What's a Bouillon Cube?posted in Pantry, Soups, Salads, Sides and Sauces by Kathy MaisterSoon, we are going to begin making soups and stews! Along with sauces and gravy, these all have one thing in common: stock. Stock is basically water that has been flavored by meat, fish, vegetables, or poultry.
In the olden days, you always had to make your own stock, although I have never actually done that, and it’s unlikely you will. Many people say the best stock on the market is the Swanson brand name, which comes in liquid form. The only drawback is that it is heavy to carry home from the grocery store!
You can also buy ready-made stock or bouillon cubes. Technically, a bouillon cube is dehydrated stock formed into a small cube. Then when you want to use one, you just add boiling water.
There are a range of different flavors available. I find the most useful ones are chicken, vegetable, beef and fish. You can get others including lamb, shrimp, duck and tomato. Do experiment with the different brands of bouillon cubes available in your local stores. There is a real difference in taste and it is well worth finding one you like. Even before you start adding the stock to your cooking, you might find it handy to make yourself a cup of quick soup by just dissolving a stock cube in hot water. My cupboard is always stocked with a variety of these cubes! If you are new to startcooking, or are a regular visitor here, please consider subscribing for free. 13 commentsThe default brand where (/when) I grew up was Oxo. In my high school home ec class, a number of kids knew what "oxo cubes" were xxxxmdash; but had no idea of what boullion was. When we lived in Vancouver, we'd sometimes get frozen stock at Granville Island Market xxxxmdash; very tastey, much less salty, and fewer preservatives. xxxxnbsp;(Considerably more pricey, too.) When I'm really healthy and organized (i.e, not lately), I'll keep a container in the freezer for all the clippings and peelings from preparing vegetables. xxxxnbsp;Whenever the tub gets full, I'd put it in a stock pot with water and sometimes some fresh herbs, and then cook it down into a stock. xxxxnbsp;To store it, I'd freeze it into icecube trays and then transfer the icecubes into ziplock bags, so it was easy to measure the amount I'd need. xxxxnbsp; I realize that making vegetable stock from scratch is not a priority for beginner cooks xxxxmdash; but it also doesn't require fancy cooking skills or tools. xxxxnbsp;If you're on a tight budget, making your own stock helps get those last few nutrients in peelings into your body instead of into the compost bin and it saves a few pennies. Tony Please tell me that you are not actually advocating boullion cubes over canned stockqqqq It may be lighter to carry than stock, but come on.... Also there is a better product called a soup base (a few brands are Minor's and Knorr's) that work well. I would only use a boullion cube as an addition to a dish that already contained stock, or to a stock I'm making, to help round out the flavor. I don't even use boullion to flavor the water I boil rice in. Check the first ingredient, if it isn't the main flavor (i.e. chicken or beef, NOT salt) use it sparingly or not at all. Kathy Maister Hi Tony, Welcome to startcooking! You clearly know your way around the kitchen! Like you, I keep a variety of “stock options” in my cupboard. However, I stand by my opinion that bouillon cubes are a good first step, since startcooking.com is for the absolute beginner with zero experience in the kitchen. Everyone has to start somewhere and I do think this discussion on bouillon cubes is really important for someone who does not know how to cook. Discovering what you like and don’t like is all part of the fun of learning to cook. (BTW I have not owned a car in over 20 years. The “weight” of what I’m carrying home does make a difference to what I’m buying! I do have big heavy stuff delivered or take a cab. Over the years I have become a master at substitutions!) Tony Kathy, Thank you for your kind words, even though my rather rancorous reply to the original post probably did not deserve it. I admit that at one time I did have a couple of packets of boullion cubes mixed in with my spices. But I find them to taste like the packets that come in cheap ramen noodles (i.e. like salt). I realize that there are probably better boullion cubes out there than what I'm used to, but the soup base is still a much better option. Even when making a stock, or a stew, the addition of a little base does wonders for the flavor. The stuff is very concentrated and comes in pint (or less) containers. It should last you a while, and it's not very heavy to boot. In case you, or others, are not familiar with them... http://www.soupbase.com The problem I have with stock cubes is that my family are all wheat intolerant and, sadly most of the cubes contain wheat. We have a thing in the UK called "a touch of taste" which is a concentrated liquid in a bottle. I find its the next best thing to a proper home made stock. And home made ain't that hard.... Keep your good eye on menscookeryclub.com and I shall post up a method (if sensi allows). You should make a stock vereytime you have a roast with bones in. It will keep in the freezer too. Kathleen All I can find in the grocery stores is Oxo poder that dissolves in boiling water. It's not even close to the flavour that the oxo bouillon cube has.Is there a reason that Ican't find the cubes anymore? I sure miss them. Kathy Maister Kathleen, I’d check with your grocery store manager. Perhaps it’s just that one store that no longer carries it. (My local grocery store in Boston is at least 1/3 smaller than most suburban stores. Obviously the selection is more limited.) If all else fails, I’m sure you could order it on line. debby tate I want to buy lamb cubes/bouillon cubes can't seem to find anyone who sells them. I use to get them in Ireland and stocked up then but now I'm all out and desperately want more. Hi Debby, I’ve seen lamb bouillon cubes in Australian, NZ, and theUK but never here in the USA. (I'm not sure where you are from!) I checked with my friend Lydia at The Perfect Pantry and she agreed with me. She did suggest that "if there's a local restaurant that uses it, they will surely sell you some or let you order through them." God Luck! Ken Ahh, OXO cubes, wouldn't be without them. Because I visit the UK frequently I am able to replenish my stock each trip. Cold winter evenings, sit down and drink a steaming cup of OXO. That'll warm the cockles of your heart. I also always use them in my gravy making for speed and while I haven't seen the lamb flavour variety, can buy beef, chicken and Chinese flavours. Fish and Vegetable cubes are also available at my grocery store. My new favorite is called Better Than Boullion and it has TONS of flavors-but no lamb! KGWagner Kathy: BTW I have not owned a car in over 20 years. The “weight” of what I’m carrying home does
make a difference to what I’m buying! As for stock, I don't make too much of it - boullion cubes are really the way to go. But, there's a lot to be said for real stock. It's like the difference between garden-grown tomatoes and the pitiful hothouse variety they'd like you to buy at the grocery. Still, I limit it to chicken stock. It's just too easy. Simmer a pile of chicken parts - any parts will do - for about an hour. Remove anything useful, strain the balance, and simmer it as long as you'd like to reduce it as far as you'd like. The further you reduce it, the more intense it is, but there's a limit. Don't make syrup or dust out of it <grin> Post a Comment0 trackbacks |
|
Kathy Maister's Start Cooking
 |
                        |
 |
previous 
subscribe
mona
i am no chef, and i don't pretend to be, so when i see something requires a bouillon cube i know where to find it in the family pantry but i'm always thinking what the heck is thisqqqq!qqqq
thanks for the great post!!
hope you're doing well.
m