NOW CLOSED: Bisto Stock Melts reviewer feedback thread

[AnnMumsnet]

This thread is for the Mumsnetters who have been trying out the new Stock Melts from Bisto with their family.
We have some questions for you to answer but we'd love to hear about how you are using them over the next couple of weeks.
Do post links to any recipes you use them in and give the family feedback on taste as well!

All testers who add feedback to this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive a £100 Amazon voucher.
If you're not a tester but have any queries of Bisto or with a tester please do post it and we will endeavour to get a response.

Q1. What were your initial impressions of the Bisto Stock Melts?
Q2. How was it using the Stock Melts? How did this compare to using a cube or other stock?
Q3. Did you and your family notice any difference in the taste of the dish compared to your usual recipe?
Q4. Did you and your family like the taste of the Stock Melts or not? Did it make the flavour any richer/deeper or not? How would you describe the flavour of the Stock Melts?
Q5. Which dishes did you use the Bisto Stock Melts in? Which recipes are you planning on using them in?
Q6. The RRP of the Bisto Stock Melts is £1.89 for a pack of 6, do you think you will buy them again or not? If so why? If not, why not?
Q7. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the Bisto Stock Melts to a friend/relative? If so why? If not, why not?

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw.

MNHQ

Made chilli salad bowls tonight (Hairy Dieters book again)
Made a beef version, using the beef stock, and a veggie one using the vegetable stock.
Both went down very well. The beef ad the veggie stock had a good aroma and both dissolved quickly with no lumps. Both tasted lovely.

Q1. What were your initial impressions of the Bisto Stock Melts?
Initially impressed. I liked the packaging. Smart and handily resealable. I that there's a recipe on the box. I liked that they have real meat juices.
Q2. How was it using the Stock Melts? How did this compare to using a cube or other stock?
Much easier than using cubes - you don't end up with it all over your fingers. It didn't always splodge out of the pot entirely, but scooped out easily with a teaspoon, or left very little behind. Melted easily. Very simple to use.
Q3. Did you and your family notice any difference in the taste of the dish compared to your usual recipe?
Yes. A significantly better flavour. Richer, meatier (with the meat stock), tastier. I made a bolognese-ish beef mince dish without wine, but the stock pot added more than enough flavour. DH thought my dad had made it, because it was so good!
Q4. Did you and your family like the taste of the Stock Melts or not? Did it make the flavour any richer/deeper or not? How would you describe the flavour of the Stock Melts?
Yes. Definitely noticed a difference. Richer, deeper flavour.
Q5. Which dishes did you use the Bisto Stock Melts in? Which recipes are you planning on using them in?
Made a bolognese-ish, a stew and a vegetable risotto. Plan on making the chicken risotto from the recipe and trying out the stir-fry.
Q6. The RRP of the Bisto Stock Melts is £1.89 for a pack of 6, do you think you will buy them again or not? If so why? If not, why not?
Not for all my stock needs, but I will be buying them. I'll probably continue to use cheaper stick cubes for everyday use, but I'll definitely use these for special dishes or eg when batch cooking so they stretch further.
Q7. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the Bisto Stock Melts to a friend/relative? If so why? If not, why not?
Yes. I've already got my mum to try them!

Did a Cottage Pie tonight. It tasted lovely, but I did have to use 3 pots instead of the 2 I use of my normal brand.

I found the flavour wasn't any different on the beef ones, maybe a bit milder, as I had to use an extra one to usual.

I noticed far more of a difference with the chicken one.

Oh, and it didn't thicken as well as my other brand, so the minge mince part of my meal was a bit sloppier than usual - I had to use cornflour to thicken it with.

My chicken risotto is cooking nicely in the slow cooker not quite ready but tastes lovely. Just a thought about the packaging.. I've only just noticed the recipes on the packaging although I'm not in the habit or turning packets upside down to find recipes looking on the side, back or the top would be a "normal"place to find such things .

In a fit of experimentation, I put a Vegetable Stock Melt in with my homemade pilau rice this evening. Wasn't sure if the flavour would be weird with the spices, but it was gorgeous. The rice was just the right side of sticky, and had a depth of flavour that it just doesn't have when I use water & spices alone.

DH really loved it, and I would definitely do it again.

Q1. What were your initial impressions of the Bisto Stock Melts?

They were quite unusual, a bit bigger than I imagined.

Q2. How was it using the Stock Melts? How did this compare to using a cube or other stock?

It was really easy to use them, they stuck in the packet a little bit, so I had to use a spoon, but it was easier than crumbling a stock cube.

