Soups, dishes in sauces, cooking water...
...the chicken, beef or vegetable bouillon cubes , it's really super practical to flavor our everyday recipes.
But it is better to avoid industrial stock cubes, Kub'Or, Maggie and company.
Of course, they are practical and easy to use, but when you look at the list of ingredients, it's scary!
Only products not recommended by doctors:hydrogenated fats, additives and flavor enhancers (E621, E627, E631, E330), acidifiers and glucose (sugar).
Above all, commercial cubes all have a very high salt content. The famous little red and yellow cube contains 62.8 g of salt per 100 g.
It is therefore enough that you use 2 small cubes in your dishes and preparations to reach 5.2 g of salt.
The World Health Organization (WHO) advises not to exceed 5 g of salt per day.
You see the problem..?! The daily threshold is quickly exploded.
However, eating too much salt is dangerous for people with hypertension, heart disease or diabetes.
Luckily, there are simple, healthy, and tasty homemade alternatives. In addition, you will gain in money and flavor!
With herbs, vegetables, fish or meat:you can adapt them according to your tastes and the seasons... and don't be afraid to try :-)
Here are 4 easy and natural recipes for bouillon cubes to make yourself :
- 1 red or green bell pepper
- 1 large onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 bouquet garni with herbs of your choice:bay leaf, chives, parsley, basil, tarragon, wild garlic leaves, lemon balm, coriander, dill, nettle, etc.
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of white vinegar
- 1 pinch of salt
Preparation: 10 mins - Cooking: 1h30 - For 10/12 cubes
1. Peel the garlic cloves and the onion.
2. Chop them into small pieces.
3. Wash the bouquet garni well and wrap it with a piece of string.
4. Cut the pepper in half and remove the stem, core and seeds.
5. Cut it into small pieces.
6. Boil a liter of water in a saucepan.
7. Pour it all the ingredients at the same time. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Lower the heat.
9. Cook covered and over low heat for 1h30 so that all the ingredients infuse well.
10. Then turn off the heat and leave to cool.
11. Gently pour the contents of the pan through a fine strainer over a jug. The goal is to separate the liquid from the residue of cooked ingredients.
12. Carefully pour the broth into an ice cube tray and freeze.
- 1 leek
- 2 large onions
- 2 carrots
- 3 stalks of celery
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 small bunch of parsley (or any other herb of your choice)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 pinch of pepper (and any other spice of your choice
- 1 pinch of salt
Preparation: 10 mins - Cooking: 1h - For about 10/12 cubes
1. Peel the garlic cloves and onions.
2. Chop them into small pieces.
3. Wash herbs and vegetables well.
4. Chop all the vegetables into small pieces.
5. Boil a liter of water in a saucepan.
6. Add all the ingredients at the same time. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Lower the heat.
8. Cook covered and over low heat for 1 hour so that all the ingredients infuse well.
9. Squeeze the vegetables from time to time using a potato masher to release the juice (or failing that with a large ladle).
10. Then turn off the heat and leave to cool.
11. Gently pour the contents of the pan through a fine strainer, over a jug. The goal is to separate the liquid from the residue of cooked ingredients.
Above all, don't throw anything away:use the vegetables for another recipe (soup, stew, mashed potatoes, etc.)
12. Carefully pour the broth into an ice cube tray and freeze.
- 1 chicken carcass (chicken or duck, or even for a meat broth, pieces of beef or lamb, your choice!)
- 1 leek
- 1 turnip
- 2 carrots
- 1 stalk of celery
- 2 large onions
- 1 small bouquet garni (parsley, chives, thyme, tarragon, bay leaf, etc.)
- 1 pinch of pepper
- 1 pinch of salt
Preparation: 10 mins - Cooking: 1h - For about 10/12 cubes
1. Peel the onions.
2. Chop them into small pieces.
3. Wash herbs and vegetables well.
4. Chop all the vegetables into small pieces.
5. Arrange the carcass and all the ingredients in a pot.
6. Cover with 1.5 liters of cold water, salt and pepper.
7. Cover and bring to a boil.
8. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour so that all the ingredients infuse well.
9. Gently pour the contents of the pan through a fine mesh strainer over a jug.
10. Once the broth has cooled, skim off the thin film of fat on the surface.
12. Carefully pour the broth into an ice cube tray and freeze.
- 1.5 kg of leftover fish and/or shellfish (heads, bones, tails, shells)
- 1 large onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 shallots
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 bouquet garni with herbs of your choice (bay leaf, chives, parsley, tarragon, wild garlic leaves, dill...)
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 20 cl of white wine
- 1 pinch of pepper (and any other spice of your choice)
- 1 pinch of salt
Preparation: 10 mins - Cooking: 35 min - For about 10/12 cubes
1. Peel the garlic cloves, shallots and onion.
2. Chop them into small pieces.
3. Sweat them with the butter in a frying pan.
4. Wash and chop the carrots into small pieces.
5. Rinse the remains of fish and shellfish well and drain everything.
6. Put these leftovers from the sea in a large pot and cover with 2.5 liters of cold water. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Slowly bring everything to a boil.
8. Cook over moderate heat and uncovered for 5 min.
9. Then add the white wine, the bouquet garni and all the minced vegetables.
10. Put the fire as low as possible and simmer for 30 min.
11. Remove the residue rising to the surface with a slotted spoon as it cooks.
12. Gently pour the contents of the pot through a fine mesh strainer over a jug.
12. Carefully pour the broth into an ice cube tray and freeze.
There you go, you now know how to cook your own stock cubes :-)
Easy, fast and natural, right?
It's still more healthy and economical than using Knorr broths full of questionable ingredients...
You can easily replace them while saving money!
What's great is that you can also cook your homemade bouillon cubes in advance.
It makes your life easier, while eating healthier.
Remember to date and label the bouillon cubes before freezing them.
In the freezer, they can be kept for 3 months.
