Do you really need to simmer bones for up to 24 hours to make broth?

[DunkandEggAgain]

Plus I'm getting confused between stock and broth.

I'm reading online recipes that depending on the website seem to use 'stock' and ''broth' interchangeably and I just want to know which is which.

So in a nutshell, I may buy organic grass fed carcuss: cheap, little goes a long way, nutritional. Reviews say it makes the best stock and the best broth. Some say they roast the bones and then cook the bones with veg for upto a day(!) Some say to simmer for a few hours with veg and strain. The former is described as stock/ broth and so is the latter, which is confusing me even after googling, same problem.

I thought stock is used for soup bases but
Isn't broth the better of the two and doesn't have extras in likea soup - its purely liquid?

Sorry for the inane questions. Cooking isn't a strong point but I am really trying to improve our diets with more wholesome and traditional foods.

To make bone broth, which is very high in collagen, you need to simmer them for at least 12 hours at a bare minimum, but to make a normal stock or broth simmering them for 3-4 hours is just fine. I always add herbs, onion, carrots, garlic cloves, and sometimes fennel, which adds delicious flavor. I use my Instant Pot to make my stocks/brotha and it takes about 1.5 hours using pressure cooking.

Normal stock/ broth is about 3 hours on the hob.

If you need it gelatinous, then a bone broth of 12-24 hours is needed.

Simmering for 24 hours might be great in an ideal world to get the best out of the bon es, but is not really worth it for the extra faff imo. In fact it could put you off doing it at all again!
2-3 hours is sufficient to make a lovely, nourishing base for a soup/stew/gravy.

Add an onion, garlic, carrot etc like Aquamarine says - don't bother cutting them finely just chuck them in there.

Sorry, I have to ask - why would I need it gelatinous?

Is the 1.5 hours in a pressure cooker the equivalent to 3 hours stove simmering? So 6 hours would be like 12 hours or so.

Oh hang on, no ignore that. I remember reading that gelatinous is very good for you. Sorry

Younger animals have more collagen in (i think).
When I make chicken stock i only simmer for a few hpurs, and it goes quite gelatinous.

Consider the energy costs of you are doing this to save money.
i would start small with a 3 hour stock, and see how that turns out before going all out with a 24 hour broth! Ease into it.

Im actually happy you said that squishy because I was very apprehensive about it. It could boil dry, I just know I'd forget to keep an eye in it.

My friend is a q famous chef and she is adamant that the long simmered bone broth is a life changing experience- but she is given to .... excessive enthusiasm

Personally unless she’s making it, I can’t be bothered- but then I am someone who has sacrificed actual proper cooking for pasta and pesto 4 nights a week, and “tapas tea” the other three (toddler in the house who just will not let me cook!).

Well i do have a stock pot...

Do you have a pressure cooker?

My DM makes this Italian thing where you put a big chunk of beef, potatoes and veg and a stock cube in the pressure cooker for a few hours then you have the boiled meat and veg as the main course and the broth as a starter.

Technically I think its a consome' (sp?) rather than a stock.

And water!! I think itd explode otherwise.

Gelatine makes it looks gross when it's cold (bleurgh) but sort of melt into a delicious liquid with the rest of the meat juices when heated.
It's sort of the "point" of cooking it for ages i think.O

itis also found in haribo

I am a new convert to beef bone broth. I roast marrow bones and meaty bones first, eat the good stuff, then bung them in the stock pot with chicken carcass/turkey bones for 36-48 hours. The finished product is jelly when cooled - that means you got all the collagen and gelatine out of the bones.

Also, if you have a utility room, make it in there. I have to wash all the soft furnishings in my house after batching bone broth. The smell is nice but not exactly clean smelling for visitors to your house.

Ok thank you. You've straightened out the stock/broth conundrum for me.

Leads me to have to further ask - marrow bones....does anyone know what to do with those please?

I'm eyeing up the chicken hearts, and the chicken gizzards. I've never eaten either before but I'm up for anything. The hearts looks weirdly cute

I make it in a slow cooker and cook for minimum 24 hours on high. I add onions, carrots, celery, a tin of tomatoes and apple cider vinegar. The vinegar is supposed to be good for breaking down the collagen. I fill it with water to the brim and top up with boiling water a couple of times.

Cross posted!

No pressure cooker unfortunately, only a medium stock pot.

missesbiggens - do you need to top the water up through the day? You're happy to leave it cooking overnight?
No utility room sadly. I'm in a small, three bed terraced house and i can only imagine the smell of continuous boiling of bones for two days! Plus side though is that I get a whopping healthy dose of fresh air if I open up the windows front and back if the house which will blow through any residual smells. The downside of course, is the temperature! We will have to wear our sleeping bags. All day. It'll be the only way.

Marrow bones - roast them for about half an hour, scoop out the marrow, spread it on toast and eat it. Then put the bones in broth pot. If you can't stomach the marrow (it's pretty gross looking but tastes divine), stick it in the broth as well. You can also add it to casseroles or blend it into soups. The marrow is supposed to be hugely nutritious and I make sure we all have it here, even if blended down for the kids.

I personally turn mine off overnight unless it's in the slow cooker in the utility room/garage. I won't have the hob on overnight. I just boil it up in the morning and set it away again until bed time. You're supposed to keep it going but it's not worth the risk to me and we've had no problems doing it my way.

How big is your slow cooker, sheismammy? How much vinegar?
I think my SC is 6.5liters and there are 6 of us, although two are small toddlers.

Sorry, i don't top up the water at all. I cover the bones and set it away with the lid on. It doesn't reduce down that much and you keep all the good stuff in the pan.

Same thing IMO. I’ve done home-made stocks for years, using bones plus veg/herbs and water. Correct ratios (not too much water to begin with) and slow simmering for 3-4 hours quite sufficient to get a delicious, and gelatinous stock.
Bone broth is just a new term, and cooking for 24 hours or longer likely to destroy nutrients and break down the bone structure, leading to a chalky taste. Not to mention an astronomical fuel bill and risk of forgetting and boiling dry!
If anyone can explain what the supposed health benefit of collagen and gelatine in a solution is, I would love to know - as opposed to just eating these in the form of meat...
Well made stock tastes wonderful, and gives a unique body to sauces, esp when reduced right down. It’s also frugal. It does not however have magical qualities.

About 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

Thank you misses, you're really helping.
No worries there. My daughter and husband love marrow. Honestly, they will happily suck it out of a bone if they see it (like when I've cooked mutton leg steaks or similar), I've even seen 8 year DD practically wrestle it from her dads hand, she really likes it. My son not so much.

Oh yes, I suppose if a slow cooker is used then hardly much water will escape.