How Is Beef Consommé Different From Beef Broth Or Stock?

It seems as though every time you turn your back, there's another name for savory liquid you need to keep track of. You only barely have a grasp of the difference between beef broth and beef stock, and now you have to worry about something called consommé? Who does the world think you are, Louis XIV? Well, not to worry: Consommé may be similar to broth or stock, but it's used in a very different context. It's also made in such a unique way that you're not likely to mistake it for anything else.

Yes, beef consommé is a broth made out of beef stock, but it's worlds apart from the stuff you buy by the carton in the soup aisle of your supermarket. It's an ultra-refined broth, prepared in a way that removes every last impurity, leaving only an immaculately clear liquid you can practically use as a mirror. The key is to use whisked egg whites, which, if you do it right (this is a fussy dish, folks), will serve as a sort of filter that collects fat and other particles you don't want floating around in the final product. It can serve as the basis of a lovely soup, or it can be enjoyed in its own right as an appetizer or a light meal.

If you need a refresher: Stock is a liquid made by simmering solids (such as bones, meat, vegetables, and aromatics) in water until it takes on the flavor of whatever's floating in the pot. As such, it's quite flavorful and often used as the basis of a dish, whether that's a hopefully-not-boiled soup, a stew, a pasta, a chicken pot pie, or something else entirely. Broth is a reduced stock; it usually ends up being used for soup, stew, or something else where it can be the center of attention — like these 15 delicious winter soups.

What does this have to do with consommé? Well, the stock is used to make a broth, and that broth is used to make a consommé. And just as stock and broth can be made from beef, chicken, pork, vegetables, or tomato, so can consommé. It's a pain to make, but it's worth it — and it'll make you feel fancy, too.