Ideas-base
Instead of mixing it ahead of time, just add the same amount of water to whatever you're cooking, and once that water is hot/simmering, drop in the amount of BtB that you need. This doesn't work for every single recipe out there.
If using in a dish where a gelatinous stock would be ideal, simply sprinkle some unflavored gelatin onto the amount of water you are using, let it steep for a minute bloom according to the time on the package, then use as needed. I use a ratio of one packet of unflavored gelatin for every 2 cups of water/stock.
You can use it as a quick "marinade", for the lack of a better word. For example, I make a philly cheesesteak pizza where I smear the thinly sliced steak with beef flavored BtB and it really amps up the beef flavor. This works especially well for applications where you don't do much/any browning on the meat.
Whisk together some olive oil, salt & pepper, and about a teaspoon of BtB flavor of your choice, then toss your vegetables in that before roasting in a hot oven. Really get in there with your hands and make sure everything is coated well. It won't brown as well, but good enough, and tons of added flavor.
Buy it at Costco, if you have access. They only have the reduced sodium roasted chicken and beef flavors available (maybe the veggie one, too?), but they are the cheapest you can find them.
Stick to the low/reduced sodium versions, it's always easier to control how much salt you are adding this way.
If you're not sure how to reconstitute it, just read the label. It's one US teaspoon of BtB paste per one US cup of water. It will dissolve much easier in very hot water than it will in cold water.
- If you're ever doing a pasta that calls for broth, save the startchy pasta water and use that to make the broth with the Btb
1y
Or, as I've been enjoying lately, make the pasta "risotto-style" by slowly adding liquid to cook and incorporate rather than boiling and draining. Use BtB broth (or any broth/stock) for your liquid, and you'll get rich flavor and retain all the starch as the base of a creamy, emulsified sauce. (Just remember that all the salt and broth flavor will end up in the dish, so if you need to add more liquid, use plain water.)
Chicken + Garlic combined in water to make a broth. Float some sesame seeds in there and simmer it until it just starts to reduce, usually takes about 20 minutes.
Pull some of the stock out into a small bowl, and mix it with corn starch. Not much, you don't want a gravy but you want enough to add a noticeable amount of thickening too it. Mix that back into your stock and simmer another 10 minutes or so.
You can legit have a ramen stock that tastes like you've been cooking it for hours and hours in about 35 minutes. The broth by itself will taste great, and the cornstarch thickener gives it this mouth feel like it's thick and hearty and has been cooking all day. Incredible.
There are also a lot of ways you can use it when pan frying. For example if you just browned up some chicken, toss a bit of butter in the pan, some onions and mushrooms, sautee until soft/to your liking, then just add chicken better than bouillon straight out of the container right into the pan. Mix it up really well to incorporate, a touch of water just to get it wet but not thin and pour it on the chicken. Hello Fresh actually does this with a ton of their recipes.
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Rib-I
1y
better than corn starch, use unflavored gelatin.
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SugarbearSID
1y
Also a good alternative, I find that gelatin gives it a different feel. Gelatin feels more natural, like you actually had bone in there (which is good). Cornstarch gives a kind of smooth texture.
2 sides of the same coin, and I think both are a great idea.
I always found miso paste much easier for ramen. It gives it the thickness, the soy, the mouth feel, the flavor. Still add the garlic and other stuff you want.
Dont forget to premarinade your soy ginger soft boiled eggs...