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Good Product: In Praise of Better Than Bouillon

2009_01_08-better-than-bouillon.jpgThis little jar is a constant presence in our refrigerator and has become indispensable when making vegetarian meals.

 
 

If we had the time, we'd always make our own vegetable stock, but more often than not, we just don't. Which is why we're never without our trusty jar of Superior Touch Better Than Bouillon vegetable base.

With a paste-like consistency, the base works much like a bouillon cube, but you can measure out as much or as little as you'd like. We usually add a dab of it to the cooking water when preparing rice or other grains. It's also great for soups and pots of beans – really, anywhere you would usually use stock.

Buying cartons of stock can get expensive, and the homemade stuff can feel precious, but we don't think twice about using this base in just about everything. A jar usually costs $5 or $6 and lasts us several months, even when we use it several times a week. A little goes a long way.

The company's line of base products also includes chicken, beef, turkey, ham, clam, lobster, mushroom, chili, vegan chicken and vegan beef, as well as low-sodium and organic options. We can always find the vegetable base, as well as other flavors, at Whole Foods.

Note: Apologies if I've sounded overly promotional, but as a vegetarian, adding flavor to dishes can be a challenge, and this has been a great help.

Related: Times Top 5: How to Stock Your Pantry in 2009


(Image: Amazon)

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Ingredients - Pantry, vegetarian, stock, eating light, Better Than Bouillon

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Comments (27)

i absolutely can not live without this stuff. I always have it on hand-- best thing EVER. Especially for someone without a lot of time on their hands.

posted by spiralcma on January 8th 2009 at 12:27pm
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It's a different product, but the liquid packets of concentrated base at Trader Joe's are pretty decent as well. A box has 12 packets and each is goof for one cup of base/broth when you had water.

posted by Indy Jeffrey on January 8th 2009 at 12:36pm
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I love BTB, the clam and lobster are great. I add a dab of lobster base to mashed potatoes at the end in place of salt.

posted by mangabanga on January 8th 2009 at 12:41pm
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Actually, they have it at Trader Joes for around $3 a jar...and they have a good selection of flavors too!

posted by Skerlie B on January 8th 2009 at 12:43pm
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I love that veggie stuff because it's a nice *dark* broth. Lots of veg stock is light like chicken stock, but theirs is dark and rich like beef. And their meat stocks are, consistently, the only ones in the store where the first ingredient is meat (as opposed to salt).

posted by leenwebb on January 8th 2009 at 1:02pm
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You know, this is the second time I've heard of this stuff to rave reviews. The first was from my folks. I might have to give it a try because, while I do like making my own stock, I don't always have time.

posted by Tiamat_the_Red on January 8th 2009 at 1:05pm
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I agree - best stuff ever!!

posted by jessekl on January 8th 2009 at 1:18pm
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I've been using this Austrialian product for a while (a friends mom shipped it over!), but sometimes I find that the powder doesn't totally dissolve in the water. Although it's totally possible I'm not using it correctly....

http://www.massel.com.au/products/stock_powder.shtml

The BTB looks like something I need to try next.

posted by Marie on January 8th 2009 at 2:03pm
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I love this stuff. It's a little salty if you use the suggested proportions, but you can adjust it easily.

posted by Eliza on January 8th 2009 at 2:51pm
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Just discovered this, and love it! Will never go back to cubes, powders, or tetra packs again :)

posted by SoSue on January 8th 2009 at 2:58pm
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Is this stuff available in Canada? I haven't been able to find it at any of my local stores.

posted by spossberg on January 8th 2009 at 3:08pm
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I've seen this at the grocery store but was never quite sure what it was. I'll have to pick some up as now that the holidays are over, the weekly sales at the grocery store of canned/cartons of broth are over. It seems as if I go through at least 1 carton a week so I'm curious as to how long the BTB will last me. Thanks for the tip.

posted by rosebud on January 8th 2009 at 3:40pm
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I used to LOVE this stuff, but last year they changed the recipe for both chicken and beef (not sure about the other flavors), and now they both have a weird smoky smell. I used it for Beef Stroganoff and it tasted like I made the stock out of beef jerky. NOT very tasty.
Anyone else notice the flavor change?

posted by Minerva of the Airship on January 8th 2009 at 3:46pm
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I've bought this before and loved it. But I'm wondering how long it will stay good in the fridge once it has been opened?

posted by ah-ha on January 8th 2009 at 4:33pm
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I like this Rapunzel bouillon better. It's organic and vegan, and you can get it with or without salt.

http://www.amazon.com/Rapunzel-Pure-Organics-Vegetable-Bouillon/dp/B001E5DZJ8

posted by maryam on January 8th 2009 at 4:43pm
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Someone bought me the salt-free Rapunzel bouillon once, and it was great. I keep meaning to pick it up again.

posted by mollyjade on January 8th 2009 at 6:06pm
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@ah-ha,
I keep mine in the freezer. It's harder to scoop out (use a good spoon or knife, not a flimsy measuring spoon!), but it keeps even longer.

posted by RebeccaCT on January 8th 2009 at 6:12pm
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My DH is a vegetarian and that's mostly what I cook. I have three of these in my fridge... Vegetable, Mushroom and Chicken. Bought the chicken to use when the rest of the family came over but my personal favorite is the Mushroom Base. I use it slightly diluted from the directions so it isn't quite as salty. It's very cost effective. I think I spent $4.75 at my food co-op.

... and the chicken base has been in the fridge for at least 6 months... still fine.

posted by burrda2000 on January 8th 2009 at 8:58pm
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Spossberg, I buy them in BC but not sure about the rest of Canada. They cost over $8.00 a jar here but I wouldn't be without the chicken stock and they do go a long way. I find them in the spice & herb section.

posted by Rain on January 8th 2009 at 10:54pm
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i use my btb veg. base all the time. it cost somewhere around $5. it saves so much money on cans or cartons of broth, as well as cabinet space.

posted by danasays on January 8th 2009 at 11:06pm
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Great product. Excellent flavor.

posted by sierracreek on January 8th 2009 at 11:09pm
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Cook's Illustrated did a review of various vegetable stocks which included the Better Than Bouillon. BTB scored poorly - somewhere slightly above "tastes like ass". I think Swanson's came in top, maybe their Organic Vegetarian Vegetable Broth. The tasters found BTB to be glorified tomato paste. (On the other hand, Cook's Illustrated is a big fan of BTB's Chicken Base)

posted by Dave on January 9th 2009 at 12:14am
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I keep wondering about making my own when I have the time.

The ingredients seem to indicate its just a severely boiled down stock with spices and starch added.

No preservative besides salt.

Hmmmm

posted by jocie-o on January 9th 2009 at 12:34am
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Cannot agree with you more--this stuff is a life saver. Bittman was railing against not making homemade stock the other day in the NY Times and the whole time I was thinking, there is no way I would have time to turn out quick meals and random dinner parties without BTB.

posted by lotusmoss on January 9th 2009 at 9:40am
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I love this stuff! I don't know what they put in it, but it tastes better than homemade stock to me (anathema!).

posted by matchbookhymnal on January 9th 2009 at 11:30am
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I just bought this at Costco today. They had the low-sodium chicken and beef versions and I can't wait to give it a try.

posted by rosebud on January 10th 2009 at 6:36pm
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I love this stuff but I wish it was a bit lower in salt. Sometimes I want to add flavor and not too much salt. The mushroom one is lovely.

posted by jennywenny on January 14th 2009 at 12:28pm
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