What is it...stock or bone broth??

Several weeks, heck, months ago, I was talking with a guest who asked about bones for bone broth. Unbeknownst to me a local chef was in the shop and overheard my answer, which was simply, yes, we have great bones for bone broth, veal, chicken, pork, whichever you would like. I then added, OR you can save the time and effort and buy our bone broth. It was at that point that I heard the audible scoff and seemingly non-appointed, "you, make bone broth"??? Again, not having yet met chef, I turned and answered well of course we do. That is when the question came, what is the difference between stock and bone broth… still not knowing whom I was talking to, I started down the path of acknowledging the vast similarities, and before I could finish, actually even really start, I was truncated by the statement, “I’m a chef, I know the difference.” Quickly followed by an admonishment of “Chefs make stock, not bone broth, housewives make bone broth!” I chuckled and let it go, well, kind of. I may have said, well, since they're different, we make both. Pretty sure they don’t read my newsletter, but if by chance they do, pardon my long awaited dissertation of Stock vs. Bone Broth. As I mentioned above, stock and bone broth have more similarities than differences. Both obviously are made from cooking bones for long periods of time. Both require the addition of fresh vegetables, herbs, and alliums to enhance and deepen the flavor profile. Both are hyper-focused on the extraction of flavor and collagen from the bones to make a viscous, gelatinous, liquid. Both are loaded with healthy, immunity boosting calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus, Vitamin A, K2, and minerals like zinc, iron, boron, manganese, and selenium. Both generally are made by roasting the bones first, although in some cases, stock is made from raw bones which are called white stocks. White stocks are commonly used for those more delicate preparations and sauces, where in which the bones are not roasted, so as to not add a deeper flavor or any color to the stock. We roast all our bones for stocks, except pig trotters. As both stock and bone broth are generally graded and measured for quality by the cooled, Jell-O like consistency they have, both usually calls for a small amount of acid to help break down the animal proteins and connective tissues. This aided breakdown helps provide a liquid higher in protein and collagen. The added acid in stock is most often, tomato paste, which adds to the umami factor of the stock as well as the color and viscous body, while bone broths usually call for cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. As we move through and come toward the end of the similarities, we can start to pile up the differences. Stocks usually call for wine, red for veal, and white for chicken. I cook stocks much longer than bone broth as there is a point where the amber colors of bone broth become clouded by the longer cooking process of stock. Bone broths are meant for sipping, enjoyed in their basic and finished form, where stock is almost always the base to something else, a sauce, soup, stew, gravy… Bone broth can certainly do the same, think Ramen. Suffice it to say there are differences between stock and bone broth, while one may also argue they are exactly the same, only different. With all this cold weather and concerns of flu, colds etc. We will be stocking bone broths for your immunity boosting and simple sipping pleasure over the next few months. To my Chicken I'll be adding a kick of Gochujang for a little spicy, gut health, kimchi fermentation punch and in addition to that an anti-inflammatory, Ginger and Turmeric Veal Bone Broth.