Chicken Bone Broth

Makes 1 gallon

Prep:   15 minutes Cook:   12 hours Total:   12 hours

• Carcass from a roasted 3- to 4-pound chicken
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped

• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 5 or 6 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 10 whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon salt

Combine all the ingredients in a large stockpot, add water to cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 12 to 24 hours without stirring. (You can also do this in a slow cooker: Set the cooker to high until the water comes to a boil, then turn the temperature down to low and simmer for 12 to 24 hours.)

Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl or clean pot. Discard the solids. Transfer the broth to multiple containers to speed up cooling—don’t freeze or refrigerate the broth while it’s hot! Allow the broth to sit in the fridge, uncovered, for several hours, until the fat rises to the top and hardens. Scrape off the fat with a spoon and discard it.

Refrigerate the broth in airtight containers for 3 to 4 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

TIP A properly prepared chicken broth might look a little jiggly when cold. That’s just the gelatin from the collagen in the bones. When ready to use the broth, gently heat it and it will return to a liquid state.

Beef Bone Broth

Makes 1 gallon

Prep:   15 minutes Cook:   12 hours Total:   12 hours

• 3 to 4 pounds beef bones

• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 5 or 6 sprigs fresh parsley

• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 10 whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon salt

Combine all the ingredients in a large stockpot, add water to cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 12 to 24 hours without stirring. (You can also do this in a slow cooker: Set the cooker to high until the water comes to a boil, then turn the temperature down to low and simmer for 12 to 24 hours.)

Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl or clean pot. Discard the solids. Transfer the broth to multiple containers to speed up cooling—don’t freeze or refrigerate the broth while it’s hot! Allow the broth to sit in the fridge, uncovered, for several hours, until the fat rises to the top and hardens. Scrape off the fat with a spoon and discard it.

Refrigerate the broth in airtight containers for 3 to 4 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

TIP A properly prepared beef broth will look solid but jiggly when cold—think “meat Jell-O.” That’s just the gelatin from the collagen in the bones. When ready to use the broth, gently heat it and it will return to a liquid state.