Salt, sugar, partially hydrogenated palm oil, monosodium glutamate (MSG), cornstarch, and less than 2% of onion powder, chicken fat and meat, garlic powder, turmeric (color), disodium inosinate, spices, TBHQ (preservative). MADE ON EQUIPMENT THAT ALSO PROCESSES WHEAT, MILK, EGGS, SOY, SHRIMP, AND FISH.
Does that make you hungry? No? It practically gives me an anaphylactic reaction to think about eating all that junk, and I don't even have any food allergies! Not exactly the feeling I want to have when I'm preparing food for my children.
Yet it can't be denied that bouillon is one of the cheapest, most versatile seasonings that you can have on hand. If I was living on a diet of beans and rice, I wouldn't care how much sodium or MSG was in that bouillon cube; I would be thankful for its punch of flavor.
There are other alternatives to the humble bouillon cube, of course. You could store cans of chicken broth. The problem with that is cans of broth take up much more room and are more expensive per unit. You could also buy some of the premium chicken bouillons that are out there. I have had people tell me good things about Shirley J's Chicken Bouillon. It does have only about 1/2 the sodium of standard bouillons, but it also contains hydrolyzed soy protein which is a source of MSG. What to do?
I went ahead and stocked up on cheap bouillon cubes during my Food Storage Blitz Month, but I haven't felt good about that decision. Then a friend shared this YouTube video with me. It seems there is a quick and easy alternative to canned bouillons and broths that is very food storage friendly!
Here's the recipe shared in the video:
Veggie Chicken Broth Mix
1-1/2 c. nutritional yeast
3 T. onion powder
2-1/2 t. garlic powder
1 T. salt
1 t. celery seed
2-1/2 T. Italian Seasoning
2 T. dry parsley
Mix in ingredients in blender and then store broth mix in an air-tight container. Add 1 T. of mix per cup of water and use as chicken or veggie broth in recipes.
So what is nutritional yeast anyway?
Nutritional yeast is the same kind kind of yeast that you use to make bread, but it has been subjected to a process that renders it inert. It adds a lot of nutrition and flavor to food. You might be able to find nutritional yeast in your local health food store, but if you are like me and live in a place where you can't dependably buy high-class food like boneless, skinless chicken breasts, you can order it on Amazon.com here.
The rest of the ingredients are items I always have in my pantry.
Nutritional yeast has a shelf life of about 2 years if you store it in an air-tight container in a cool location - approximately the same shelf life as a bouillon cube!
And how does it taste?
My friend reports that it is delicious! She used broth made from this mix in French onion soup and her family raved about it. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm going to order some nutritional yeast, whip up a batch of broth mix, and report back.
What place does broth/bouillon have in your food storage? Are you bothered by food additives or could you not care less?
And how does it taste?
My friend reports that it is delicious! She used broth made from this mix in French onion soup and her family raved about it. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm going to order some nutritional yeast, whip up a batch of broth mix, and report back.
What place does broth/bouillon have in your food storage? Are you bothered by food additives or could you not care less?
Posts
I've recently been diagnosed with bad milk allergy at 50. Now going through a big rethink of my food habits!
ReplyDeleteWhen I make chicken stock, I throw in all the fat and skins while it simmers, then skim and strain the fat and store it in the fridge in a couple of canning jars. I use a tablespoon of it in place of oil or butter when preparing rice, along with salt, a bay leaf, a couple of whole garlic cloves and 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder. Discard the bay leaf and garlic cloves when the rice is done (or mash the cloves and add to whatever sauce you're serving with the rice). This combination gives the rice a great flavor, much better than bullion and in my opinion better than chicken stock. For yellow rice, throw in a 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric.
ReplyDeleteThe only way to avoid MSG that has been disguised is to cook from scratch at home. It is in just about everything. Even the "healthy" and, low fat and diet foods. The food companies use the term natural VERY loosely.
ReplyDeleteThat recipe is quite good. I used Poultry Seasoning instead of Italian Seasoning, seemed more the flavor I wanted. Doesn't have to be blended either, stirred well is fine. The flavor is good, I'm vegetarian (25 years) so I can't say whether it's "chicken" or not, but it's excellent soup base. Thank you for the recipe :)
ReplyDeleteI agree, I did it he same way, poultry season and just stirred it and it was really yummy. We used it in potato soup today and it was excellent soup!
DeleteIn order to use less than a cube, I buy the flakes or chunks of b oullion. I know that is not an answer that avoids commercial boullion. For any beef dish, try Summer Savory or Winter Savory seasonings. Your recipe does not need a blender to blend it all. I would keep it in an airtight jar and shake before measuring. The reason I would shake is because some of the heavier flakes will go to the bottom over time and it won't be mixed properly to get full benefit of all the good things you put in it.
ReplyDeleteI worry about the soy isolates, all soy. But, I use boullion seldom and only a tiny bit.
All these ingredients necessary for making chicken broth are strange to those of us in Nigeria, are there other recipes common to us here that we could use to make the same broth preferably without salt?
ReplyDeleteNutritional yeast is a little strange even to many in the US. :) I'm afraid this is the only bouillon substitute I know.
DeleteIs nutritional yeast the same as brewer's yeast? I bought brewer's yeast recently to help with my milk supply when I was nursing. I have a bunch left over and would love to be able to use it for something like this.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
They are similar, but not identical. The nutritional yeast I have used comes in a flake form and seems to be milder in taste. You could try making a small batch with the brewer's yeast and see if you like how it tastes.
DeleteI just recently found out that yeast triggers migraines for me. Is it possible to leave out the nutritional yeast if I'm not storing it? Also, if a recipe calls for... lets say "2 bouillon cubes" how much of the mixture would you add?
ReplyDeleteI made this without the yeast because I didn't have any on hand and it was still really good! And I still used 1 TBL per 1 Cup Liquid
DeleteI tried this today. I usually make stock or broth from actual chicken. Failing that I do keep some boullion on hand. But today I had neither so I gave this a try. I thought it was pretty good in a pinch. I could taste the nutritional yeast a bit, so make sure that is a flavor you like. Also I will use more salt next time. But I still have about a pint to keep on hand for another time. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any problems with MSG, in fact I've spent a lot of time researching MSG studies, and it appears to be the most efficient way to get the umami flavor into your food. I keep pure MSG in my pantry to use at will. What I want to do is be able to make delicious soups with the flavor I want without having to rely on Ramen packets or bouillon cubes, or have to spend large amounts of time boiling down and rendering chicken fat. I'm hoping to figure out a way to do this. Maybe I'll try this nutritional yeast...
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Online health food stores are often much more thorough in describing the true nature of their health drinks and other products. They go to great lengths assuring customers that things like preservatives, isolated vitamins, artificial dyes or sweeteners are not included in their all natural foods and health drinks. chinese food for diabetics
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