Clearly better taste?

I think the difference between a stock and a broth was covered in another thread - in my experience the only difference is salt. But others said that stock is made with bones, broth is made with meat. I don't subscribe to that point of view because IMO you can make both stock and/or broth with bones only, meat ony, or any combination of both.

But basically stock is a base for a sauce, a soup, a dish etc.... while broth is a dish in and of itself - hence the presence of salt.

As for cloudy vs taste - IMO many of the operations that make a stock very clear also make it less flavorful (i.e. blanching bones before starting). So with that in mind, a cloudier stock is usually more tasty - I'm not talking about making the stock cloudy because of poor technique such as not leaving the stock alone while it's brewing etc...

Having said that, there are sooo many exceptions and the usage of the words seem to be so interchangeable that I'm not sure of the value of such as "rule" anyway.

 

I don't subscribe to that point of view

French Fries, as a home cook, everything you say is dead-on. In practical terms, "stock" and "broth" are used as synonyms.

But now that you're a student, you do need to know the "rules" and technical differences. The differences between stocks and broths are not a matter of opinion or point of view. Your teachers will expect you to understand those differences.

Once you're done with school you can go back to ignoring them. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/lookaround.gif

 

I agree with you - however when Chef asked us what the difference between stock and broth is, I answered "salt", and she said "exactly: that's the only difference: salt". So I guess my point of view matches hers (on that topic at least)! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

Wait... so.. what are they? And who defines them? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/confused.gif

 

FrenchFries, the short answer is:

1. Broths are made with meat, stocks are made with bones only.
2. Broths are a finished product. That is, they can be eaten as is. Stocks are an intermediate step, used to make other products such as sauces and soups.

and something that's rarely discussed, maybe because it's self-evident:

3. Broths can be a by-product of another dish. Stocks are always made from scratch.

 

Thanks for replying KYHeirloomer.

I had left the previous long thread debating stocks vs broths with the impression that nobody really agreed - but your definition makes sense, especially considering #3. I suppose with any "rule" in the kitchen there are many exceptions, which is why I didn't really accept the meat/bones distinction: many chefs use very meaty bones such as shanks, or even meat, to make stock, and I found there is such a thing as a "bone broth" - probably a rarity, but the recipe is in the Larousse Gastronomique.

 

Well, as I said, FF, out in the world you do what you want (or, actually, what Chef wants). But in school you go with the facts as they exist.