Broth or Stock?

Yesterday, I found myself wondering if there is a difference between broth and stock.  I have always used them interchangeably, but I have noticed a difference in flavor.  Although that could have been, and still could be, the fact that I use a canned broth vs using a homemade stock, I started looking for an answer.  This is what I found.

Broth is made by boiling meat and/or vegetables in water.  There may or may not be spices, such as thyme involved.  Generally, no bones are involved.  However, if you are using chicken legs or thighs, they may be there, but if they are not broken, I would still consider it a broth because you are not getting the additional depth from the marrow in the bones.  Broth could also be made by adding water to the drippings left behind from roasting a chicken or turkey.  This is often how I make my noodles at the holidays - I rinse the roasting pan well with hot water and use the resulting broth to cook the noodles as well as make the gravy.  If you have salted or spiced your meat in any way, those spices will be in the broth and flavor any other preparations you make with that broth.

Stock is made by cooking Mirepoix and your choice of meat and bones that have been broken in water.  It is much richer because the breaking or cutting of the bones allows the flavor from the bones and marrow to add depth to the liquid.  No spices or salt are used in order to make a neutral base.  In addition, stock is often boiled into a concentrate so you can store it in smaller containers and adding salt could make it too concentrated.  If you would like to learn more about making and freezing your own homemade stock, you can go to http://tryandlike.blogspot.com/2011/06/homemade-stock.html