Broth: cubes vs liquid
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One is dry and one is wet.
difference in the melting and blending into whatever you are using it for. Liquids blend in almost instantly. Cubes need to melt/dissolve.
another is storage of the packaging. Large bottle vs small box.
Preference of brands to taste.
I've never checked the costs of liquids vs cubes insofar as servings, but should probably be considered.
difference in the melting and blending into whatever you are using it for. Liquids blend in almost instantly. Cubes need to melt/dissolve.
another is storage of the packaging. Large bottle vs small box.
Preference of brands to taste.
I've never checked the costs of liquids vs cubes insofar as servings, but should probably be considered.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Cubes seem to be the saltiest alternative. If I'm not using my homemade stock, I use canned.
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
I like the Better than Bouillon paste. I think it tastes better than cubes and it's much less expensive and easier to carry and store than boxes, which are mostly water.
Was too late and too tired to fetch the paste when I remembered them. Yup, GG, a good choice, half way between the cubes/powder and liquid. Dissolves quickly, smaller than the boxes, but larger than the cubes and definitely heavier.
Nutrition wise - nope no different than the others.
I did find a Shrimp Paste (won't tell you how old it is) and I've never actually used it. Of all of them, it is the most nutritious. It also has only 9% sodium! which is a big difference! Carbs 1% (fibre 2%) and Protein 2 g!
Nutrition wise - nope no different than the others.
I did find a Shrimp Paste (won't tell you how old it is) and I've never actually used it. Of all of them, it is the most nutritious. It also has only 9% sodium! which is a big difference! Carbs 1% (fibre 2%) and Protein 2 g!
Another vote for Better Than Bouillon. I bought some vegan "chicken" broth powder, because a lot of people really liked it. I do too. I add a bit to the liquid when I make up some "stock" using BTB. It really kicks up the flavour. I also use homemade vegi stock as the liquid when I have some, which is most of the time.
The homemade vegi stock is dead simple. I save onion skins, carrot peels, the dry bits of veg like celery, parsley stems, wilted lettuce, etc. I cover with water and simmer for an hour or three, then strain. That's virtually free vegi stock, for next to no effort. That improves the flavour of stock made with BTB too. When I have the space in my freezer, I freeze pellets of vegi stock in a silicone muffin tray and store them in a plastic jar. I can take out as few or as many as I need for whatever purpose.
The homemade vegi stock is dead simple. I save onion skins, carrot peels, the dry bits of veg like celery, parsley stems, wilted lettuce, etc. I cover with water and simmer for an hour or three, then strain. That's virtually free vegi stock, for next to no effort. That improves the flavour of stock made with BTB too. When I have the space in my freezer, I freeze pellets of vegi stock in a silicone muffin tray and store them in a plastic jar. I can take out as few or as many as I need for whatever purpose.
Have a look at the ingredients on the various types of concentrates for making broth. Some have weirder ingredients. I just checked, Knorr cubes still have salt as the first ingredient, followed by MSG. That sounds like a sodium bomb to me. The rest of the ingredient list is also mostly things that most people don't have in their kitchen and wouldn't ordinarily consider to be food.
The ingredients vary a lot between brands and probably also between cubes, liquid, powders, and pastes.
The ingredients vary a lot between brands and probably also between cubes, liquid, powders, and pastes.
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jennyema
Chef Extraordinaire
Paste is so much better and more convenient that cubes or liquid.
Better than Boullion has been my go to for years. It comes in lots of flavors/sodium levels
Better than Boullion has been my go to for years. It comes in lots of flavors/sodium levels
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
I keep several jars of BTB in the fridge-chicken, beef and vegetable. I often add a teaspoonful to a soup or stew to give it a flavor boost.
Roll_Bones
Master Chef
I'm glad this subject has been brought up. I plan to make French onion soup when it cools off some. I don't make my own beef stock and when I have tried I found the beef bones to be in the same price range as chuck roast. I have never made French onion soup.
So being I keep BTB beef on hand I wanted to know if I could use that instead. I have never actually made some broth and tasted it and I guess that's what I should do.
What do you think? BTB? Make homemade? Box?
Use what you have on hand. You have the BTB so there you go, that's your answer.
Have you had French Onion Soup? If you know the taste flavour you're looking for, you've won the battle.
If you're looking for nutrition, as I've said, make your own, you would have to purchase those bones.
Have you had French Onion Soup? If you know the taste flavour you're looking for, you've won the battle.
If you're looking for nutrition, as I've said, make your own, you would have to purchase those bones.
blissful
Master Chef
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- Mar 25, 2008
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Another option: powdered
This one is powdered w/o salt. Salt is cheap, you can add it as you cook or when you serve.
Bouillon/Stock/Broth Powder (w/o salt)
Mushrooms 20 oz (dehydrated ground mushrooms shiitake)
Onion 19.4 ounces (dried onion powder)
Carrots 14.21 ounces (dried carrot powder)
Celery 7.05 ounces (dried celery powder)
Garlic 20 t or 6 T + 2 t (dehydrated garlic) (approx 2.5 ounces)
6 T of parsley, dehydrated and ground
3 T thyme dehydrated ground
5 t of black pepper ground
2 and 1/4 t bay leaf, dehydrated ground
End weight 64-70 ounces, or 3.9 lbs for 20 recipes.
Each recipe amount would be 3.5 ounces of vegetable/herb dehydrated matter/3 quarts of water.
I might have to make a batch of it this winter. I have all the ingredients dry except for carrots. I don't keep many dehydrated carrots on hand.
This one is powdered w/o salt. Salt is cheap, you can add it as you cook or when you serve.
