Boo-yon!

I've mentioned it a zillion times already, so I figured it deserved it's own post.

One thing I always have in my kitchen is bouillon. I use it in all sorts of dishes to add quick, robust flavor.
Bouillon cubes are dehydrated, seasoned broth or stock in, surprise!, cube form. To use, you simply have to heat up water and allow the cube to dissolve. I could use actual broth or stock for my cooking purposes, but I typically choose bouillon for the following reasons:

• It is cheap. One box of 6 large cubes (equivalent to about 12 cups of stock), costs less than $2. If you purchase a box or can of stock/broth, you will pay at least $1 for only a cup or 2, and more if you buy something fancier.
• It lasts forever. Well, maybe not forever, but for a very long time.
  
• It takes up a small amount of space in the pantry. My pantry is already packed with cans, boxes, etc. This saves space.
• I can use as much or as little as I want. Sometimes I only use half a cube. Sometimes I use many cubes. When you have a large amount of stock, it requires more work to portion and store properly.
  

If you want to try making your own, here is a good link sent to me from a friend:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/homemade-bouillon-recipe.html

I haven't tried the recipe myself, but it looks good. If you try it, let me know how it works out.

Now, I do use broth or stock sometimes. Homemade stock can add some great flavors to your cooking. It can also be a great way to make use of the icky parts of meat you don't actually eat or the parts of veggies you typically cut off and throw away. On Thanksgiving day I made my own stock to then use for a gravy. I cooked turkey trimming, carrot stubs, potato butts, celery leaves, etc for several hours and then strained it.

Some tips from one of my FOODS text books on making stock:
The more surface of the meat that is exposed to the water, the more flavor that is extracted. This means cutting the meal into small cubes or grinding it. Cooking some bone and some fat with lean meat is thought to improve the flavor. Vegetables and seasonings should be added during the last hour of cooking to avoid the development of undesirable flavors resulting from the overcooking of some vegetables. When cooking is finished, the stock is poured through a colander to remove meat, bone, seasonings, etc. When the stock is cool the hard fat layer may be removed from the top.

The text also offers these definitions FYI:
Bouillon is prepared by seasoning a soup stock. Consomme is an enriched or double-strength bouillon that has been clarified.

So whether you use the cubes, commercially prepared stock, or something homemade, what can you do with it?

• As a soup or stew base
• As a liquid when cooking something in the crock pot
• To make rice or couscous
• To cook greens
• And more! See previously posted recipes (and future ones) for specific suggestions.

Basically, any time you use water to cook something savory, you could use broth, stock or bouillon to add seasoning.

The only caution in using it, is that it does contain a fair amount of sodium. There are low sodium versions available, but I have tried many of them and the taste is hit or miss. So if you are watching your sodium/salt intake, limit the amount you use, or make your own! You can easily make a homemade stock and leave out the salt, or use a minimal amount, and add it other herbs or seasonings as desired.

Do you use stock, broth or bouillon when you cook? Have you tried it as a result of reading this blog? Do you have any good recipes either for making homemade versions or for using it?