Q3. Did you and your family notice any difference in the taste of the dish compared to your usual recipe?

I think they gave a meatier, richer taste than a normal stock cube does. (we've not used the vegetarian ones yet.)

Q4. Did you and your family like the taste of the Stock Melts or not? Did it make the flavour any richer/deeper or not? How would you describe the flavour of the Stock Melts?

Definitely meatier.

Q5. Which dishes did you use the Bisto Stock Melts in? Which recipes are you planning on using them in?

Mainly slow cooked stews ( we are out late on mondays and thursdays so stews in the slow cooker get made a lot in this house) and risottos.

Q6. The RRP of the Bisto Stock Melts is £1.89 for a pack of 6, do you think you will buy them again or not? If so why? If not, why not?

I would buy them again, but they are quite expensive if you haven't tried them beforehand.

Q7. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the Bisto Stock Melts to a friend/relative? If so why? If not, why not?

I would, they are richer than a traditional cube and give more flavour.

I made a veggie risotto with the vegetable stock the other night. I tend to find vegetable stock a bit over peppery, but this one was delicious!

I'm really impressed by the whole range.

I added a stock melt to two family recipes, one with spinach and leek and tomato sauce and pasta, and one a vegetable stir-fry with noodles. Both meals were surprisingly tasty, and received very positive, unsolicited, comments from members of the family.

After eating the pasta dish my DH said "That was delicious" ! (He is generally appreciative, but it's a while since he's used the word "delicious" !)

And after eating his bowl of stir-fry noodles my DS (10) said "Look Mummy, I've eaten it all" or words to that effect ! I promise I'm not making these up even if they do sound like they're straight our of a Bisto advert

I've added one again to another pasta recipe and have generally found that they are adding a certain depth of flavour. I'm conscious that I'm also adding salt to the meals through using the stock melts, which I have generally avoided when the children were young (So, I'm really using or adding these where I wasn't using anything except dried herbs before) Now the children are a little older I'm glad to experiment with different ways to add flavour though, and I'm sure I'll be including the stock melts in my culinary creations from time to time. I will probably talk with my family and friends about taking part in the trial and will certainly be positive about the whole experience. I will probably give the non-veggie ones to a friend to try as we're a veggie family.

Thank you also for the lovely range of kitchen implements - they are also a very welcome addition to our kitchen, and, like the stock melts, a good encouragement to more adventurous meal-times

Made the hairy dieters golden soup yesterday using the vegetable stock. Tasted delicious. Not too salty.

Just a heads up that the Stock Melts are £1 a box in Sainsburys at the moment :)

Thanks Ninth I'll make sure I stock up on them while they are on offer

1. The box looked nice and resealable which would be great if I kept them in it (i have a tub for stock type bits next to the cooker)
2. They melted well so easier than a normal stock cube but were a faff to get out of the wee tub and other melt type stock products I've used have just slid right out.
3. Can't say that my family noticed but the littlies liked the food and dh generally doesn't pay much attention to what he's eating. I noticed a difference in flavour myself though and it was nice.
4. Meatier than a normal stock cube and almost as good as making from scratch so definitely a good alternative and time saving.
5. I have used the beef in stew, lasagne, bolognaise, pepper sauce for steak, and casserole. I have used chicken in a chicken and ale pie, risotto, soup, casserole, pasta dishes. I have used the veg ones in soup and a couple pasta sauces. I don't know what else I will be making yet but perhaps a steak pie.
6. Yes I would but them again. I like to make my own stock usually but I keep a stash of cubes etc for when I can't be bothered/havent time and these would be useful for that.
7. Yes I would.

I have just bought two more packets of the beef ones @ £1 each in Sainsburys. I'm very happy!

I made some gorgeous onion gravy for bangers and mash yesterday. So yummy there were literally 3 totally clear plates! I also thickened with cornflour as mentioned by an earlier poster.

Happycamper How did you make the gravy ? Would like to try that ..

I put the stock melt in 500ml boiling water in a pan, added a thinly sliced onion and simmered for about 10 mins. I then took a small amount of the liquid and added to 1 tbs cornflour and then poured it back in for about 5 mins til it thickened. Was very beefy and delicious, not at all salty

wow.wow.wow.....SAVED MY COOKING LIFE,IM A RUBBISH COOK ,BUT THESE ARE EFFORTLESS,I HAVE USED THEM ALL SO NEED TO BUY MORE ,MY PROBLEM IS I CAN NEVER GET A GOOD GRAVY FLAVOUR ,I USED TO USE STOCK GUBES AND GRAVY GRANULES BUT EVERY THING I MADE WAS WAY TOO SALTY,WHICH IS THE DOWN SIDE IF USING TOO MUCH OF ANY OF THEM,I STRUGGLED TO GET A GOOD MEATY TASTE,NOW I JUST MELT A "MELT" AND GREAT FOOD EVER TIME,BUY THEM AND SAVE A WHOLE LOT OF BOTHER.

