Why Most People Fail at Making Broth From Scratch (And How to Fix It)

You’re probably throwing away the best part of your groceries. Seriously. Every time you toss an onion skin, a carrot nub, or those weirdly shaped celery ends into the bin, you're losing money. Worse, you’re losing flavor. Making broth from scratch isn't just some pioneer-era hobby; it's basically the ultimate culinary "cheat code" for making home-cooked meals taste like they came out of a professional kitchen.

Most people think it’s hard. They imagine massive copper pots bubbling for forty-eight hours and a French chef screaming about "clarity." It isn't like that. It's actually incredibly lazy cooking. You're basically just boiling trash until it tastes like liquid gold. But if you want to get it right, there are a few scientific realities—and a lot of common myths—you need to navigate first.

The Big Lie About "Bone Broth"

Let's get one thing straight: "Bone broth" is mostly a marketing term. Historically, there was broth, and there was stock. Broth was made from meat. Stock was made from bones. What we call bone broth today is technically just a very long-simmered stock.

The goal when you make broth from scratch—specifically the kind that jiggles like Jell-O when it’s cold—is collagen extraction. When you simmer connective tissue and bones, the collagen breaks down into gelatin. This gives the liquid a "mouthfeel" that store-bought cartons can never replicate. Those shelf-stable boxes are usually just flavored water with yeast extract and a staggering amount of sodium. Real broth has body. It’s viscous. It coats your tongue.

Why your bones matter

If you're using chicken, go for the feet. I know, they look like dinosaur claws. They're terrifying. But they are packed with collagen. If you can’t handle the feet, use wings or backs. For beef, you want joints. Knuckles. Marrow bones provide flavor, but knuckles provide the structure. If you just throw in a rib bone and hope for the best, you’re going to end up with flavored water, not broth.

The Secret Ingredient You’re Skipping: Roasting

If your broth looks pale and tastes a bit like dishwater, you skipped the roasting phase. This is the Maillard reaction in action. It’s the chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its distinctive flavor.

Don't just dump raw bones into water.

• For Beef: Roast those bones at 400°F until they are dark brown. Not tan. Dark brown.
• The Tomato Paste Trick: Many chefs, like the legendary Auguste Escoffier, advocated for "pinçage." This is when you coat your bones or aromatics in tomato paste during the last 20 minutes of roasting. It adds an incredible depth of color and a hit of umami that makes the broth taste "beefier" than it actually is.
• For Chicken: You can skip the roast if you want a lighter "fond de volaille" (white stock), but if you want that deep, rotisserie-flavor, roast the carcass first.

Water Temperature and the "Cloudy" Disaster

Here is where most home cooks mess up. They start with hot water because they want to save time. Big mistake. Always start with cold water.

When you start with cold water, the soluble proteins dissolve slowly and rise to the surface as a gray, foamy "scum." You can skim this off with a spoon. If you start with hot water, those proteins coagulate instantly into tiny particles that remain suspended in the liquid. The result? A cloudy, murky broth that looks unappetizing.

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Also, never, ever let it boil.

A boil is violent. It’s a literal physical agitation that emulsifies the fats into the water. If you boil your stock, you get a greasy, cloudy mess. You want a "lazy bubble." One or two bubbles breaking the surface every few seconds is the sweet spot. As Samin Nosrat points out in Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, the movement of the water is what dictates the clarity and texture of the final product.

Aromatics: The "Trifecta" and Beyond

In French cooking, we talk about mirepoix: two parts onion, one part carrot, one part celery. It’s the foundation. But making broth from scratch is your chance to get weird.

Don't peel your onions.

The skins contain tannins and pigments that give the broth a gorgeous amber hue. Just wash the dirt off and throw them in whole. Leek tops are also amazing. They’re usually too tough to eat, but in a stockpot, they provide a subtle, earthy sweetness that regular onions can't match.

What to avoid in the pot

Some things just don't belong in a long simmer.

