Even though the terms are used interchangeably by cooks, there are distinct differences. In simplest terms, stocks are derived from bones, a broth is produced from meats and vegetables and bouillon in its classic form is homemade by simmering meats and vegetables in water (another term for broth). However, if purchasing bouillon in a cube or powdered form, it would be best to pay strict attention to the ingredient label.
Bases are broth concentrates. When added to water produce a broth or stock ready to use for making soups, stews, sauces, and gravies.
Besides easy to store and a much longer shelf life, soup bases are concentrated. That means you can adjust the flavor by adding a little extra to your soup or whip into sauces, gravies, and stews to intensify the flavor without having to “cook down” the broth to concentrate its flavor.
Yes. As long as you are cooking with a quality concentrate, cup for cup, stocks, and broths from concentrates can cost as little as $0.25 a prepared cup. Some concentrates, such as seafood and low sodium food bases may cost more to produce and therefore are priced higher, but these are food bases that are very difficult to find at your local market.
Meat food bases are best in paste form. When meats are dehydrated, they sometimes develop undesirable changes such as loss of color, nutrients, and flavors. Vegetable food bases are best in powdered or granular form because of the very high moisture content of vegetables. This method deepens the flavor and extends its shelf life.
A reduced sodium product must be a minimum of 25% lower in sodium than the product you are comparing it to – like our Smart Sodium 400 Bases that are 30% lower in sodium than our ‘regular’ bases. Because there is no set number for reduced sodium, be careful when looking at reduced sodium products to find the actual amount of sodium. Some ‘reduced sodium’ products are still fairly high in sodium. Both Low Sodium and Very Low Sodium are defined amounts of sodium in a serving size of a product. Low Sodium products cannot contain more than 140mg of sodium, and Very Low Sodium products cannot contain more than 35mg of sodium per serving. These numbers do not change between products.
Our soup bases are made from real meats and vegetables; therefore, this is an expected outcome of the production process.
Every batch of products goes through a battery of Quality Control tests before being released for sale. All proteins are lab tested to ensure that they meet our demanding microbiological standards. We are inspected by the FDA and USDA. One such test measures the shelf stability because our custom manufacturing process ensures every batch of the same high-quality standards and consistent flavor profile you will come to enjoy.
There are several environmental effects that are detrimental to all food products; oxygen, ultraviolet light, moisture, and heat. Even though our products are shelf-stable, we suggest that you refrigerate your protein bases to keep the flavor as fresh as the day it was made.
Yes. Our experts deem our products Gluten-Free and we even take it a step further by having an independent lab certify every production batch for our Healthy Foundations® Lab Certified Gluten Free products.
No. Although MSG is naturally occurring in many vegetables, we do not add any to the product.
Our dry, granular bases do not require refrigeration and should be stored in a cool, dry place. As for our paste base concentrates, we do recommend storing them under refrigeration once the package is opened. Any product should be used within the shelf life stated on the product page.