Soup Base - Who Uses It?

[buckytom]

the only soup base that i've used was for tom yum, the brand of which i can't recall. since there's a number of fairly exotic stuff in it, i thought it easier just to use the paste rather than keep everything around.

with the addition of chicken, mushrooms, and scallions, it comes out pretty close to authentically made soup from local thai restaurants.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Breezy - another tip .... beef broth generally only goes on sale between Thanksgiving and Christmas (about 1/2 the price or less than during the rest of the year).

Last year Walmart had the boxed beef broth for $1. I bought a case (24 boxes). I had to rework my food budget ... but it has been worth it. They also has chicken broth for 2/$1 - got a case of them, too!

Thanks Michael - I'll keep that in mind. I only use chicken & veggie broths.

And Buckytom, I agree about the Tom Yum bases - they're wonderful & enable one to whip up a great batch of authentic-tasting soup in no time. I also add small dollops to Thai-type stirfries once in awhile.

 

[Bigjim68]

I usually don't use store bought broths, bases, or stocks as I prefer to start with unsalted ingredients, and they are hard to find. However, my store has begun carrying Kitchen Basics, which comes in unsalted. It seemed to be a reasonable alternative to home made.

 

[jennyema]

the only soup base that i've used was for tom yum, the brand of which i can't recall.

If you do ever recall it, can you post ? I've seen a number of them in my store and would like to buy one that you think is good.

 

[buckytom]

sure thing, jenny. i think i still have some in the pantry at home, so i'll look later and post it tomorrow-ish.

 

[shortchef]

The chicken base is particularly good. I use my own stock but use that to stretch it, since it is very salty. Nice for gravy, too.

 

[jennyema]

sure thing, jenny. i think i still have some in the pantry at home, so i'll look later and post it tomorrow-ish.

THANKS!!

 

[buckytom]

jenny, i looked in my cupboard and found the tom yum soup bases. unfortunately, there were two, and the one that i really liked had a label that was written in thai, no english or other languages. i must have gotten it an an asian market. the next time i'm there, i'll look for it and try to get it translated.
the other one was "thai kitchen" brand, which i've found to be ok but not as good as the first.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I usualy make my own stocks and broths. But I do use "Better Than Bullion" chicken, beef, and Vegetable flavors when I'm in a hurry. My favorite is the Chicken flavor. It almost tastes like I made it. I also use bullion cubes for things other than soup, though they are quite salty. So they have to be used carefully. Another great product that I use is "Washington's Deep Brown Sauce", which comes in a box of foil packs. It is a powder but adds a great flavor depth to beef soups and gravies.

I don't have acces to Minor's here. I'll have to search for it on-line. Thanks for the descriptions of this product. I'm intrigued.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Andy M.]

...I also use bullion cubes for things other than soup, though they are quite salty. So they have to be used carefully...

Goodweed, have you tried the Better Than Bouillion in place of the cubes? I use the chicken and beef base in place of cubes all the time as it's not as salty.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Goodweed, have you tried the Better Than Bouillion in place of the cubes? I use the chicken and beef base in place of cubes all the time as it's not as salty.

Why coitainly. Here's a tip from old G.W. to all of my friends; Add "Better Than Boullion" soup base, mixed with water, to your pie crusts when making meat pies (or add the flavoring directly to the flour before adding the fat and water). You can tailor the crust to the meat and reduce the salt content of the filling. It's a bit unconventional, but tastes great.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[gquealy]

Natural soup base

You may want to check out Cook's Delight soup base. There is a variety of natural, low sodium, organic, gluten free etc. Per serving cost is much less than canned and premade products. Just add water!

 

[ErikC]

The boxed no-name brand of soup broths (or stocks) works just fine for me. I usually go for the low-sodium kind, which means less or no MSG. Plus it's easier for me to control the flavor more easily.
The bouillon cubes just don't do it for me; I wish they would, because they are so much more convenient space-wise, but I think most or all of them contain some hidden gluten.

 

[gquealy]

Cook's Delight lists attributes on their website so you can pick and choose what you want or don't want in a product -- low sodium, gluten free, no msg, natural, etc. One pound of base makes 5 1/2 gallons of broth. Quite a bit more for your money.