8 Bone Stock Recipes

Bone broth and bone stock recipes are the quiet heroes of the French kitchen, simple, nourishing, and endlessly useful. You may wonder about the difference between the two. Traditionally, broth is made primarily from bones, simmered for a long time to extract gelatin, collagen, and other healthy bits. On the other hand, stock is made from bones, aromatics, vegetables, and herbs, and is simmered for not nearly as long. Both are wonderfully nutrient-dense, and the longer they gently simmer, the more collagen and goodness they release from the marrow.

A well-made stock becomes the foundation of so many dishes: soups, braised meats and vegetables, pan sauces, gravies, and deglazing roasting pans, all made richer and more flavorful with a ladle of homemade stock. You can make chicken stock, beef stock, brown stock, veal stock, fish broth, or vegetable stock, whatever suits the dish you're creating.

And I'll admit it: when I discover my freezer is out of stock, I feel a little flutter of panic. I immediately set a pot on the stove or fill my slow cooker, because once you get used to cooking with homemade stock, it's hard to imagine your kitchen without it.

Start making your own, and you'll soon understand why it's such a beloved staple in French cooking.