I collect bouillon cubes and concentrates

[hummingbirdkiss]

I have had fresh shaggy mane mushrooms deliquesce.

none of my cubes are over a year old I dont keep them that long I keep the fish and prawn ones in the fridg but I dont know if that even matters I think it is just in my mind it does

I bought a new Prawn cube today on the way to work at a Vietnamese market I can not wait to try it!!

[heidih]

Just when I needed a new, inexpensive, multi cultural food related obscession, your thread pops up! I already have a number of stores mapped out for this weekend, and my sister in Sydney has been alerted to start keeping her eyes open for me. She just got back from Thailand- what a missed opportunity. Thank you!

[hummingbirdkiss]

Just when I needed a new, inexpensive, multi cultural food related obscession, your thread pops up! I already have a number of stores mapped out for this weekend, and my sister in Sydney has been alerted to start keeping her eyes open for me. She just got back from Thailand- what a missed opportunity.  Thank you!

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too cool love to share the fun!!! there will be nay sayers to your new hobby and people will laugh at you! but hold your head high!

cubist cooks unite!

my name is also Heidi

[hummingbirdkiss]

Good lord.... this thing has really struck my fancy-- or my weirdness, I haven't figured out which!  For some reason various things are going through my head:  boullion cube-of-the-month club..... boullion cube collector clubs.... boullion cube exchange clubs or swap meets.....eeeeeee!!!   

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I missed this how funny!!!!! maybe they will be on ebay????

[Jensen]

maybe they will be on ebay???? 

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Will be?

http://tinyurl.com/38v583

[mizducky]

Y'know, it's been forever since I actually bought a bouillon cube--I like those little jars of soup base paste better--but I have long noticed the exuberance with which lots of cultures have embraced instant soup/seasoning products of various sorts. And while I haven't gotten hooked on cubes, I do cop to a more general addiction to cruising Asian markets for interesting ingredients, so I identify with the obsession aspect. Isn't it fun? And as addictions go, it's relatively low-budget and even tasty.

Hey, people collect Coca-Cola cans from around the world--why the heck not other food items? Party on!

[hummingbirdkiss]

maybe they will be on ebay????  

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Will be?

http://tinyurl.com/38v583

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that is hysterical!!! I should google "bullion cube collector societies"

I would have to say I am not quite that bad..although I did pick up a new beef cube today and a tomato one as well at El Mercado!

I have always tossed cubes into my Puerto Rican style rice I am going to try this tomato one and see how good it is instead of my usual Hispanic chicken cubitos!

very exciting!!!!

Edited July 26, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[Jensen]

I have the tomato stuff in a little jar, not cubes. There are some recipes I've tried making with "real" broth and, to be honest, it's just better made with cubes. Number one example for me is semolina dumplings in broth (Grießnockerl Suppe): click

[hummingbirdkiss]

you are right Jan!

the Delecato cube that look like it is from the 50's above is great for that same dish!

[TheFoodTutor]

Cool.

The last cooking class I taught was at the home of some lovely German ladies, and when I brought out a box of stock for making risotto, apologizing that I don't usually make my own stocks for risotto, though I do for some soups, they brought out their favorite brand of bouillon cubes to show me. It was a really neat looking package, with a picture of gravy on it, so I asked them if they had to add a thickener to make gravy with it, or if it might possibly have cornstarch in the base, but they weren't sure. (There was a little bit of a language barrier, but they were amazing ladies to hold a class with.)

Now I'm wishing I'd pocketed a few, or at least written down the name of the product. They said they liked it so much that they asked their friends to get it for them, when they made a trip back to Germany.

I think I'd like to collect instant dashi and oden as well.

[infernooo]

Hey I'll send you a stack of Aussie bullion cubes if you like....

:-)

People come to my house eat my food and are astounded at the herbs and spices all over my kitchen ..I have two huge cabinets one for savory cooking one for baking and a very large curry drawer ...

I have extracts of every type ..but nothing gets my friends like my collection of bullion cubes!  comments like "there is no way you collect bullion cubes!!!" "you are so wierd"  "why?" ect...

when people travel and say "do you want me to bring you anything from (insert place or country here) " my answer is always "can you stop at a grocery store and get me any unusual bullion cubes?

the answer is generally similar to this  "only you would want bullion cubes from my trip to Egypt!!!" I get so excited when they come through!!!  I think it is an easy request takes no room in the suitcase and costs so little that it is a perfect souvenir when I travel!

but somehow when I have brought them back for others it did not go over too big...

I love Knorr or Star cubes especially because they are so varried ..I have cubes from Vietnam, Thailand, Chinese cubes..Middle Eastern cubes..Eastern Europe (Hungarian ham, and garlic cubes are my favorite) , Italy, Spain, all kinds of Latin American cubitos..I am astounded at the variety of regional cubes there are

I dont know if there is a thread on bullion cubes but I figured if there wasn't you folks would not think I was nuts for asking about them our outing myself as a bullion cube collector...

Does anyone else love world wide cubes?

do you have any favorite kinds that you love to use?

I used to buy a Curry Cube made my Knorr in a tiny Middle Eastern Market in LA and have not found them in a couple of years anywhere if anyone knows where I can get some I would be thrilled..

I have no favorites actually ...well maybe the Italian style porccini cube for stock enhancement

or a Knorr Italian fish cube for marinara...I dont know ...depends on what I am cooking...

