Bone broth is all the rage these days. There are “sipping” bone broths, broths for soups, and all different kinds of broths being marketed in stores. But you don’t need to buy these boxed versions. You can make it yourself! And use it to make the rest of your cooking better too! Here’s how to use bone broth in your kitchen.
What is Bone Broth
Bone broth is broth that has been made from slow cooking the bones of an animal for 24-36 hours. The long cook time and use of collagen heavy bones allows a lot of the nutrients to be pulled into the broth, making it a super healthy (and delicious!) addition to the kitchen!
Why You Should Cook With It
In addition to being a great way to add anti-inflammatory properties to your diet, bone broth is DELICIOUS!! It adds so much flavor and depth to any dish, which saves you time and effort in seasoning. Any time a recipe calls for water (and you’re making something that would work with flavorwise…) you can sub in broth. It’s a double whammy of nutrients and flavor, and is so easy to make!
How to Make It
You can find more in-depth recipes for bone broth all over the internet, but I keep my recipe very simple. Take your bones (you can roast them or not – I do if I have enough time, but I don’t sweat it if I don’t get them roasted every time), and put them in a pot and cover them with water. You can use a crock pot or a stock pot. Add some salt, and up to four tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Then bring the pot to a boil, and simmer on low heat for 24-36 hours. Once you’re done simmering, let it cool slightly and then pour into jars for immediate use or into Souper Cubes for freezing and later use.
Simple Bone Broth
Ingredients
- Bones (any animal can be used! Beef soup bones are great, as well as chicken feet because of their collagen content. But truly anything can be used. If you cook something with bones, you can use them for broth!)
- Water
- Salt
- Apple Cider Vinegar
Directions
- *Optional* If you choose to roast your bones prior to making broth, preheat your oven to 400°. Once it’s up to temp, roast your bones for 20 – 30 minutes.
- Once your bones are roasted (or not, that’s totally ok!), put them in a stock pot or crock pot and cover them with water.
- Add salt (about a tablespoon)
- Add up to four tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
- Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 24-36 hours.
- Once the broth has simmered for 24-36 hours, let it cool slightly, then filter through cheesecloth or a sieve into mason jars for immediate use, or Souper Cubes for freezing.
Ways to Use Bone Broth in the Kitchen
Rice
Any time you make rice, add broth instead of water. The flavors will fuse into the rice!
Make soup with it
Save some money on buying broth, and use your bone broth for any soups or stews you’re making. The options are really endless with this one! Also, this is a great way to get my toddler to drink her bone broth 🙂
Some of my favorite soups to make are:
Turkey Sweet Potato Corn Chowder
Beef Stew
Ham and Bean Soup
Bison Chili
Make sauces / gravies
Using bone broth is a super great way to add flavor depth to your sauces and gravies!
Drink it
This one is very popular nowadays, but you can drink it on its own! I add some more salt to mine when drinking it plain, but it is so soothing on a cold day, or when I’m feeling under the weather.
Make roasts with it
When you’re throwing a roast in the crockpot,add bone broth to help the au jus become richer. It’ll be great on top of mashed potatoes, or buns if you’re making Italian Beef sandwiches! You can even use it to make Corned Beef on St. Patrick’s Day!
It’s All About Mindset
You can really truly use bone broth in almost anything! It’s just a matter of thinking about it, and making it an automatic substitution for water. And getting in the habit of making a batch of bone broth any time you cook with bones, instead of throwing them out right away. That way you always have some on hand!
Thanks for Stopping By!
I hope this gave you some ideas for how to cook with bone broth more often, and inspired you to make some bone broth! Let me know in the comments how you like to use bone broth, and tag me @sweetgumspot in any pictures on Instagram you post of your bone broth meals!