Bone Broth 101

March 4, 2019

Bone broth is the modern name for your grandmother's chicken soup. What was intuitively used as a no-waste base for meals and a cure-all for a sickie is actually backed by science.

Years ago, we consumed many more parts of an animal than we do nowadays -- people ate more liver (often against their will, but still) and were more likely to eat meat with skin, on the bone -- not to mention eons ago when we used every last bit of the animal that we could including the hide, heart, etc.. But today we almost exclusively eat muscle meat -- already trimmed and made "pretty" for us. There's nothing wrong with muscle meat per se, but it contains an amino acid called methionine that needs to be balanced by another amino acid, glycine. Eating many parts of an animal balances those two out naturally. But, by leaving out the skin, bones and connective tissue, we miss out on that beneficial glycine and our methionine levels can get too high (which can cause many health problems including Alzheimer's, cardiovascular disease, autoimmunity, etc.). This is where bone broth comes in.

Bone broth is made by boiling all of those otherwise unused parts of the animal -- just in some (filtered) water -- for several hours. It's the easiest thing to make and can be a fun project for kids. I make mine with the carcass of a roasted chicken and add some veggies (I don't even peel them), salt and peppercorns to give it more flavor, but you don't have to do that. Bonus points (and bonus glycine) if you add chicken feet! Plus then it looks like a witch's brew, which is fun. Here's my recipe.

Once made, it can be stored for months in your freezer, and defrosted as needed. You can use it as a base for soups, to cook rice in instead of water, to add to dishes for a little bit of umami, to deglaze a pan to get off those stuck-on bits (which will also improve the taste of your meal), or you can even just have a warm mug of it on a cold day. Believe me, once you start making and using it regularly, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. I make a big batch every couple of weeks and use it CONSTANTLY (maybe not daily, but almost).

Not only will you waste less, you'll improve your health (and your cooking) as well! Wanna try it but don't have the time or the desire to make your own? This brand is great and is made with high-quality ingredients. Willing to give it a shot? Let me know!