Table of Contents
- The science behind bone broth
- What is Kettle & Fire?
- What products does Kettle & Fire offer?
- Ingredients that contain real food with lots of vegetables
- Nutrient profile
- How does Kettle & Fire Bone Broth taste?
- How much does Kettle & Fire Bone Broth cost?
- Is Kettle & Fire Bone Broth right for you?
- Bottom line
Bone broth has gained tremendous momentum over the past couple of years. It’s promoted in wellness circles as an elixir to gut health, better sleep, and healthy skin and nails. It’s a popular drink in the paleo community. It’s advocated amongst avid Whole30ers. The low carb to high protein ratio is quite appealing to the keto population.
To no surprise, bone broth brands are popping up everywhere to meet the progressive demand and growing popularity. In this review, I’ll talk about the ingredients, nutrition, and flavor profile of one of my personal favorite bone broths – Kettle & Fire. But first, let’s take a shallow dive into the science behind the claims.
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The science behind bone broth
Bone broth has been used for centuries. It’s also referred to as stock and is commonly used as a base for soups and stews. The paleo community really brought it to mainstream media with claims that it reduces inflammation, improves arthritis, and makes skin firmer and smoother.
According to Harvard Medical School, there’s some evidence that it might reduce inflammation, but there’s little validity behind the other claims. Nonetheless, it’s still a hot and trendy product in supermarkets today.
What is Kettle & Fire?
Kettle & Fire was founded in 2013 by two brothers, Nick and Justin. They embarked on a mission to combine the best ingredients, flavors, and nutrients into an environmentally friendly package. After a year-long journey, Kettle & Fire was born.
The brand now has over 1,500 positive reviews online and serves a variety of flavors and products (soup, keto soup, and broth) in eco-friendly, shelf-stable packaging.
What products does Kettle & Fire offer?
Kettle & Fire offer a variety of products including bone broth, soups and keto soups (how trendy). There’s no shortage of flavors at either:
- Beef bone broth
- Chicken bone broth
- Miso soup
- Butternut squash soup
- Tomato soup
- Chili with beans (how else would you eat chili…?)
- Mushroom chicken bone broth
- Lemongrass ginger pho beef bone broth (that’s a mouthful)
- Turmeric ginger chicken bone broth (my fav)
For brevity, let’s focus on their bone broth line, which they refer to as “liquid gold” because of the following:
- Made with bones from grass-fed beef or pasture-raised chickens
- Hormone and antibiotic-free
- Slow simmered for 20+ hours
- Contains no additives or preservatives
- A shelf life of two years
- Shipped in responsible packaging and 100 percent recyclable material
- Packaged in tetra packs to take up less room in your pantry
- Approved for Whole30, keto, and paleo diets
Organic, preservative-free and environmentally friendly? Can this be real? Let’s look past the marketing and take a peek at the ingredient label to find out.
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Ingredients that contain real food with lots of vegetables
To be honest, the ingredient label of Kettle & Fire products caught my eye as they use whole, real food ingredients with an impressive amount of vegetables. Let’s take a look at how Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth compares to Sam’s Club Beef Bone Broth.
| Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth | Sam’s Club Beef Bone Broth | |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients | Beef broth (water, beef bones, organic onions, organic carrots, organic celery, organic parsley, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, organic black pepper, organic bay leaves, organic thyme, organic rosemary | Organic Beef Stock, Contains less than 2% of sea salt, organic beef flavor, organic cane sugar, flavor, organic vegetables (organic carrot, organic celery, organic onion), organic beef fat, yeast extract, organic tomato paste, organic onion powder, organic garlic powder |
| Serving Size | 1 cup (240 mL) | 1 cup (240 mL) |
| Total Fat | 0 g | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | <5 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 330 mg | 700 mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0 g | 2 g |
| Total Protein | 10 g | 7 g |
The label looks great. The ingredients look great but what I really love about Kettle & Fire is that they don’t use yeast extract or other preservatives to add/enhance the flavor. Yeast extract, in particular, is a known headache trigger. Finding a broth rid of yeast extract was a challenge for headache sufferers before Kettle & Fire hit the shelves.
Beyond headaches, it’s simply a good product for those with food allergies/sensitivities and those who wish to eat organic and preservative-free. Overall, the ingredients make my dietitian heart happy. Whole, real food, quality ingredients in eco-friendly packaging. Yes, please. Sign me up!
Nutrient profile
The sodium content is significantly lower in the Kettle & Fire beef broth compared to its competitors. This is great for the folks who need to pay close attention to their sodium intake, like those with high blood pressure (and most Americans, for that matter). However, it’s important to note that their products aren’t considered “low sodium”. They’re just lower in sodium compared to other broth brands.
The protein content is a bit higher in Kettle & Fire, and the carbohydrate content is comparable. I can see why the keto population might enjoy their products as the labels are conducive of ketosis. Furthermore, there’s a smidge of calcium in Kettle & Fire (4% Daily Value) and none in Sam’s Club brand. Other vitamins and minerals like iron, vitamin A and vitamin C are non-existent in both brands.
How does Kettle & Fire Bone Broth taste?
I had the privilege of sampling three flavors from Kettle & Fire: beef bone broth, chipotle beef, and turmeric ginger chicken bone broth. Let’s start with the beef bone broth. I warmed it in the microwave for 40 seconds and sipped it like coffee (as recommended on the package). It was pungent, likely from the apple cider vinegar, but savory at the same time. I couldn’t drink the entire 8 oz because it was very rich and quite filling. This would be really good as a base for soup, like a beef and vegetable soup.
The chipotle beef bone broth was really lovely. The smell reminded me of beef jerky (lol) and the flavor was very smoky. It definitely has a kick to it so if you’re sensitive to spicy, I would choose something else. This would be great for taco soup, although it has the most sodium of the three (548 mg per 1 cup). I couldn’t find this option on the website so I’m not sure if this is a new flavor or if they’ve discontinued it.
The tumeric ginger chicken bone broth was my favorite of all. It had a subtle flavor of turmeric and ginger, which went down nicely. It wasn’t as savory as the beef bone broth and it certainly wasn’t as pungent. It was “lighter” than the other two, possibly because it’s chicken bone broth rather than beef. This would be great for ramen or anything with an Asian flair!
How much does Kettle & Fire Bone Broth cost?
The price of Kettle & Fire Bone Broth is 3x that of the Sam’s Club brand. It’s $7.99 for one box of Kettle & Fire. Each box contains 2 servings. That comes out to roughly $3.90 per serving.
The Sam’s Club brand is $2.48 per box, and each box contains 4 servings. That comes out to 0.62 cents per serving. That’s a huge price gap. Unfortunately, many people can’t justify the large price tag for Kettle & Fire bone broth.
Purchase Kettle & Fire Bone Broth on the company’s website or Amazon
Is Kettle & Fire Bone Broth right for you?
Pros
- Whole food ingredients
- No additives or preservatives
- Great flavor profile
- Much lower in sodium compared to other brands
- Eco-friendly packaging
Cons
- Higher price tag compared to competitors
Bottom line
If you can afford Kettle & Fire products, right on. They offer quality bone broth at a premium price. Their products are fabulous for headache/migraine sufferers and for those with food allergies/sensitivities due to the whole food, real ingredient list.
Overall, this is a great product. However, if it’s not in your budget, don’t fret. There are many other ways to be healthy outside of pricey bone broth.
Have you tried Kettle & Fire before? What did you think? Share your feedback in the comments below!
