Do this right after boiling — the broth will become much tastier and healthier

The dietitian explained how to properly prepare broths so that they are nutritious, tasty, and provide maximum benefits to the body.

Soups and broths hold a special place in Russian cuisine, providing the body with essential vitamins and minerals, improving digestion, and supporting the immune system. Despite the simplicity of preparation, it is important to consider a number of nuances that allow dishes to be truly nutritious and healthy. Elena Zhelyanina, a nutritionist and expert on active longevity, will help us understand the subtleties.

Choosing the Right Ingredients

The foundation of any healthy soup or broth is quality products. For meat or bone broth, prefer meat on the bone with remnants of cartilage and tendons. They are rich in collagen, which supports joints and skin. For chicken broth, it is better to use homemade or chilled chicken, avoiding semi-finished products with additives.

If you are making fish broth, choose fish with bones — cod, sea bass, or salmon. Seafood such as shrimp and mollusks are also suitable, but add them closer to the end of cooking to preserve flavor and nutrients.

Vegetable broth is best prepared from seasonal and fresh vegetables. Pay attention to carrots, celery, onions, garlic, parsley, and root vegetables. They contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and also enhance the flavor and aroma of the dish.

Cooking Technique and Boiling Time

Broths require slow simmering over low heat. Meat or bone broth is optimally boiled for 3–4 hours, while vegetable broth takes 30–40 minutes.

When boiling, foam appears on the surface — it must be removed with a slotted spoon, as this makes the broth clear and soft in taste. The first water when boiling bone or meat broth can be drained and replaced with fresh water — this removes excess impurities while the nutrients from the bones remain.

Vegetables and roots for flavor should be added after the broth has boiled for an hour to an hour and a half; otherwise, they will release too much starch and acids, which can make the taste less mild. It is better to salt at the end of cooking to avoid drawing juice from the meat and vegetables and to preserve trace elements.

Additional Ways to Enhance Benefits

Adding spices such as turmeric, black pepper, and bay leaves enhances the antioxidant properties of the dish. If you want to increase the collagen content and make the broth more nutritious, use bones with joints and cartilage. For example, turkey neck, chicken drumstick, beef or pork bones with joints, or hocks are good choices. For fish, choose whole fish with bones, cod, salmon, or sea bass.

Dietitian's Tip: After boiling, the broth can be slightly cooled and the top layer of fat removed — this makes it easier to digest and softer in taste.

For a vegetable flavor, add carrots, onions, celery, parsley root, and garlic after the broth has boiled for an hour to an hour and a half.

Add spices and herbs 10–15 minutes before the end of cooking so that they release their aroma but do not lose their beneficial properties.