Skip to main content
Main

Beef Broth

A clear broth made by simmering beef and vegetables.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 7 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓
Beef Broth

Why it works: Carrot and celery match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,173 recipes. Both carry myristicin, which smells spice, warm. The science ↓

Beef Broth

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cut the chuck beef, shins, or leg into small pieces.

  2. Place the meat in a pot and cover with water.

Make the broth

  1. Steam for 30 minutes, then fill the pot with more water.

  2. Bring to a boil, then skim off any impurities.

  3. Add chopped carrots, turnips, onions, and celery.

  4. Let it simmer until the meat is tender.

  5. Strain the broth.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together10,173 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  2. Carrot + turniptop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,002 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  3. Turnip + celerytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,418 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  4. Turnip + oniontop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together7,585 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  5. Carrot + oniontop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together21,601 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chuck beef
Provides meat and collagen that breaks down during simmering to give body to the broth.
Shins or leg of beef
Bones and connective tissue release gelatin, adding richness and body to the broth.
Carrots
Release natural sugars as they cook, adding gentle sweetness and aroma.
Onions
Contribute sweetness and aromatic compounds that deepen the broth's flavor.
Celery
Adds aromatic flavor compounds that build savory depth in the broth.
Turnips
Add mild sweetness and earthy flavor as they soften in the liquid.

The step that matters

Bring to a boil, then skim off any impurities. Impurities rise as foam and can make the broth cloudy and off-flavored. Skimming early keeps the broth clear and clean-tasting.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, carrot, turnip, celery):

  1. Parsnipfits better
  2. Leekfits better
  3. Beetrootfits about as well
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, carrot, turnip, celery. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

More beef broth recipes

Clear 36Soup 8Peptonized 4with Forcemeat Balls 3with Rice 3Carrots in 3 See all 501 →

You might also like

Roast BeefRoast Beef211 recipesBeef LoafBeef Loaf175 recipesCarrot SoupCarrot Soup134 recipesCream of Celery SoupCream of Celery Soup113 recipes