Serving a mouth-watering cup of consomme with some meatballs as the starter of dinner for your guests will make them thrilled with the eve. If you have seen the menu in an internet search, you will be wondering about consomme vs beef broth. Is it a synonym for beef broth? Let’s investigate the matter.
Beef consomme and beef broth are separate dishes with similar ingredients. Beef consomme is considered a lavish dish that you could see on the starter menus of an expensive restaurant. Often the dish will be garnished with vegetables, mushrooms, and herbs. Some use grounded meat, eggs, and even liquor in mixing. Mixing liquors like sherry, vodka, and truffles with consomme lies back to the 1960 s. The culture is called a bull shot, where people show mixed responses, both positive and negative. On the contrary, beef broth is rarely drunk as a raw dish and probably is added when preparing soups, stews, noodles recipes, pasta dishes, gravies, and cream sauces, for instance.
Consomme vs Beef Broth
When looking into a menu, sometimes you may have confused about a dish named beef consomme. Or else you may have puzzled in a grocery or a supermarket by the two cans that are labeled as beef consomme and beef broth.
If you cannot understand the difference after going through the ingredients, you may purchase the wrong product for your desire. Consomme vs beef broth can be classified by ingredients used, color, taste, the way of preparation, and usage. We will go through them separately now.
What is Consomme?
Did you know that consomme is derived from French, which denotes the meaning “concentrated”? The mostly seen consomme is a beef product. But there are also consomme recipes of chicken, fish, and vegetables currently. Beef consomme is made by simmering grounded lean beef, vegetables, and egg whites for hours. Never bring it to a boil. Lean beef and beef have significant differences. Lean beef is considered beef with less saturated fat.
Do not be amazed if you find eggshells in a consomme recipe. It is not a mistake; they do use eggshells too. The purpose of adding eggshells is to make more structure to the floating layer when simmering. Some add lemon juice to acidify the mixture. In the end, the raft formed is filtered through a cheesecloth.
The process could take 2 or more hours. Therefore, many do not intend to prepare this as a homemade dish. It is kept on low flame to avoid protein and fat breakdown. If protein or fat is broken into pieces, it will include particles in the liquid without floating on the surface.
Consomme has more rough consistency than beef broth. The color is also darker than that of beef broth. Beef broth presents a thicker texture than consomme as it presents more fat percentage.
Consomme has a sharp taste than beef broth as it is kept for hours on the stove. It can be served as a starter and often comes with some other appetizers. It can also be added to many stews, sauces, etc. Consommés’ flavor and texture cannot be replaced by beef broth or stock. Therefore, there is no substitute for the unique sharp flavor of consomme.
Consomme is a rich source of protein that has a low-fat concentration. As it is less in carbohydrates can be included in dietary plans too.
If you have excess consomme, you can refrigerate it or freeze it for further use. In the refrigerator, it will last for 2-3 days, and if frozen, you can extend the life span for nearly 6 months.
What is Beef Broth?
Beef broth is made up of beef bones with meat, vegetables, and herbs. Here it is necessary to mention specially that beef broth and beef stock are also two different types, whereas beef stock is made with beef bones without meat and beef broth uses bones with meat.
The preparation time is less in the beef broth when compared with the hourly preparations of consomme. The color is also comparably thinner with consomme. It can be referred to as a light brownish color.
The beef broth has a fine texture than consomme. Broths are used in many dishes, as we mentioned above. Beef broth can be replaced by beef stock. In other words, you can make beef broth by changing the concentration of beef stock. If you have run out of broth and need it for a recipe, you can use either concentrated stock or consomme.
Beef broth contains bones, and therefore it is higher in collagen. Collagens are responsible for amino acid concentration and increasing immunity against infections. They also slow down the natural aging process. Digestion is also promoted with these bulk of nutrients. The proper functioning of joints is another benefit. Broth also contains higher levels of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, etc. The broth is a rich source of vitamin A and vitamin K. It also actively participates in promoting a night of peaceful sleep.
The life span of broth is similar to that of consomme. You can use both the freezing and refrigerating method. Freezing will give you more effective results. It would help if you kept the container air-tighten when using these preservative methods.
Can You Make Consomme From Store-bought Stock?
You can use the beef broth you purchased when preparing the consomme. When choosing a product, use a consomme without MSG and food coloring or a product that has low quantities of these.
What are the Uses of Raft Removed When Simmering Consomme?
You need to dispose of it. If you try to give it to your pets, please take note that some animals cannot digest rafts and will vomit the stuff.
What is Cold Consomme?
There are dishes with cold consomme. It is prepared by allowing the hot consomme to cool down completely. The final outcome will be gelatinous here.
Summary
This article is a brief explanation of consomme vs beef broth. Generally, consomme consumes more time, but the process is not complex in both dishes.
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