I used them for pilaf, pasta sauces, curries,  to enhance soup, to repair soup...for stews ...alll kinds of things ..they are just so fun to have on hand!

there are a million Asian style cubes I love the Chinese Ham one from Knorr

even Pho' cubes but I have not tried those yet

even the boxes are cool that they come in ...I just love bullion cubes ...

maybe you could call me a cubist  but I would love to talk about what is out there that maybe I am missing, how you use cubes? any recipes to share?

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[lemniscate]

I've been bitten by the bouillon collector bug also.   I have Knorr in different cultural flavors, Herb-Ox sodium free, St. Ours clam and lobster bouillon, Haco mushroom bouillon, Goya  Hispanic bouillon flavors.

Today I found a Nestle product that blew my mind.  Barszcz (Polish Borscht) bouillon powder (eG-friendly Amazon.com link),  I did not buy through Amazon though, my local Asian market has Eastern European products now and this was something I picked up as an impulse ($2.59) buy because I was intrigued.   Yeah, it's probably a sodium and msg bomb, but I find it delicious with a splash of cream.  I just make it in a coffee cup with a splash of cream/milk.

I never considered there would be borscht bouillon.   It passed the taste test of the rest of the household with major thumbs up, which is saying something for just a cup of broth.

[heidih]

21 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

I've been bitten by the bouillon collector bug also.   I have Knorr in different cultural flavors, Herb-Ox sodium free, St. Ours clam and lobster bouillon, Haco mushroom bouillon, Goya  Hispanic bouillon flavors.

Today I found a Nestle product that blew my mind.  Barszcz (Polish Borscht) bouillon powder (eG-friendly Amazon.com link),  I did not buy through Amazon though, my local Asian market has Eastern European products now and this was something I picked up as an impulse ($2.59) buy because I was intrigued.   Yeah, it's probably a sodium and msg bomb, but I find it delicious with a splash of cream.  I just make it in a coffee cup with a splash of cream/milk.

I never considered there would be borscht bouillon.   It passed the taste test of the rest of the household with major thumbs up, which is saying something for just a cup of broth.

Wow that is an interesting one and I like the simple sipping broth use. Remember when vending machines in hospitals and such at coffee, hot choc amd bouillon? A little cup would drop down and the liquid would fill.

Edited January 10, 2023 by heidih (log)

[Anna N]

27 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

I've been bitten by the bouillon collector bug also. 

I have certainly not been bitten by the collector bug but when @Keralamentioned a lamb stock cube, I became curious and was astounded at the varieties out there. Seems but yesterday when the choices were beef or chicken and for a long time time before that beef or beef!

[liuzhou]

Although Chinese bouillon cubes certainly exist, they are somewhat uncommon. Every kitchen in the land (domestic and professional) has at least one pot of this instead. It goes in everything. Only available as chicken flavour.

 

 

[heidih]

Yes as I've mentioned in other topics every Latin Ameerican kitchen including restaurants has the Knoir or Maggi chicken powder. The 2 pound jar of Knorr Caldo con Sabor de Pollo was on sale recently at my mainstream market for maybe $6. I bought it to re-stock

 

The last time i  bought cubes they were in the foil wrapped cubes inside a glass jar not a box but stepmother came home with a box from discount market about a year ago. She never used them.She saw an old recipe that called for cubes. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer. . They do absorb moisture and can get sort of not goopy but bit softer, darker. Prefer powder. So many old recipes though call for the cubes as standard. 

 

 

 

Edited January 10, 2023 by heidih (log)

[AAQuesada]

My mom always bought the Wyler's brand. It's funny how the Knorr just doesn't taste right even though they are basicly the same!

[liuzhou]

Out of curiosity, I just searched Taobao, China and the world's largest online shopping portal, for bouillon cubes. Not a one to be had. The only thing that came close is these Knorr (家樂 - Cantonese: gaa1 lok6) jellified stock concentrates (what are these things actually called in English?) They come in 'old layer chicken flavour' (pictured) and 'pork bone flavour'.

 

 

Cubes certainly were available a few years back, but as I said before, were far from mainstream. Now they seem to have gone completely. I only ever bought the clam flavour they used to have.

 

* Curiously, if you add a 福 to Knorr's Chinese name, you get the Sinicized name of French supermarket chain, Carrefour (gaa1 lok6 fuk1)

Edited January 11, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

[Anna N]

8 hours ago, liuzhou said:

what are these things actually called in English?

In my house they are called chicken stock thingies.  

[liuzhou]

6 minutes ago, Anna N said:

In my house they are called chicken stock thingies.  

I thought thingy-ma-bobs!

[heidih]

The Knorr Gel Pots were heavily marketed a number of years ago. I never purchased. Not a stunner of a name and I did not remember it - had to look up. I don't think they were a hit.

[Tropicalsenior]

They sell the cubes here in only chicken or beef flavor. Unfortunately, with the humidity here, within just a week they turn into gummy little squares that are almost impossible to unwrap. But they have the powder in envelopes in quite a few flavors. These are the three that I have on hand right now.

I particularly like the tomato cubes that we used to get in Mexico. I always came back with a few packages of that. I keep looking here but no luck.

[Anna N]

3 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I thought thingy-ma-bobs!

Knorr seems to call them stock pots. 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I have bought and liked “Knorr stock pot gels”.   The veal was excellent but seems discontinued, while chicken and beef are still randomly around.   They work for me.

[liuzhou]

I forgot about these which I just found in one of the fridges.

 

I've never used the curry ones but use the clam variety regularly.