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Slow cookers are a must in a busy household. Any one-pot dish you can “set it and forget it” is always a winner. However, if you want to take your recipes up a notch, you need to swap out the water with broth or stock.
There are many varieties of broths and stocks on the market. Their uses, it seems, are almost unlimited. Most people use broth or stocks interchangeably, but there is a difference. Stocks use meat bones, while broths do not. However, if a recipe calls for broth and you only have stock, it's totally fine to use it.
The common types of broth are chicken, beef, seafood, and vegetable. You should match the broth to the dish you are cooking. Most of the time, you can use chicken or vegetable broth for anything from beans, grains, and other vegetables.
Broths and stocks infuse extra flavor into ingredients. Since the main function of a slow cooker is to braise food, this gives ample time for the broth or stock to thoroughly infuse into whatever you are cooking. Stock and broth aren’t just limited to soups. Use it as a braising liquid for large cuts of meat too.
Stocks and broths are available in cartons, cans, and even in condensed cubes or powder. Unless you are getting low to no-sodium versions, broths have plenty of salt in them so you really don’t need to add much more when you are cooking. The next time you want to add a bit more pizazz to your slow cooker dish, pop open a carton of stock.
