Beef Broth and Chicken Broth

[Afra]

I'm starting to wonder if these two broths (in the can, not the bouillon cubes) are ok for you? Sometimes I and my family use these for soups. Our favorite brand is the Swanson's broths. We mostly eat the broths by just heating them by themselves and then adding rice to them. Someone once told me that if you have a cold and drink lots of chicken broth, it will help the cold to heal and go away. I tried this several times and it has always worked for me. My boyfriend does this too. Could anyone enlighten me on this matter? Thanks so much in advance!

[Mezzaluna]

I agree that chicken broth helps with minor illnesses like colds and flu. I read somewhere that there may be some natural properties of chicken broth that help, but personally, for me, it's the warmth and the childhood memories of chicken broth that help. Swanson's is okay to use if you're in a hurry, but it's FULL of sodium, is VERY expensive, and isn't even close to as good as real, homemade chicken stock. Try it: you'll like it! You can freeze it in small containers, even ice cube trays; then pop the frozen broth/stock out, bag in plastic, and keep in the freezer.

[monpetitchoux]

I agree with Mezzaluna that homemade chicken stock is easy and better. There are a few ways to make it. But I like to start with boiling water and then put the chicken parts (backs, bones, skin, etc.) in and bring back to simmer until it's done. I salt very lightly. But I do often have a can of lower sodium swansons on hand for those times when I am in a pinch. Cook's Illustrated rated chicken broth a few issues back and gave swansons the best rating. They did say, however, that the one in the paper box is even better than the canned one because less processing is involved. You can freeze whatever you don't use. But because of the amount of salt in the broth, it won't freeze that well. So make sure you use it up relatively quickly. BTW, Afra, I use swansons to make a fast broth for noodles when I'm hungry and tired after working. I always thought that the salt and water in the chicken soup helped because we become so easily dehydrated when we have colds (runny eyes, noses and productive coughs). I don't believe that chicken soup can cure colds but it can sure make you feel better.