This week Tandy asks me: "Is there a difference between stock and broth? Some recipes call for stock, but we find it impossible to find in Canadian general grocery stores. Is stock an American term for broth? Please help". Here is my answer: Generally in cooking terms, stock is an unseasoned flavour base made from bones and, or vegetables and water. If it is broth, it has been enhanced and seasoned. So basically if you make soup broth at home, before you add the salt and any other seasonings, you have a stock, once it is seasoned it is broth. What is commercially available almost exclusively contains salt (and sometimes a lot of other ingredients as well) most of it is called broth. It is all pretty neutrally flavoured so it's fine to use for stock. However you have to be careful when you are adding salt to your dish - reduce the amount of salt or eliminate it all together. It is not the best product if you have to reduce it as in a pan sauce because your sauce can end up overly salty and not have very much body or flavour. For best results look for low sodium products or, some grocery stores carry plain unseasoned stock in the freezer section. Of course you can always make your own stock. I save up chicken bones, necks and wing tips in my freezer and make stock every once and awhile, then store it in two cup portions in my freezer. It's not as time consuming as people think because you put everything in the pot and then it basically cooks itself at a low temperature while you are off doing other things. You can also use a slow cooker to make stock so you can make it while you are work. Here is a recipe for chicken stock if anyone wants to give it a try. Also, if you live in Vancouver there is a great place in the Granville Island Market called "Stock Market" that sells all kinds of homemade stocks. Thanks for the question Tnady. Disagree with my advice? Want to write in and try to stump me? Leave a comment and I’ll get back to you next Monday. Click here to sign up for Christine's Food for Friends e-newsletter!