The Cheap Ingredient Martha Stewart Swears By For Flavorful Soups And Sauces

When it comes to making delicious meals that taste gourmet, it doesn't mean you have to have ingredients that cost a small fortune. Just ask the domestic diva. Martha Stewart adds the underrated spice known as star anise to her apple butter. She tops her beef stew with a little punchy and pungent homemade version of horseradish. And when Stewart wants to amp up the flavor of soups and sauces, she turns to her tried-and-true Knorr bouillon that she always keeps in her pantry.

In an interview with Delish, the cookbook author explained that when she is making savory, smooth white sauces known as velouté, pureed veggies, or soups, these little salt-laden cubes come in handy. She said, "I use the vegetable bouillon cube just to add a little extra depth of flavor. It's been a flavor enhancer in my family for years and years and years." But before you start judging this inexpensive ingredient and Stewart's use of it, she notes, "I use it sparingly but effectively, and I think it really does work. It's enhancing, not cheating."

Martha Stewart isn't wrong. Knorr bouillon cubes help to draw out the flavor that would otherwise go unnoticed. These concentrated flavor bombs of stock are full of salt, fat, aromatics, and umami. In fact, because they are so strong, one cube is more than enough. When added to a soup or sauce, it quickly dissolves, leaving only a complexity of taste behind that your mouth can enjoy. They come in a variety of flavors including, chicken, beef, vegetable, tomato with chicken, and shrimp. 

There are plenty of foods that you can upgrade with bouillon cubes. Stewart also uses them when making short ribs or beef bourguignon. And boy, are they cheap. A box will run you about $1.69, give or take 10 cents. They are especially convenient when you don't have hours to cook bones and carcasses to make homemade stock, which can take anywhere from an hour to four hours or even days. This shortcut ingredient is certainly worth using. 

It's important to note that one bouillon cube mixed with boiling water will dissolve and give you the equivalent of one cup of broth. So, plan accordingly, and the next time you are making a pot of soup and think it can benefit from a flavor upgrade, break out the Knorr bouillon cubes and watch as your sauces, soups, or whatever you add them to disappear.