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Most people who love to cook are pretty committed to making their own stock or broth, and I've been making homemade stock as long as I can remember. Now mind you, I'm not one of those cooking snobs who turns their nose up at the mere mention of canned broth, but I do love being able to pull a container out of the freezer whenever I need vegetable, chicken, beef, turkey, ham, or fish stock. Still, even though I'm sold on the joys of homemade stock, I'm guessing some of you might wonder why making homemade stock is so great, so let's start with the five reasons you should be making your own stock.
First, just to make sure people aren't confused about it, I usually say *stock* and not *broth* but I'm using the words interchangeably in this post. Although cooking experts do talk about the differences between stock and broth, I think most people think of them as being the same. I have noticed that store-bought products are more likely to be called *broth* while homemade versions are most often called *stock* but even that isn't always true.
Reason #1 to Make Your Own Stock: Homemade Stock has Much Better Flavor
For me, the flavor of homemade stock is probably the main reason I'm so enthusiastic about making it, but if you haven't made stock yourself you probably can't imagine how much better homemade stock tastes compared to most any kind of commercial product. Flavor is the reason why so many cookbook authors start their books with a chapter about making stock. Nothing beats the flavor of homemade stock.
Reason #2 to Make Your Own Stock: Making Stock is Frugal
We're currently in an economic climate where just about everyone is watching their pennies more than usual, and making stock yourself is incredibly frugal compared to buying stock or broth in a can or carton. The stock-making habit starts with saving scraps of meat, bones, vegetables, and fish in separate containers in the freezer until you have enough to make a batch of stock, so you're making stock mostly with food that would have been thrown away. Many butchers also sell soup bones, chicken feet, and other meat scraps for very little money, and these are perfect for making stock. Even if you use fresh carrots, celery, and onions, or add a bit of flavor concentrate to your stock as I sometimes do, you can still make a huge batch of stock for very little money.
Reason #3 to Make Your Own Stock: Making Stock is Eco-Conscious
Besides being a good way to use things that would have been thrown away, when you make stock at home you don't have to buy products that come in cans, bottles, or cartons. Every time you make homemade stock, you're doing a small bit to help the environment. I've invested in a set of containers to freeze my homemade stock in, and I re-use them over and over again to keep my stock in the freezer.
Reason #4 to Make Your Own Stock: Homemade Stock Doesn't Have Chemicals or Additions You Don't Want In Your Food
When you make stock yourself, you control what goes into it. This is especially important for people trying to control sodium, because commercial stocks and broths often have far more sodium than most people want. Making stock is a great cooking habit for people with food allergies because when they use homemade stock, they'll know it won't have ingredients that might be harmful to them. Vegetarians can make vegetable stock to be sure it doesn't contain meat products. If you're a mother who's trying to cut down on processed foods, making stock is a great place to start.
Reason #5 to Make Your Own Stock: Making Stock Makes Your Kitchen Smell Great!
Certainly the reasons for making homemade stock listed above are more important, but for me the wonderful smell of stock bubbling away on the stove all day is an extra bonus in the process of making stock. Of course, the stock makes itself itself while you're doing other things, and for the entire day your house will be filled with a wonderful aroma, reminding you of the great flavor the homemade stock will add to every dish you use it in.
Tips to Get You Started if
