Everyone has their limits, including celebrity chefs. For instance, Lidia Bastianich refuses to add cilantro to her recipes because, to her, it tastes like soap. And Alton Brown never recommends butter for popping popcorn because he prefers ghee. So, it should come as no surprise that Emeril Lagasse also has a food he avoids at all costs. The “bam” chef has drawn a line in the sand, confessing to Grub Street that while he isn’t above buying chicken stock from time to time, he will never use salted bouillons. “I draw the line at salted bouillons; I’d never do that!” he proclaimed.
You may be among those who said, “Amen,” and crossed yourself at Lagasse’s admission; however, if you like to use bouillon cubes, you might be asking, “Why?” It’s a good question and to be fair, bouillon, which is made using dehydrated meat or vegetable stock, is full of sodium. When one cube of this convenience stock is prepared with water, a single serving contains approximately 42% of the recommended daily allowance of salt. Some brands even contain MSG. So, while it is generally a cheaper option for a pocketbook on a tight budget, it’s not necessarily the best option for your health — or your tastebuds.
Salted bouillons can be beneficial to certain dishes
Emeril Lagasse isn’t wrong to have ill feelings toward these flavor bombs. Bouillon can make soups too salty and do the same with sauces. These cubes, which were first crafted in 1908 by a Swiss foodie and called bouillonwürfel, do not always give a home cook enough control over the outcome of the flavor. Instead, using ingredients like wine or creating a broth with water and scraps of veggies can be a better option for making a stock. You get to control the level of seasonings and the amount of salt you want to add to enhance the flavor, allowing you to either give your dish a wow factor or keep it bland so it doesn’t overpower other ingredients.
Still, bouillon may have a place in your pantry. You can use bouillon cubes to create a savory umami flavor by adding them to your homemade barbecue sauce, give a little dusting of this stuff into your frying pan for flavorful scrambled eggs, or sprinkle some crushed bouillon over buttered popcorn for an ultra-flavorful bite. Savory, store-bought bouillon might even give your mouth something to look forward to if your mashed potatoes tend to taste a little tasteless. Just don’t tell Lagasse.
