# Broth and Stock the same thing? (soup) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 26, 2008, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broth-and-stock-the-same-thing-soup/469634 "2008-10-26T14:59:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broth-and-stock-the-same-thing-soup/469634/1 "2008-10-26T14:59:58Z")
Recently my GF was sick so I bought her some chicken broth. Last night there was a commercial for chicken stock and offhandedly she comments that is what I got her. I said no, I got her broth, not stock. She said they are the same thing. I didn’t think so but TBH I could not think of a difference. They seem very similar. So, is there a difference between the two? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broth-and-stock-the-same-thing-soup/469634/2 "2008-10-26T15:11:53Z")
Apparently, it’s the chicken parts you use to [make it](http://www.parshift.com/ovens/Secrets/secrets025.htm). Condensed version: > [@](#): > > Chicken broth is usually made with chicken meat and chicken parts, with a high flesh to bone ratio. Whole chicken or assorted parts can be used. > [@](#): > > Chicken stock is made mostly of chicken parts that have a very low flesh to bone ratio. Backs, necks and breast bones produce the best stock. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broth-and-stock-the-same-thing-soup/469634/3 "2008-10-26T15:14:14Z")
Generally, broth is considered soup. Stock is a reduction that is used to _make_ soup, and can be quite concentrated in its ultimate demi-glace form. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broth-and-stock-the-same-thing-soup/469634/4 "2008-10-26T15:15:06Z")
Stock is made with bones, broth is made with meat. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broth-and-stock-the-same-thing-soup/469634/5 "2008-10-26T15:23:18Z")
Thanks all…knew there’d be an answer here! ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broth-and-stock-the-same-thing-soup/469634/6 "2008-10-26T15:42:16Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Thanks all…knew there’d be an answer here! Dude, she’s sick, make sure to cut her a break. My experience with women is when you win you lose. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broth-and-stock-the-same-thing-soup/469634/7 "2008-10-26T16:13:59Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > Dude, she’s sick, make sure to cut her a break. My experience with women is when you win you lose. Gad…was just an offhand comment. Was in no way a “you do not know what you are talking about” thing particularly since I myself admitted I really did not know. It was about chicken soup fer chrissakes…hardly a cosmic debate. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broth-and-stock-the-same-thing-soup/469634/8 "2008-10-26T17:44:51Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Gad…was just an offhand comment. Was in no way a “you do not know what you are talking about” thing particularly since I myself admitted I really did not know. It was about chicken soup fer chrissakes…hardly a cosmic debate. Yeah, it wasn’t like it was about gravy or anything. Jeez. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broth-and-stock-the-same-thing-soup/469634/9 "2008-10-27T02:55:13Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Yeah, it wasn’t like it was about gravy or anything. Jeez. Or chili… d&r ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broth-and-stock-the-same-thing-soup/469634/10 "2008-10-27T03:18:15Z")
\ Off to Cafe Society. GQ \> CS \ ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broth-and-stock-the-same-thing-soup/469634/11 "2008-10-27T04:06:29Z")
I don’t see a lot of precision with the way the two terms are used casually. I personally use them interchangebly but, if I’m being technical, I will use the term “stock” for bone-based soup bases and “broth” for mostly meat-based bases.