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One of the main reasons to learn how to make bone broth as a base for homemade soups and sauces is to supply hydrophilic colloids to the diet. This opens up the door to obtaining the numerous benefits of gelatin to health.
The hydrophilic nature of the gelatin in homemade meat broths has the unusual property of attracting digestive juices to itself. This is in the same manner as raw foods.
There is an extensive amount of research on gelatin benefits in the diet. Gelatin obviously aids digestion by rendering digestive juices more effective by attracting them to itself. It also has been found successful in treating digestive disorders such as IBS, colitis, and even Crohn’s disease.
Anemia and other blood disorders respond in healing fashion to gelatin in the diet. Interestingly, the first known reference to gelatin is from 204 AD. Chinese writings of that time describe gelatin as an agent to arrest bleeding or hemorrhage.
Benefits of Gelatin as a Home Remedy
Homemade stock is indispensable when a stomach flu makes its way around a household. It can slow and stop diarrhea when small amounts are consumed every few minutes.
In addition to stopping the runs, gelatin assists in neutralizing whatever intestinal poison is causing the problem. Unlike anti-diarrhea medicine from the pharmacy which only masks symptoms, gelatin goes to the root of the problem and facilitates healing.
Households where gelatinous broths, soups, and sauces are frequently consumed often get passed by when a stomach bug is making the rounds. Time spent in the kitchen preparing this age old remedy will be repaid many times over with fewer sleepless nights from ill children. No doubt fewer visits to the doctor and ER too.
How to Enjoy More Gelatin Benefits
A frequent question from folks new to Traditional Cooking who are enthusiastically seeking the benefits of gelatin to health, is “how do I get my stock to gel?” What does this mean? A successful batch of homemade bone broth turns into a jelly like substance in the refrigerator. This is due to the gelatin solidifying into a semi-solid state as it cools.
The #1 most common reason for stock that does not gel in the refrigerator is too much water was used to make the stock.
The amount of filtered water should just cover the bones. As the water boils off, feel free to add more water as the stock simmers for the required 4- 24 hours (or up to 72 hours if making beef stock), but only ever add enough additional water to cover the bones.
Stock can always be boiled down on the stove if too much water was inadvertently used. You can even boil it way down to a very concentrated, syrupy, reduction sauce, known as fumee, and then reconstitute with water when you are ready to use it.
Get More Gelatin in Your Stock
Is your stock is already gelling nicely but you want even more gelatin in the final product? Then be sure to ask your local poultry farmer for the heads and feet from your pastured chickens. They add loads of nutritious and healing gelatin to stock.
Another tip is to scald the feet in boiling water to remove the skin before placing them in the stockpot. This will allow even more gelatin to get into your stock.
One final tip is to always start with cold water. Let the bones sit in the water with the bit of vinegar for 30 minutes to an hour before turning on the heat. This allows the fibers of bones and cartilage to open slowly. When this occurs, the maximum amount of flavorful juices and gelatin are released.
Gelatin FAQ
The Reason You Need More Gelatin in Your Diet
Gelatin and Collagen Hydrolysate: What’s the Difference?
Hydrolyzed Collagen Benefits
5 Reasons Your Stock Won’t Gel
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Source: Gelatin in Nutrition and Medicine, Gotthoffer
Interesting note about gelatin and collagen production from my friend, Marilyn Diamond of Fit for Life: collagen production is stimulated by vitamin C ingestion. Gelatin just breaks down into amino acids and is gone. Upwards of 10,000 or more mgs of Vitamin C recommended for therapeutic results!…see http://www.orthomolecular.org
My last batch of chicken stock was the first that didn’t have too much water. I have to admit I squealed a little when I pulled it out of the fridge and it jiggled! I love cooking with that stock and knowing how good it is for my family’s health.
why would you remove the fat? I keep the fat.
I’m probably guilty of too much water. I guess I ask my chicken bones to do more than they can! I just want to get as much mileage out of them as possible. I’m still left with a very flavorful, dark, yummy chicken stock so I’m happy with that. I would like to get some chicken feet. I keep asking my rancher but so far he hasn’t kept the feet, not enough demand, I guess. I haven’t pestered him because the thought of the feet is a bit frightening to me still!
When I cook a whole chicken, I strain the broth that’s left and set it in the fridge, so I can skim off the fat. After it cools, the fat is in a gooey layer on top that I spoon off and the rest of the broth is like a chicken-flavored Jell-O. I put it in a freezer bag and freeze it until I need some. 🙂
hi Maria what do you do with the fat you strain from the stock.I use it for cooking or add it in chicken soup or veg, but i want to be sure I’m right,thanks,maggie
Thanks for the useful tips! We are new to bone broths. I’ve made 4 pots so fa, and I was wondering why they all turn out a bit different.
for beef stock my butcher bones a beef shank and especially gives me the ball joint and mine gets nice and gelatin-y.
Yes, even if there is too much water, all the gelatin is still there. It may gel a little in the fridge and become thick and goopy, but not solid at all.
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This may be a silly question, but even if there is too much water the gelatin should still be in there shouldn’t it? Are you just trying for a very concentrated amount of gelatin?
Hi Samantha, yes the gelatin is still in there just in very diluted form so just boil it down and you will have a nice broth that is high in gelatin rather than a watered down version.
Thanks for the tip on how to get the most gelatin out of your stock. I never knew that too much water is the reason. I thought it depended on the chicken so I will definitely try this method next time. I wish all households knew how nourishing homemade broth is. My mom always made chicken and rice soup when we were sick but over the years she switched to store bought broth because she didnt know the real reason it actually helped us.
Teresa, in addition to the amount of water, I think it DOES also depend on the chicken. Factory-farmed chickens won’t produce the same nutritious gelatinous stock as properly raised pastured chickens.
Beth, I made stock recently out of a pastured chicken and out of a factory chicken. The pastured chicken gelled up amazingly! Thick, hearty gel. The factory chicken hardly gelled at all. Those roasted chickens you get at the grocery store ready made section don’t make very good broth, either. It looks, what I call anemic…pale and tasteless.
Does anyone know why there would be a difference between the free range and factory chickens?
Free range chickens get a much wider variety of foods in their diets including a much higher protein content from insects. As the old saying goes, you are what you eat.
Conventional chickens (and all animal bones for that matter) also have loads of lead stored in their bones, which is extracted nicely when cooked for long periods of time. Stick with bones from organic/grass-fed animals.