Broth (Vegetable, Beef or Chicken)

I use a lot of broth when cooking. I like to add flavor as many ways as possible to my dishes, so broth is always my go to cooking liquid for most things instead of water. I keep boxes in the pantry at all times, but I don't like to waste food, and if I can get a little more out of my food dollar I am happy!!

I save meat trimmings, bones and skin, store in zipper bag, label bags and freeze. I also keep all my veggie "scraps" and freeze them as well. Carrot, onion and garlic peels, the trimmings from bell peppers, all go into a bag in the freezer and when I have enough I toss it all in a pot with water and make my own broth.

The main ingredients are simple...

Onion
Garlic
Celery
Carrot
Bell Pepper
Water

Add to this some meaty beef bones, or chicken and simmer for a couple of hours and you have it!

I save everything in the freezer. Veggie trimmings, chicken bones and skin, meaty bones for the pot of beef broth. Not much waste in our house. You can of course use a whole chicken, but I have enough "scrap" to make mine. I do buy beef - normally neck bones and stew meat for this because we don't normally get a lot of beef trimmings in our normal menu items.

Just chunk all the veggies up, no peeling required, no precision chopping. Just get it in the pot.

I have an herb garden outside my kitchen so I add them to most everything! Not a required ingredient at all, but a few bay leaves and some parsley just add a little something. I also add thyme to mine, just because I can. I also throw in a good amount of whole peppercorns.

Once all your ingredients are in the pot, cover completely with water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let it go for at least an hour. I usually let mine go for a couple of hours just because I get easily distracted by shiny things, but that is a whole different story!!!!

Strain the liquid from the solids and throw them away, they have done their job. All the flavor has been cooked out and the liquid you have left is a rich, golden color, full of flavor!

I always chill the completed beef and chicken broth, that makes it super easy to skim off any fat that has hardened, giving you a fat free, sodium free broth to add to your dishes. It makes me feel better knowing that I am in control of the salt in my diet. And no preservatives either!

I got these awesome containers and use them for EVERYTHING! I freeze the broth and pull it out to use as needed. Label everything, once frozen it's hard to tell veggie from chicken broth. I thaw a container and keep it in the fridge to add to dishes. You could also freeze some in ice cube trays for those times when you just need a splash of something. I hope you enjoy!

Watch more videos at Jeanna's Good Lookin' Cookin' on Youtube!

Also visit my Facebook page Jeanna's Good Lookin' Cookin' for quick tips and ideas!