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1. Brassicas: Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and kale. They turn sulfurous and bitter after a few hours. Your kitchen will smell like a swamp.
2. Starchy Veggies: Potatoes and turnips. They make the broth cloudy and thick in a way that isn't pleasant.
3. Soft Herbs: Cilantro or basil. They turn to mush and lose their flavor instantly. Stick to "hard" herbs like thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns.

Time: How Long Is Too Long?

There is a point of diminishing returns.

For chicken, 6 to 8 hours is usually plenty. If you go for 24 hours, the bones actually start to disintegrate, and the broth can take on a "chalky" or "dusty" flavor. Beef can handle more time—12 to 24 hours—because the bones are denser.

If you're making vegetable broth, please stop after one hour. Vegetables give up their flavor quickly. If you simmer them for 12 hours, you're not getting "super broth"; you're getting a bitter, over-extracted liquid that tastes like compost. Kenji López-Alt of Serious Eats has done extensive testing on this, and the consensus is that a quick, high-intensity vegetable simmer beats a long soak every time.

Salt: The Great Debate

Should you salt your broth while it cooks? Honestly, no.

Broth is a base. You’re going to reduce it later to make sauces, or you're going to use it in a soup that might also have salty ingredients like soy sauce or parmesan rinds. If you salt the broth at the beginning and then boil it down, it will become an undrinkable salt bomb.

Always season the final dish, not the stockpot. The only exception is a tiny pinch to help draw out moisture from the vegetables, but even that is risky. Keep it neutral.

Equipment: Instant Pot vs. Stove Top

The pressure cooker has changed the game for making broth from scratch.

In a traditional pot, you're limited by the boiling point of water. In a pressure cooker, the increased pressure raises the boiling point, which means the collagen breaks down much faster. What takes 8 hours on the stove takes 90 minutes in an Instant Pot.

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The downside? You can't skim the scum.

However, because there is no agitation (the water isn't actually boiling inside the sealed chamber), the broth usually comes out surprisingly clear. It’s a trade-off that most modern cooks are happy to make. If you want the absolute "best" flavor, the stovetop wins for depth. If you want a Tuesday night soup, the pressure cooker is a godsend.

Storing and Degreasing

Once you’re done, you need to cool it fast. Bacteria love warm, nutrient-dense liquids. Don't just put a giant hot pot in the fridge; it’ll raise the internal temperature of your fridge and spoil your milk. Use an ice bath.

Once it's cold, the fat will rise to the top and solidify into a hard white disc. This is "tallow" (if beef) or "schmaltz" (if chicken).

Do not throw this away. This fat is infused with the flavor of the aromatics and the meat. Use the schmaltz to roast potatoes. Use the beef tallow to sear a steak. It’s liquid gold in its own right. Underneath that fat cap, your broth will be preserved and protected from the air. It’ll stay fresh in the fridge for about 5 days, or you can freeze it in silicone molds for months.

Actionable Steps for Your Next Batch

Ready to stop buying the boxed stuff? Here’s how you actually do this without losing your mind:

1. The Scrap Bag: Keep a gallon-sized freezer bag in your kitchen. Every time you chop an onion, save the ends and skins. Carrot peels? In the bag. Mushroom stems? In the bag. When the bag is full, it's broth day.
2. The Bone Collection: If you buy a rotisserie chicken, save the carcass. If you have steak nights, freeze the bones. You don't need to buy "special" bones every time.
3. The "Low and Slow" Rule: If you’re using a stovetop, find the lowest setting your burner has. If it’s still bubbling too hard, use a flame tamer or move the pot slightly off-center of the burner.
4. The Strain: Use a fine-mesh sieve. If you want that crystal-clear "consommé" look, line the sieve with a piece of cheesecloth or even a paper coffee filter. It takes forever to drip through, but the result is stunning.
5. The Concentration: If your broth tastes weak, don't add more stuff. Just simmer it longer after you've strained it. Reducing the volume concentrates the flavors. This is how you make a demi-glace.

Making broth from scratch is a bit of a lost art, but it’s one of the few things in life where the "old way" is objectively better than the modern convenience. It’s cheaper, it’s healthier, and it makes your house smell like a home. Start your scrap bag tonight. You won't regret it when you're eating the best risotto of your life three weeks from now.