Bouillon/Stock/Broth Powder (w/o salt)
Mushrooms 20 oz (dehydrated ground mushrooms shiitake)
Onion 19.4 ounces (dried onion powder)
Carrots 14.21 ounces (dried carrot powder)
Celery 7.05 ounces (dried celery powder)
Garlic 20 t or 6 T + 2 t (dehydrated garlic) (approx 2.5 ounces)
6 T of parsley, dehydrated and ground
3 T thyme dehydrated ground
5 t of black pepper ground
2 and 1/4 t bay leaf, dehydrated ground
End weight 64-70 ounces, or 3.9 lbs for 20 recipes.
Each recipe amount would be 3.5 ounces of vegetable/herb dehydrated matter/3 quarts of water.
I might have to make a batch of it this winter. I have all the ingredients dry except for carrots. I don't keep many dehydrated carrots on hand.
Kathleen
Cupcake
I am another BTB fan.
jennyema
Chef Extraordinaire
BTB onion flavor is very, very good. And super close to what you want your soup to taste like.
it’s my new go-to
I too, like Better Than Broth, found a mushroom flavoured one. Not used it yet.
blissful, have saved your recipe for powdered - Like the no salt part!
blissful, have saved your recipe for powdered - Like the no salt part!
Roll_Bones
Master Chef
I didn't know there was an "onion" flavor? I was thinking beef. After posting the original message I picked up two quarts of boxed beef stock. Swanson. I never buy their chicken stock as I use Kirkland boxed stock. But I never see beef in Costco.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Onion Flavor?! I'll have to look for that!
I think Better Than Bouillon got on the band wagon and have made just about every flavour and will still probably come up with more.
I've got Chicken, Beef, Vegetable, Mushroom. Have not seen the onion one but bet it's good! Only one I won't be rushing to get would be fish stock.
At the same time I still have Knorr and Bovril Beef, Chicken and Vegetable thick liquids. Find the are still much faster than the paste when you are rushing to throw things together.
I've got Chicken, Beef, Vegetable, Mushroom. Have not seen the onion one but bet it's good! Only one I won't be rushing to get would be fish stock.
At the same time I still have Knorr and Bovril Beef, Chicken and Vegetable thick liquids. Find the are still much faster than the paste when you are rushing to throw things together.
msmofet
Chef Extraordinaire
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Better Than Bouillon Ham base is excellent.
thymeless
Sous Chef
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- Aug 12, 2006
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I use the Low Sodium BTB as mentioned by many above for fast chicken and beef stock.
But I think you should consider dry forms as well, but not for stock itself. In the various asian cuisines, you'll often see chicken "essence" in a powder or fine pellet form used for seasoning.
On youtube, channels like Chef Wang Gang, Xiaoying Food and many others without english names, you see it quite often. Chinese Cooking Demystified uses it regularly. It might turn up in a marinade, as a final seasoning or other places.
I've used Knorr powder based bouillion early on, but find that it has too many other flavors for it be as well suited as the Chinese brands like Totole (the original, the pelletized one) or the Lee Kum Kee (a powder, my general preference). The Chinese ones are more just chickeny flavor than herbs and vegies as well.
Korean cuisine seems to use more beef powder, the Dasida brand is quite popular.
This usage I describe as using the best salt you can for the purpose. As we get older most of us will be recommended a low sodium diet for blood pressure or heart conditions. I got the recommendation early for dealing with Meniere's syndrome. So instead of just adding salt to taste, add the most flavorful sodium you can to get the most bang for the sodium buck as it were.
If I'm cooking something italian, I'll under salt with the intent of increasing the saltiness with some grated parm or romano. Pick up the desired cheese accent but still limit the overall sodium by using cheese instead of just salt.
Also useful is the Red Boat Fish Sauce salt. This is scraped off the walls of the fermentation tank after draining and drying. Tastes like fish sauce. Or Hondashi for Japanese.
Besides it's chinese uses, I can "salt" a soup or stew with some chicken or beef essence and so on.
Dry bullion isn't just about stock. It's a useful seasoning in it's own right. And while high in sodium, it's not just salt but flavor you can use along with the salt.
But I think you should consider dry forms as well, but not for stock itself. In the various asian cuisines, you'll often see chicken "essence" in a powder or fine pellet form used for seasoning.
On youtube, channels like Chef Wang Gang, Xiaoying Food and many others without english names, you see it quite often. Chinese Cooking Demystified uses it regularly. It might turn up in a marinade, as a final seasoning or other places.
I've used Knorr powder based bouillion early on, but find that it has too many other flavors for it be as well suited as the Chinese brands like Totole (the original, the pelletized one) or the Lee Kum Kee (a powder, my general preference). The Chinese ones are more just chickeny flavor than herbs and vegies as well.
Korean cuisine seems to use more beef powder, the Dasida brand is quite popular.
This usage I describe as using the best salt you can for the purpose. As we get older most of us will be recommended a low sodium diet for blood pressure or heart conditions. I got the recommendation early for dealing with Meniere's syndrome. So instead of just adding salt to taste, add the most flavorful sodium you can to get the most bang for the sodium buck as it were.
If I'm cooking something italian, I'll under salt with the intent of increasing the saltiness with some grated parm or romano. Pick up the desired cheese accent but still limit the overall sodium by using cheese instead of just salt.
Also useful is the Red Boat Fish Sauce salt. This is scraped off the walls of the fermentation tank after draining and drying. Tastes like fish sauce. Or Hondashi for Japanese.
Besides it's chinese uses, I can "salt" a soup or stew with some chicken or beef essence and so on.
Dry bullion isn't just about stock. It's a useful seasoning in it's own right. And while high in sodium, it's not just salt but flavor you can use along with the salt.
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