KITCHEN: Stock and Broth and Concentrates...ninth in a series

It seems that every company that produces the standard canned or aseptic box of broth and/or stock is now offering a version without the water…known as concentrate or seasoning packets, which look sort of like the mustard or ketchup packets from a fast food place.  The nice thing is that they take OH SO LITTLE SPACE in the cupboard compared to the cans and boxes of hydrated versions.   There are times that the packets are more useful, but I am still having problems with the amount of sodium they are using.

SWANSON’S “Flavor Boost” concentrated Broth comes in chicken, beef, and vegetable.  Packets , if reconstituted, are equal to 1 cup.  Both chicken and beef have a whopping 830 mg of salt--or 35% of daily intake…more if you don’t use a 2,000 calorie diet. (Vegetable is slightly less at 770 mg)  For the beef flavored version, the first two ingredients are 

• “water” and “salt”, 
• the next two are “yeast extract” and “maltodextrin”, 
• following those fabulous ingredients is BEEF STOCK.  
• The rest of the ingredients are “less than 2%”--”natural flavoring, onion juice concentrate, tomato paste, xanthan gum, beef fat, dextrose, spice, lactic acid, beef extract. 

The chicken version fares a little better in the ingredients.  It begins with 

• “chicken stock and chicken fat, followed by salt, 
• maltodextrin, sugar, yeast extract, natural flavors, and chicken broth.  
• The remaining ingredients are listed as “less than 2%”; dextrose, corn oil, dehydrated chicken broth, xanthan gum.

While they “taste” fine, (although incredibly salty), the ingredients are less than overwhelmingly shouting flavor at me…salt and sugar in all it’s various forms are lack luster.  The front of the package boasts “No MSG Added”, though they do let you know that a small amount of glutamate is naturally occurring in the yeast extract.  I have used them as a “flavor boost”, and (except for the added saltiness), they did a good job of that.  If I were to continue to use them, I would have to eliminate all other salt from the recipes…like no salt tomato sauce, etc.  However, if I just use the dripping from a roast and add a few spices and TONS of salt and sugar to my own recipes--it might be pretty much the same.

TRADER JOE'S is offering  a Savory Chicken Flavor (I only purchased a reduced sodium version for my test).  There were TWELVE pouches in the small package, compared to EIGHT packets in the Swanson packages.  Their first ingredient listed is actually 

• CHICKEN STOCK, followed by maltodextrin (corn), natural flavor, chicken fat, sugar, salt, yeast extract, xanthan gum.  

While I preferred this chicken both for flavor, when I used this product as an afternoon pick-me-up (a cup of broth to stave off hunger) I found the product to have too much fat to be enjoyable for this, though the sodium was much more tolerable at 360 mg… a reduced salt version.  It was great in chicken and rice recipes, as well as, stir fry.  It would be nice if they actually listed the ingredients in the stock, though.  Their label states it has no gluten, but it is made in a facility which uses wheat, milk eggs, peanuts, soy, fish, and shellfish, and the facility also processes tree nuts.  I’m not sure how people who are allergic to such things might be affected, but the info is there.  Since I have an allergy to barley, it’s nice to know that the maltodextrin is derived from corn, instead of barley.  Over all, I thought this was a good product also, and liked the fact that it had less sodium.
KNORR is offering a home style Beef or Chicken Stock.  This is a bit different from the other products, in that their product comes in a “tub” as they call it.  (It is a small plastic cup with a pull off lid, and each tub will make 3 ½ cups when reconstituted with water.  It is more of a gelatin product and must be “melted”.  There are FOUR tubs to a package.
I thought that this particular beef stock tastes most like a stock, compared to a broth.
The sodium level is slightly lower (per one cup serving) at 700 mg or 29%. (Chicken is at 30%).  Since it was not in a convenient form to make “one cup” at a time, I did not try it as a cup of broth in the afternoon.  Ingredients are listed as 

• water, salt, modified palm oil, maltodextrin (corn, tapioca), autolyzed yeast extract, sugar, carrots, beef extract, spinach, leeks, xanthan gum, disodium guanylate, disodium inosolate, citric acid, garlic powder, onion powder, locust bean gum, soy sauce powder (soybeans, wheat, salt), lactic acid, beef fat, caramel color, natural flavor, spice, beta carotene (for color).

Product is made in Mexico.  Note that there is no ADDED MSG, but that “small amounts” in the yeast and the soy sauce (naturally occurring).  The beef fat and beef extract add a “dietarily insignificant amount of cholesterol“.

I was unable to obtain the chicken version of this product--tried several stores, on separate occasions, and it was not stocked on the shelves, though there was an open space where it should be. 

The draw backs to this product is it is a little more difficult to introduce this product into your food since it has to “melt”, and it makes 3 ½ cups compared to the single cups of other products.  On the plus side, the flavor was pretty good and it had slightly less sodium.

 COSTCO'S private label KIRKLAND Chicken Stock comes in a large box containing six packages...which would be FOUR cups each aseptic container.  With no fat, and plenty of flavor, as well as, lower sodium, this is a good choice for the afternoon pick-me-up equally well to using for making soups and other meals.  

• Sodium is 360 mg or 15% 

With chicken stock as the main ingredient and vegetable broth the second ingredient, I think (for fully hydrated product) this one is the best choice.

                       
PROGRESSO offers a 100% natural Unsalted Chicken Broth, in the aseptic box, “no msg added“.  Of course, again, there is some naturally occurring in the yeast extract.
Ingredients:  

• chicken broth. (no ingredient list of that)  contains less than 1% of sugar, yeast extract, natural flavor, carrot puree.

The calories for this product are 25 calories per one cup serving.  (All the rest have
10-20 calories per one cup serving).  This one has no fat, no cholesterol, and only 125 mg of sodium.  It is listed as Gluten free.

Since this is in a two pound box--storage of 8-12 would take a LOT of space, compared to the concentrates. 

I have (on very FEW occasions) made my own beef stock, ala Julia Child-style…the time involved and the cost are not worth it to me, since “bones” are now a very expensive commodity.  I am not likely to make my own stock, but very often make my own broth--or just use the pot liquor the food is prepared in...I don't make the broth and then toss out the veggies either...that seems such a waste.  I realize that they are often discarded because their flavor has been imparted to the broth, and they are often "soggy"...but unless they are REALLY soggy, I just leave them in, and maybe add some "fresh veggies" for texture.  This is why I am not a chef in real life.  


Labels say a lot...these say how much salt, sugar, and misc. enhancers are showing up in our products.  None of them tasted "bad"...but, most of them are not really suitable for frequent use solely because of their sodium levels.  

• The concentrates would probably be a good choice for "survival"--if you have a source of water...or they can turn a wild root into something with a more familiar taste.  If water is scarce, the fully hydrated product would be the better choice--provided you are not on the move.

As an "aside"--here is a link to how they make the aseptic packaging.