# A (Japanese) recipe calls for "bouillon", but doesn't specify the type **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2017, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-japanese-recipe-calls-for-bouillon-but-doesnt-specify-the-type/792923 "2017-08-06T16:09:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-japanese-recipe-calls-for-bouillon-but-doesnt-specify-the-type/792923/21 "2018-06-22T00:16:12Z")
> [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](#): > > But “bouillon cubes” are salt/sugar/food coloring cubes, which might work in an individual recipe, but salt and sugar aren’t that hard to come by if you want to add them to whatever you’re cooking, and there’s not much reason to pay $3 for a tablespoon of salt and sugar. You’re missing the best part: MSG bombs. That’s their sole purpose, to me. MSG for people too shy to say they’re using MSG. (And there’s more flavoring than just sugar and salt. There’s usually a very strong onion/garlic type component in it as well. And what kind of fancy pants bouillon cubes are you buying where they’re $3 a tablespoon? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-japanese-recipe-calls-for-bouillon-but-doesnt-specify-the-type/792923/22 "2018-06-22T14:51:05Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Bouillon, unqualified, is beef. Here, yes, but with the recipe coming from Japan it would pay to be sure. Consider Japanese “spats” or “mansions.” as an example. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-japanese-recipe-calls-for-bouillon-but-doesnt-specify-the-type/792923/23 "2018-06-22T15:22:11Z")
> [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](#): > > Bouillon cube=2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp corn starch. If you want to add enough color to make it seem that there’s any meat flavor involved, substitute soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce, or cook the sugar until it becomes a little brown. > > Bouillon cubes do not produce bouillon, which by definition is made by stewing meat, fish, or vegetables (beef, sure, but not only beef) in water (as opposed to broth, which is made by boiling the bones, cartilage, or similar goodies, and, if you’ve roasted those bones, is a lot better and less wasteful than bouillon). Bouillon cubes produce salty, colored water. > > Which, good news, may be all you need to make something delicious. But “bouillon cubes” are salt/sugar/food coloring cubes, which might work in an individual recipe, but salt and sugar aren’t that hard to come by if you want to add them to whatever you’re cooking, and there’s not much reason to pay $3 for a tablespoon of salt and sugar. Would you actually substitute salt and sugar for a bouillon cube? Yes, I’d prefer to make my own bouillon or stock but sometimes I run out and I don’t always have time to make more so I’ll pull out a bouillon cube for umami flavor. In addition to salt and MSG, Knorr Beef Bouillon cubes contain umami flavors from hydrolyzed vegetable protein, beef fat, beef extract, and autolyzed yeast extract. The cubes also contain other flavoring from dehydrated vegetables and citric acid. This may not be the world’s highest quality food product but it’s a shelf stable beef stock substitute that works tolerably well in a pinch. It is an imperfect solution for an imperfect world. It is about 1000 times better than what you imagine bouillon cubes to be. [https://www.knorr.com/ca/en/products/knorr-bouillon/cubes-and-instant-stock/chicken-bouillon-cubes.html](https://www.knorr.com/ca/en/products/knorr-bouillon/cubes-and-instant-stock/chicken-bouillon-cubes.html) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-japanese-recipe-calls-for-bouillon-but-doesnt-specify-the-type/792923/24 "2018-06-22T15:52:13Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > It is about 1000 times better than what you imagine bouillon cubes to be. > > [https://www.knorr.com/ca/en/products/knorr-bouillon/cubes-and-instant-stock/chicken-bouillon-cubes.html](https://www.knorr.com/ca/en/products/knorr-bouillon/cubes-and-instant-stock/chicken-bouillon-cubes.html) And I don’t think that a single spoonful works out to a $3 cost . ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-japanese-recipe-calls-for-bouillon-but-doesnt-specify-the-type/792923/25 "2018-06-22T16:28:15Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > And I don’t think that a single spoonful works out to a $3 cost . A package of eight cubes cost $0.89 at [target.com](http://target.com). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-japanese-recipe-calls-for-bouillon-but-doesnt-specify-the-type/792923/26 "2018-06-22T16:31:33Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > A package of eight cubes cost $0.89 at [target.com](http://target.com). At Walmart a 35.3oz jar of powdered Knorr chicken/beef bouillon costs $4.88. The entire jar contains about 83 tablespoons of bouillon, working out to a price of just under **six cents** per tablespoon. Like I said, what kind of fancy-pants bouillon is one paying $3 per tablespoon for? Even Better Than Bouillon works out to just thirty cents per tablespoon. There had better be gold bouillon in that $3/tablespoon bouillon! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-japanese-recipe-calls-for-bouillon-but-doesnt-specify-the-type/792923.md?page=1)