Q1. What were your initial impressions of the Bisto Stock Melts?

It made a good first impression as the boxes look nice and look expensive. Also arriving with a box full of goodies definitely made me very happy!

Q2. How was it using the Stock Melts? How did this compare to using a cube or other stock?

They were very easy to dissolve and it was nice not to have to crumble and break up a cube.

Q3. Did you and your family notice any difference in the taste of the dish compared to your usual recipe?

Yes they were far less salty and this was especially noticeable in dishes where the flavour becomes condensed, like in a risotto. I noticed that the salt levels are on a par with or less than the low salt varieties of cube and yet this asset isn't really made clear on the box.

Q4. Did you and your family like the taste of the Stock Melts or not? Did it make the flavour any richer/deeper or not? How would you describe the flavour of the Stock Melts?

Yes we did like them but in the dishes we've tried them in we haven't noticed a massive change in flavour, this might be because of the dishes chosen. We did make a casserole that my Dad loved and described as very warming. He'd been working outside all day and it was just what he needed.

Q5. Which dishes did you use the Bisto Stock Melts in? Which recipes are you planning on using them in?

We've made: Lamb casserole (used the chicken melt), vegetarian casserole, beef and quorn chillis, risotto. Planning on using them in spaghetti bolognese and tagine this week.

Q6. The RRP of the Bisto Stock Melts is £1.89 for a pack of 6, do you think you will buy them again or not? If so why? If not, why not?

Yes I don't think the price is unreasonable as I don't use them all that much. Also I noticed a fish version in tesco and I want to try it!

Q7. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend the Bisto Stock Melts to a friend/relative? If so why? If not, why not?

Probably, a group of friends were over for coffee when the box arrived, they were all very jealous!

Cottage Pie (another Hairy Dieters recipe) made on Friday - a meat one and a veggie one. Used the relevant melts and tasted great. Again very impressed. Will definitely be rebuying.

I've tried these in a few more recipes now and absolutely love them - good deal in Sainsburys at £1 per box too!

Have now made casseroles, soups, bolognese type dishes, chillis and risottos. The stock pots add a depth that you can't get with cubes without the saltiness. It also means that DD (9 months) can eat more of what we have.

Ive come back to add in some extra feedback. Ive made quite a lot with these now. The chicken ones i used with some cirnflour, creme fraiche and made the filling for a creamy chicken pie that was excellent.

I used the veggie ones in all my baby food and baby dd has eaten every meal. What im most impressed with is how the Vegetable ones arent too 'celery' flavoured. Most cheap stocks are really pungent celery taste and these are far nicer, more rounded flavour almost like a soup/broth.

I made a beef goulash and forgot to season it and told dh oh you'll need to salt it as i forgot. But when i tasted it it was perfect. The stock really gives a deep flavour that i can normally only achieve with more seasoning etc.

My only gripe was that in the slow cooker they seemed to water down more. I added cornflour etc as i would with stock cubes and put less liquid in as they are already moist but my gravy was far thinner.

The quorn bolognase tasted lovely with the veggie stock & I did a chicken casserole with the chicken ones which went down well. DD2 appreciated the veggie ones in her quorn "chicken" version too, said it was tasty.

Interestingly both fussy teens commented on the tastiness of the dishes without me telling them I used these melts.

A definate convert here....

Oh am recommending them to all & sundry too & so far all my chums have agreed with the taste improvement!

I made a turkey mince cottage pie type thing and chicken soup over the weekend using the stock melts. Everyone was impressed by the flavour and they're great to use. I been to sainsburys to stock up whilst they're on offer!

I nearly used up my stock melts - have used chicken in a stir fry - really nice flavour and seemed to add texture to my usual receipe. Made a paellea and dissolved a lot easier than my usual knorr stock pots.
Chilli in slow cooker great flavour - added 2 beef and gave a great flavour -seemed a bit more runny than usual - not sure if it was due to the Bisto Stock melt or not?
Will def be purchasing more!

Forgot to say used - whilst cooking my Topside of Beef yesterday - used in roasting tin - meat tasted great and my family loved the gravy made from the juices.