upon cooling, properly made bone broth will become thick and gelatinous. Any fat accumulated at the top of the broth may be skimmed off if desired, or kept for other cooking uses. The broth will keep several days in a refrigerator, or for months in a freezer.

How To Use Bone Broth

Use the broth anywhere you would have used a canned or dry broth preparation. Soup based on bone broth is unequaled, of course. The broth can also be served plain or seasoned as a soothing remedy to the flu or a sore throat. A spicy broth is helpful for a head cold. There are so many other uses that you will want to stock your freezer to enjoy your broth as an ingredient in other recipes.

Cooking grains or beans in broth lends them a rich flavor no powdered mix can compare to. Simmering vegetables in broth with compatible herbs and seasonings makes them much more savory. Whenever a sauce or gravy is desired, it can quickly be made with a roux of fat and flour to which the broth is added. Any time a recipe calls for broth, your homemade bone broth will improve upon the results.

Not only will you add a whole new aspect of flavor and richness to your cooking, you will have increased the nutrient level and digestibility of your meals, without alarming any of the more suspicious members of the family. No one will even think about the fact that they are enjoying a more healthful meal; they will be too busy complimenting you on your cooking to notice!

Resources:

Allison Siebecker, "Traditional Bone Broth in modern health and disease", Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Feb-Mar 2005

Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions, p.116-126