Bone broth is a popular cooking ingredient for many families, used to make soups and broths. So, having a delicious bone broth is crucial for the success of the entire dish. To make a tasty bone broth, you need to know the following tips:
Soak the bones in cold water
When you bring the bones home, you need to soak them in cold water to remove any blood. Bones with blood will cause the broth to have an unpleasant smell during the cooking process. Especially if you are making chicken bone broth, you should remove the organs sticking to the chicken as they are the main cause of the unpleasant odor. Soak the bones for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours for the best result.
Blanch the bones correctly
The bones should be blanched in cold water. This means you put the bones in cold water and then bring the pot to a simmer to let the impurities come out slowly. Blanching the bones in boiling water will cause the bones and meat to shrink, preventing the removal of impurities from inside. Many people make the mistake of boiling the water first and then adding the bones. If you are blanching many bones, you can add some white wine for better result. For beef bones or frozen bones, white wine is necessary to make the broth more fragrant.
Don’t forget the leek and ginger
After blanching the bones, remember to rinse them again to remove any foam. Put the bones in cold water, bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat. During simmering the bones, don’t forget to grill some leeks and ginger to add to the pot. This will help the broth become clear, flavorful and aromatic.
Proper heat control for simmering the bones
Simmering the bones should be done with low heat. When the pot of bones is boiling, you reduce the heat to low to allow the bones to release their nutrients. Simmering the bones with high heat will cause the release of inorganic calcium, making the broth smell rancid and sour. Therefore, you should only simmer the bones on low heat. Boiling the bones vigorously is also the reason why the broth becomes cloudy.
Avoid covering the pot
Covering the pot is the cause of sour bones and cloudy broth. Therefore, when simmering the bones, you should either partially or completely uncover the pot. And that is also the reason why you should not use a pressure cooker to make bone broth.
Avoid adding seasonings
While simmering the bones, you should not add seasonings such as salt, bouillon powder, or MSG because they are not good for your health and can make the broth taste sour. Seasonings should only be added when you are preparing to cook the broth, and you should add them when the broth is almost done.
Handling cloudy bone broth
You can use egg whites to clarify the bone broth. Stir the egg whites into the simmering pot of bones, then turn on the heat. This is the simplest way to help the egg whites bind the impurities in the bone broth. Afterward, strain the broth, and it will become clear.
To make the bones tender quickly: Add green papaya or a little beer
You can also add a bit of beer to the bone broth to make it fragrant, eliminate any gamey smell, and make the meat tender faster.