can i use oxo cubes in cooking food that dd 6 months also eats ?

[lionbeast]

in things like casseroles and rissottos that type of thing ?

or am i paranoid about salt

there's really no fuss to making veggie stock for risotto, you just get it into the pan a bit before you chop and sweat the onions and then sweat the rice and start addng ladlefuls.

that bouillon does get a bit samey actually, I haven't put it in anything for ages. I do always have organic chicken stock in the freezer too, mainly as theyre so bloody expensive I like to eke them out.

ok great youve got my conviced homemade stock it is

im already eatting healthier to set dd a good example and she gonna want what i have

i told you down below, for chicken all you do is add the chicken carcass. some people simmer for ages but i reckon it only takes half to three quarters of an hour.

When mine were babies stock cubes were for 12 months plus. Use bouillion. Much better.

For homemade chicken stock you can either just boil up the chicken bones and bits, or you can add stuff like bay leaves, celery, carrots, black peppercorns etc. How long you leave it for depends how big a pan you have! I did my turkey one for several hours, but from a normal chicken I'd just stick it on low on the range for an hour or two.

ok so homemade stock it is, i can always make loads and freezer it right?

so is everyone agreed about using next day chicken ?

DS is nearly 2 now so I do use the occasional stock cube - but only ever a half or a quarter, if that.

Before the age of one I think stock cubes are too salty. If you're making risotto just for them don't bother, it's fine without - use milk instead of the stock, they honestly won't notice.

If making risotto for the whole family it would depend on the contents. You can make a very nice risotto using tomato and that doesn't need any stock at all. If using leftover chicken meat then I would also use the carcass to make home-made stock. I know this sounds a faff but it hardly takes any time at all - just tear carcass in half, add any other bones, cut a skin-on onion in half, add some bits of carrot if you have them, cover with water and simmer for an hour. Pour through a colander and freeze.

Casseroles, IMO, don't need a stock cube ever. If your meat and veg are good they should have enough flavour of their own, what you are mainly missing is the salt and you can (if you're bothered) salt at the end.

oh my god, so many replies! That's what happens when you answer the phone halfway through a post...

Note to self and others learning to do stock. I read a post a while back when someone made a lovely pot of stock then tipped it into a colander/sieve and the stock went down the sink leaving her with a pile of bones or whatever she was boiling up!

i have done that more than once! i now have to consciously say to myself not to when i use the colander. that's why i mostly ladle it out into the soup or risotto directly.

right we are having roast chicken tomorrow, just so i can get to the carcass lol

I have never done that but I have let it boil dry a few times, it smells hideous.

really glad I found this thread. I spend ages chopping up the contents of my organic box, and get really nice free range chicken, then crumble in stock cubes!

I need curing of this habit so thanks to all for the advice as I have been following it as well. I now need to buy whole chickens which I understand cost about the same as 2 chicken breasts, the lazy option is often the most expensive.

home-made chicken stock makes a totally divine leek and potato soup. Sooooooo subtle, creamy and soft-tasting, unlike the kind of hard, metally flavour you get with stock cubes.

For added lusciousness I use [ponce alert] left-over goose fat to soften the leeks.

im thinking of getting some food from able and cole, do you think there anygood

I like Riverford - I haven't tried Abel and Cole but have had mixed reviews from friends. However TBH I think it's a lot to do with your local co-ordinater, mine is fab and really lovely. When DS was tiny I would put notes on the door telling her if he was napping and she would do a teeny ring so as not to wake him! (pbf I realise!)