I've used the Minor's chicken base in the past. It's very convenient to have on hand for cooking, keeps a long time in the fridge, and is less expensive than canned broth. I used it a lot as a polenta base; also good for quick chicken and dumplings. Not sure I need $25 worth at a time, though!
Special Price for Wise Bread Readers at SoupBase.Com!
Photo: SoupBase.Com
Love to create restaurant quality food at home? Looking for an inside track to how the professionals pull it off? David Sievers at SoupBase.Com is stepping up to help. Read on.
Those of you who caught my recent post regarding Seafood on the Cheap will already be somewhat familiar with SoupBase.Com. They sell among other cool things, the Minor's brand professional flavoring bases made by parent company Nestle. Ready for the discount details?
- The discount code is SEAFOODBLOG .
- It apparently needs to be entered on the first page of the checkout, prior to anything else.
- It's good for a 15 percent discount on any order over twenty-five dollars.
- This code is good until midnight, February 8th, 2009.
- If you have any problems or questions, the folks at SoupBase.Com want to give it their personal attention. In fact, David requested I provide their stateside number: 1-800-827-8328.
- Also, if browsing offline is your thing, you can request a pdf catalog via return email.
A few of the neat tidbits about the Minor's flavoring bases? They are one hundred percent natural paste-style concentrates of freshly cooked meat, poultry, seafood or vegetables. They contain no artificial ingrdients, chemical preservatives or color. Most contain less than one gram of fat per serving, and they have up to half the salt of bouillon cubes, depending on the type of base.
One teaspoon per cup of boiling water is the recommended mixing ratio. And the cost? The data I received on the chicken stock was nineteen cents a cup, way less than canned or boxed stock. So if making your own doesn't appeal to you, or even if you stick to the seafood and clam stocks alone, the savings is significant. Free recipes for the Minor's bases are available here. For other ways to cut down on cooking costs, check out these articles on poultry and meat suggestions. Happy saving!
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It is good stuff, isn't it? It keeps for up to a year in the fridge, and according the rep I spoke with it will last indefinitely in the freezer.
I think the twenty-five dollar total is something that would be appropriate for those who are stocking up. For example, getting a few different bases to have whatever they would need for several months. It's a personal choice though, and good suggestion about the polenta.
trouble is that these soup bases are an allergen fiesta. soy/corn/wheat/milk -- yikes.
also must note that (if my calculations are correct) there are nearly 100 mg Na per ounce -- which is higher than the already high campbell's canned/condensed broths!!!
First thing I did - before reading the whole thing - was click on the link. Off the top of my head it was apparent that the soup bases are a much better deal than the canned stuff I'm using (14.5 oz for 49 cents, 910 mg sodium (!) per 7.25 oz serving), of which I just bought a can today.
I'm a big fan also of the lower sodium in the soup base. My calculations come up with 81 mg/Na per prepared oz of the chicken soup base, or 588 mg per 7.25 oz serving. (The website says 540 mg per 1tsp unprepared serving, so my calculations could be off by approx 10 percent)
This works out to the chicken soup base containing 65 percent as much sodium as my canned stock. (I did not make similar calculations for the other bases, which might have higher sodium content.)
The sodium content varies greatly from one base to another.
All serving sizes are based on 3/4 to 1 level teaspoon base
to 8 oz. water.
The All Natural Chicken base has 540mg sodium - divided by 8 ounces works out to 67.5mg per 8 oz. serving.
The Roasted Chicken Broth concentrate (gel formula instead of a paste) has only 135mg sodium per 8 oz. or just under 17mg per 8 oz. serving.
If you have specific questions the website does not answer feel free to call or email me at cooking@soupbase.com.
Thanks David, for jumping in with the information. I've been meaning to get back with you about it today, but you know, it's just been one of those days where everything seems to keep jumping in my path. Thanks again for the data.
if you divide any sodium content by 8 units (in this case, ounces) -- you get the total sodium content PER OUNCE. diluting 1 tbsp of concentrate with 8 oz of H2O does NOT change the per serving content of sodium.
it is true that the bases vary in sodium content... but, you are still better off -- in terms of sodium content, additives and, esp, allergens -- in buying/roasting your own chicken, turkey, etc; eating a meal or two with the meat... then making stock with the bones and a few left-over trimmings of herbs&veggies (that i know you've saved in a ziploc freezer bag).
of course, it's not as convenient, but, a small price to pay imho ... :)
I don't think he said it changed the sodium content but was saying to Moody Blues that 1 ounce would be the same as consuming 1/8 of the sodium in an 8 ounce serving, which is what Moody Blues referred to... sodium per ounce.
The other one he mentioned -
Roasted Chicken Broth concentrate sounds great. If it's like other bases I've tried it lasts over a year and there's no roasting, soaking and cooking and all the other time consuming things you have to do to make a really good stock that doesn't last that long.
