BOUILLON ESSENTIALS: CHICKEN BOUILLON POWDER

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Chef's Note: Getting stock from store-bought cubes is a very common thing; I mean you see them in most any grocery store. They come in cubes, granules, and even in a goopy liquid. The problem is that there is a whole lot more in those concentrated bits than just stock. Commercial bouillon cubes are more salt than flavor, and a lot of them have the dreaded MSG as an ingredient. Also, unless you are careful you just may end up with little salty clumps in your finished product, and I hate it when that happens. Here are some of the ingredients in a typical bouillon cube: • Salt • Sugar • Partially hydrogenated palm oil • Monosodium glutamate (MSG) • Cornstarch • Less than 2% onion powder • Chicken fat and meat by products • Garlic powder • Turmeric (for color) • Disodium inosinate • TBHQ (preservative) This product is made on equipment that also processes wheat, milk, eggs, soy, shrimp, and fish. Doesn't that sound just scrummy?
• 3. What is nutritional yeast? Of all the ingredients, I use in my recipes, nutritional yeast garners the most questions. It is a deactivated yeast product, which is grown, harvested, washed, and then dried with heat that deactivates or "kills" it. That means it does not have the leavening ability of baker's yeast. Therefore, it is a purely vegan food additive. It is a great source of vitamin B12, and does not contain any whey or animal products. It is low in fat, and gluten free. The primary reason most people use nutritional yeast is for its amazing flavor. It has been described as cheesy, nutty, savory, and umami. It can enhance soups, gravies, and when you use larger amounts it creates great cheese sauces. If you use an egg substitute, just a small amount can make those eggs taste cheesy, and eggy. And one more thing... IT DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY MSG. And now you know the rest of the story.
• 4. Why dehydrated onions? This recipe (in terms of savory taste) does not call for onion powder, it does not call for onion salt... It calls for dehydrated onions. Full Stop.
• 5. Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
• 6. Add all the ingredients to a blender, or a food processor fitted with an S-blade, and blend at high speed until thoroughly mixed.
• 7. Chef's Note: When using this bouillon powder, use one tablespoon powder per cup of water.
• 8. PLATE/PRESENT
• 9. Place into a tightly-sealed glass container, and keep out of heat or sunlight. Enjoy.
• 10. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.