We slip it into pans, soups, simmered dishes like stew or risotto or even more simply into the pot of pasta or rice water to flavor the dish and add flavor. We also like to use them to make vegetable broth or chicken broth to perk up when we are sick. However, these broths are a source of unnecessary waste and they often contain ingredients that are incomprehensible to ordinary people or harmful in many ways (E621, palm oil, allergens, etc.). If this is an essential for you, know that you can nevertheless make homemade stock cubes by following these few steps.
Of course, this recipe is not fixed in terms of ingredients… It’s a base to adapt to your tastes for a delicious result! You can therefore add spices (ginger, cloves, curry, turmeric, chili pepper, coriander, etc.), more or less pepper, aromatics and herbs that you like (parsley, bouquet garni, rosemary, etc.) or you You can change all the vegetables and add less salt if you wish.
It is the advantage of homemade : we make small homemade stock cubes with personalized ingredients that we want to flavor our favorite preparations!
The ingredients for the stock cubes:
-2 rather large leeks
-6 carrots
-3 peeled onions
-4 peeled garlic cloves
-10 g of thyme leaf
-1 ball of celery root
-1 bunch of celery stalks
-approximately 1/3 of the weight of the vegetables in salt or a little less than half (amount to adapt to your preferences)
-Drier OR oven
-Blender
-Airtight jar
Prefer organic vegetables if possible so you can leave the skin on and add it to your recipe 😉! You can also give your cubes the desired shape in an ice cube tray before slipping them into an airtight jar for long-term storage. Otherwise, leave everything in powder form in an airtight jar.
Steps for making homemade stock cubes:
If you use a dehydrator
1) Wash your vegetables and remember to peel them if they are not organic.
2) Prepare each food:
-Remove the green from the leek, keeping as much as possible. Make pucks.
-Cut the celery into thin slices, the celery branch into small pieces of one centimeter and the carrot into slices.
-Make thin onion rings and cut the garlic in half.
3) Place everything to dehydrate at 60°C in the dehydrator for approximately 15 hours. Above all, monitor regularly.
4) Then weigh everything and add a third of the weight in salt.
5) After that, add the thyme and put everything in the blender. Your powder is ready, transfer to a jar to keep in a cool, dry place.
If you use the oven to make your homemade stock cubes
1) To start, make slices as thin as possible with the peeler or mandolin.
2) Then put everything in a saucepan with salt and without fat or water. Cook over high heat and stirring well for 10 minutes then 10 minutes more over low heat.
3) Spread on a plate making sure to overlap as little as possible.
4) Bake at 60°C for 6 hours, then mix and leave to dry for another 2 hours. During these two stages, monitor regularly.
5) Finally, put your homemade stock cubes in a pot keep in a cool, dry place.
How to use homemade stock cubes?
Stock cubes are concentrates of flavors. They are simple and convenient to use, and they can be incorporated into a variety of recipes to add depth and flavor. Here are some examples of recipes in which you can use them to add a touch of extra flavor in a simple and effective way!
Good to know: always dissolve the stock cubes in a little hot water before adding them to certain preparations for ensure even distribution of flavor.
-First of all, to prepare soups and stews
-But also to cook fragrant rice and tasty pasta with a richer taste.
-Incorporate into pasta, meat or vegetable sauces to intensify the flavor.
-After diluting in water, deglaze in a pan after cooking meat to obtain a tasty juice.
-Dissolve a stock cube in a little hot water, then mix with herbs, spices and oil to marinate meats and poultry before cooking. It will be a great homemade marinade !
Lesser-known tips with homemade stock cubes
-To crumble over vegetables before roasting them in the oven or in the pan with the sautéed vegetables for enhance their taste without adding too much salt.
-Stir a little crumbled broth into bland hummus to give it a flavorful boost.
-Mix a crumbled stock cube with spreadable cheese to provide a umami flavor.
-Add it to mashed potatoes for a more complex taste or crumble it over potatoes before baking for a tasty seasoning.
-Melt a stock cube in a little melted butter and mix this with freshly made popcorn for a salty, original and tasty snack.
-Finally, it is possible to dilute it in water and freeze everything with toys and treats. So, this will relieve your dog when it’s hot in summer.