Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I'm an inexperienced cook, and new to Paleohacks. Recently, I've been making bone broth almost every day. I use chicken feet, vegetable scraps, vinegar, spices, and sometimes other bones or meat. I cook for 6-12 hours, strain the broth, and discard the solids. (The neighborhood cats love me)

I've noticed that the bones (and some of the vegetables) that I'm throwing away are pretty much intact. I don't see any problem with putting the solids in the freezer overnight, and adding them to tomorrow's broth, along with some fresh ingredients.

But what if I do this repeatedly? Before long, I would wind up with bones meat and veggies that have been cooked all day, then frozen, many times, mixed in with relatively fresh ingredients. Is this ok, or should it be avoided?

Thanks!

flag	asked Dec 18 2011 at 13:58 Boney M 41●2

Beth-WeightMaven · Answer 1 · 2011-12-18 16:13:49Z UTC

Paul Jaminet talks about re-using bones here. It sounds like you can re-use until the bones are soft; that's the clue that they have given up their nutrition. I do agree with Kale; veggies are a one-time thing.

But one option you might want to consider is Nourished Kitchen's perpetual broth. Sounds like a great idea if you use a lot of broth!

Kale · Answer 2 · 2011-12-18 15:42:21Z UTC

When I make bone broth I add the vegetables 1 or 2 hours before the whole thing is done. I think boiling vegetables for hours and hours and hours is undesirable. They impart their flavor a lot more quickly then bones give up their nutrition.

I tend to simmer my bones for 24 hours with a little vinegar on low in a covered pot on the stove. The low simmer, covered pot, means that I can leave it alone without needing to check on it. I do add some water ever 4 to 6 hours.

I don't reuse the bones, but I bet you could without problems. I wouldn't reuse the veggies.

MayaBee · Answer 3 · 2011-12-18 21:50:52Z UTC

I just simmer my broth for 24hours to leach all the nutrients out of the bones - they will be really soft at this point (soft enough even to safely give to my great dane) - and this way you can just discard them and not worry about refreezing and thawing and all the potential problems that may cause. Would it not be simpler to do this and then have batches of frozen broth instead of random frozen bones/meats etc?

I do freeze bones from roasts etc sometimes until i have enough for a batch of broth but don't usually freeze simmered bones because like I said after 24hrs they have pretty much had it.

Namby Pamby · Answer 4 · 2011-12-18 17:29:58Z UTC

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My problem is that when I reboil them, these little bone pieces break off and I end up with tiny bone pieces that I have to contend with in my broth. Very annying. Also makes me wonder what would happen if I swallow them. I know you can sieve them after you're done but the process entails screening the good bits (the tendons, meat bits, veggies), too, and is too time consuming.

So I just throw away the bones unless they're marrow bones with some marrows or meat attached to them.

answered Dec 18 2011 at 17:29

Namby Pamby
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	You would probably be fine ingesting very soft bone - as long as you have cooked your broth for a good amount of time (I do 24hrs). I have seen cultures who eat all of the bones of a cooked animal - so for some people it is the norm. – MayaBee Dec 18 2011 at 21:52
	You would probably find if you didn't boil the bones, just kept them at a very low temperature for a long time, it would decrease little bits breaking off. I have found though that if you resuse the bones enough times, no matter what you are going to get a gritty texture, which I find unpleasant. – JeJ Dec 18 2011 at 23:44
	I used to reheat bones and expected them to crumble. Didn't happen. But I only boil them for about 5h. The pieces that break off are hard and sharp, not something you won't in your soup. – Namby Pamby Dec 19 2011 at 20:39

Evelyn aka CarbSane · Answer 5 · 2011-12-18 18:49:00Z UTC

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WOW! 6-12 hours DAILY?? How's your electric bill?

It's probably better to prepare broth in greater bulk and reheat as needed. If you're using as much as you seem to be, you won't have to worry about spoilage in the fridge, but I'm more of a fan of freezing broth. Always have a bunch on hand.

answered Dec 18 2011 at 18:49

Evelyn aka CarbSane
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From NourishedKitchen.com: "And, in case you’re worried about the cost of keeping your slow cooker on twenty-four hours a day, every day of the week, the estimated cost of running your slow cooker is about $0.01 to $0.03 per hour – for a total cost of $1.68 to $5.04 for the week." – January Feb 14 2012 at 6:53

I just started using my pressure cooker to make broth. 60 minutes created a great gel, and much better than stinking up the house for 12 hours. – CaveMan_Mike Jan 23 at 17:01

Bone broth: Question about reusing bones/ingredients

5 Answers