Bone Broth: Nutrients, Preparation and Useful Facts

Bone broth is a traditional food that is created by long simmering of bones, cartilage and connective tissue with water, vegetables and spices. In many cuisines of the world it has been valued for centuries as a base for soups and sauces and appreciated as a warming, nourishing ingredient. In recent years, bone broth - often under the English name "bone broth" - has been experiencing a comeback as a homemade everyday drink. In this guide you will learn what bone broth is, which nutrients it provides, how you prepare it and what you should pay attention to with ingredients and quality.

What is bone broth?

Bone broth differs from a quick meat broth above all through the long cooking time. While a classic broth often steeps for only one to two hours, bone broth is gently simmered over many hours, sometimes up to a whole day. Through the long simmering, components from bones and connective tissue dissolve into the liquid. Frequently used are beef, veal or chicken bones, gladly with joints, cartilage and marrow bones.

The result is a flavour-intensive broth that after cooling often takes on a jelly-like consistency. This arises from the contained gelatine, which becomes firm on cooling and is a sign of a substantial broth.

The idea of using bones and less noble pieces of meat sparingly and completely is as old as the art of cooking itself. In many traditional cuisines, the long-cooked broth was a way to make a nourishing and warming dish from simple ingredients. From French bouillon through Asian stock soups to the classic chicken soup, the principle is found worldwide. The current trend towards bone broth merely takes up this old idea again in a modern form.

Which nutrients are in it?

The nutrient content of bone broth depends strongly on the ingredients used and the cooking time. Typically it contains:

• Collagen and gelatine: protein structures dissolved from bones, cartilage and connective tissue, which give the broth its jelly-like consistency.
• Amino acids: building blocks of the proteins, including glycine and proline, which occur abundantly in connective tissue.
• Minerals: depending on the ingredients, small amounts of substances such as calcium, magnesium or potassium.

Important to classify: the actual contents fluctuate considerably and are not standardised in homemade broth. Bone broth is therefore to be understood as a tasty, nourishing food and not as an exactly dosable nutrient source. Health-related statements about collagen or gelatine are not authorised as a health claim in the EU.

Around bone broth many promises circulate, for example about joints, skin or digestion. For such targeted effects, however, there is no reliable, generally recognised basis, and they may not be attributed to a food either. It makes sense to regard bone broth simply as a warm, protein-containing and soothing component of a varied diet. Its value lies in the taste, in the good use of food and in the fact that a warm broth simply does good on cool days.

Anyone who wants to pay targeted attention to protein intake should know that the amount of protein in a cup of broth can turn out to be manageable depending on the recipe. As a sole protein source, bone broth is therefore not intended, but as a complement to protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs, pulses and dairy products.

How to prepare bone broth

For a good bone broth you need high-quality bones, water, some acid as well as vegetables and spices. A proven basic recipe looks like this:

• Roast the bones in the oven if needed for more aroma.
• Cover the bones with cold water and add a dash of vinegar - the acid helps to dissolve components from the bones.
• Add soup vegetables such as onion, carrot and celery as well as bay leaf and peppercorns.
• Bring everything slowly to a simmer and then let it simmer at low temperature for many hours; skim off rising foam.
• At the end, strain, let cool and remove the solidified fat if needed.

It is best to add salt only at the end or only when serving, since the broth concentrates during the long simmering and otherwise quickly becomes too salty. Anyone who likes can round off the broth with fresh herbs and spices shortly before the end. You can recognise the amount of gelatine that forms by how firm the cooled broth becomes: a well-gelled broth indicates a high proportion of dissolved connective-tissue components.

The finished broth can be kept in portions in the fridge for a few days or frozen. It is drunk warm as a cup of broth or as a base for soups, stews and sauces.

It is practical to freeze the broth in ice-cube trays or small containers, so that you always have a portion to hand. The cooking time depends on the type of bone: chicken bones tend to need less long than sturdy beef bones. For a particularly clear result, it is worth letting the broth simmer only gently and skimming off the foam regularly. Anyone who has little time can use a pressure cooker, which noticeably shortens the necessary cooking time.

Ready-made products and powders

Besides the self-cooked variant, bone broth is also available as a ready-made product: as frozen or shelf-stable bottled broth as well as as a powder to stir in. These products are practical for everyday life, but differ in quality and composition. A look at the list of ingredients is worthwhile: high-quality products manage without unnecessary flavour enhancers, aromas and added sugar and state origin and ingredients transparently.

How bone broth can be built into everyday life

Bone broth is versatile and can be used in different ways. Most simply it is drunk lightly salted as a warm cup of broth, for example on cool days or as a light snack. Beyond that it forms a tasty base for soups, stews, risotto or sauces and can replace water when cooking grains or pulses, in order to bring more aroma into the dishes.

Anyone who would like to make the broth more interesting can refine it with fresh herbs, some ginger, lemongrass, miso or vegetable strips. In this way a filling, soothing meal arises from a simple base. Because bone broth freezes well, it is worth cooking larger amounts at once and keeping them in portions. Thus you have a flexible ingredient that upgrades many dishes and at the same time helps to use food completely.

What to pay attention to when buying and with ingredients?

Since bones can store substances from the environment, the quality of the starting ingredients plays an important role. Pay attention to the following points:

• Origin of the bones: meat and bones from trustworthy, ideally species-appropriate husbandry, gladly in organic quality.
• Pure ingredients: with ready-made products a short, clear list of ingredients without superfluous additives.
• Salt content: especially with ready-made broths pay attention to the sodium content.

When cooking it yourself, you can best control origin and ingredients, which makes the broth a transparent choice. A further advantage is sustainability: bones and carcasses that are otherwise often disposed of can thus be used sensibly. Many butchers give away soup bones cheaply, and the carcass of a roast chicken is also excellently suited as a base. In this way the self-cooked broth combines enjoyment, cost savings and a conscious approach to food.

Safety and notes

Bone broth is a traditional food and, within the framework of a normal diet, well tolerated by most people. Anyone who would like to keep an eye on the salt content can season it sparingly. With ready-made products, a look at the nutritional table helps to assess the sodium content.

A balanced, varied diet remains the foundation. If you have health complaints, have to follow a sodium- or protein-reduced diet or are unsure, speak with your doctor before you regularly take bone broth in larger amounts into your menu.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What is the difference between bone broth and normal broth?

The most important difference is the cooking time. Bone broth simmers many hours, sometimes up to a day, so that more collagen and gelatine dissolve from bones and connective tissue. That is why it often becomes jelly-like firm after cooling.

Which nutrients does bone broth provide?

It contains above all collagen and gelatine, the amino acids glycine and proline as well as, depending on the ingredients, small amounts of minerals. The contents, however, fluctuate strongly and are not standardised in homemade broth.

How long does bone broth have to cook?

Depending on the recipe and type of bone, it is usually simmered at low temperature for between several hours and a whole day. A long, gentle cooking time ensures a substantial, aromatic broth.

Can you buy bone broth instead of cooking it yourself?

Yes, it is available as frozen or shelf-stable bottled broth and as a powder. Pay attention to a short list of ingredients without unnecessary additives and to the salt content. Cooked yourself, the quality can best be controlled.

How is bone broth stored?

Cooled, it keeps for a few days in the fridge and can be frozen in portions. Thus you always have a base for soups and sauces or a warming cup of broth to hand.