Bouillon is a flavorful broth made by boiling meat, seafood, or vegetables with herbs and spices, commonly used in various dishes like soups and sauces. While homemade bouillon is preferred, convenience options like bouillon cubes and granules are available for quick flavor enhancement in cooking. Bouillon can be utilized in numerous ways, including as a base for soups, a flavor enhancer for stews and stir-fries, or for poaching ingredients.

1. Bouillon

2. This word comes from the verb bouillir, meaning
“to boil”. Boiling is literally how bouillons came
about. This is actually, a broth, which can be
eaten on its own, as in French cuisine or the
liquid used to create new dishes like
soups, risotto, or sauces. This flavorful and
aromatic liquid may also be used in poaching
fish, for example, for more flavors into the dish.

3. Making bouillon means boiling meat such as
veal, pork, beef, or chicken with a mixture of
herbs, spices, and vegetables like garlic and
onion in water. There are meat
options, seafood options, and there are also
vegetable versions, and sometimes using
mushrooms for vegetarian options. Making
this from scratch is what’s usually
recommended in some recipes and
households although there are store-brought
stocks available already for those who want
things to get done fast.

4. Bouillon cubes are made from dehydrated
ingredients like meat
stock, vegetables, salt, fat, and other
seasonings in a cube form and ready to be
placed in water to boil. This is for those who
wouldn’t want to bother making the stock
from scratch due to lack of time and
resources. Bouillon cubes are also used to
enhance the flavor of dishes, not only in soups
but also in hearty dishes like stews and stir-
fries. This is faster and more convenient than
creating the broth from scratch by gathering
the ingredients need to be boiled.

5. The granulated bouillon forms are most
recommended for stews and stir-fries, although
they also can be added to soup. Using the
granulated form provides a better distribution of
the flavor since there are less liquid in stir-fries
to dilute the bouillon cube into the dish.
Whatever form they may be, cubes or
granules, bouillon enhances the flavor of dishes
such as soups, stir-fries, and stews with the
convenience of just opening a pouch or a packet.
This is a great option for those starting out to
cook or for those who want to get things done
fast.

7. There are lots of uses for bouillon, whether it is
the soup itself, an enhancement of flavor, or a
liquid used in steaming or poaching other
ingredients.

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