The Affordable Ingredient Martha Stewart Uses To Elevate Soups And Sauces

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Flavoring liquids like soups and sauces requires a patient culinary approach. You construct an aromatic base, simmer, and wait ... sporadically sampling to tailor the palate. Nevertheless, even as you toss in more salt and spice, the creation might still miss a flavorful pop.

Thankfully, the always resourceful Martha Stewart offers a wondrous way to elevate soups and sauces — all with a single ingredient available at an affordable price. She's an avid fan of bouillon cubes, with a special fondness for the Vegetable Knorr Cube. This ingredient delectably builds soups, but Stewart also dissolves it into roux-based sauces and even blended vegetable creations. And when simmering meatier fare — perhaps a beef stew with an affordable beef cut — she employs the well-priced Knorr Beef Bouillon Cubes, too. 

So what are Stewart's beloved Knorr Bouillon cubes? Well, think of them as balanced soup starters that also perform as seasoning packets. Full of herbs, salt, and spices like garlic and turmeric, they're a multidimensional flavor-enhancer, with the included monosodium glutamate being an especially critical ingredient. MSG adds a dose of savouriness that's simply unattainable with other pantry staples. Plus, this compound elevates other cornerstone flavors, yielding a dependably rich and complex sauce or stock.

In addition to Stewart's favorite Knorr brand, bouillon cubes come in a wide range of compositions. They condense the flavors of varying meats, as well as a wide range of vegetables and seasonings. Salt and MSG reliably appear on ingredient lists, but aren't a guaranteed addition. So to align the bouillon with the sauce or soup simmering on your stovetop, make sure to inspect the ingredient list first. The inclusion of MSG will lend an extra dimension, but use a light hand when employing a super savory meat-based bouillon, as it can overwhelm delicate sauces and soups.

To season with a bouillon cube, you'll want to dissolve the solid in boiling water, then gradually spoon in increments at a time. Some robust dishes — say a bean soup, meat stew or demi-glace — can handle the foodstuff mixed in directly amidst cooking. And you could also consider tossing a bouillon cube into pasta water, thereby both flavoring the noodles and yielding a flavor-dense starchy sauce base.

Bouillon cubes accentuate an expansive range of foodstuffs. The vegetable variant is a savvy way of incorporating savouriness to vegetarian and vegan cooking. You can mix some of the aromatic liquid into your Vichyssoise recipe, carrot soup, or vegetable-based curry for improved richness. Alternatively, spoon in the seasoning to enhance meat-based creations like a gravy, ragù, or even chili. So stock up on these cubes, and you won't fear a bland-tasting soup or sauce again.