I try and have frozen stock at the ready but don't always have enough and also sometimes I like the saltier flavour that commercial stock gives.
As a creature of habit I generally buy Campbels liquid stocks although yesterday bought Simon Gaults concentrated pouches.
Which do you buy and do you think they are all much of a muchness?

So many recipes these days have stock whereas once they would have just stipulated water, so I feel the ubiquitous use of stock these days is largely a marketing and/or "sell-more-products" issue. I still ignore the word "stock" in a lot of dishes and put water in instead - it's a case-by-case, recipe-by-recipe judgement.

So my use of stock is not very high. I don't make stock specifically but do always keep any worthwhile leftover liquids from casseroles, stews, oven meat bakes, slow cooker concoctions, etc, and I freeze it, and use it as stock whenever their flavour profile suits what I'm making.

Basically I didn't buy stock (apart from sampling ones on the market now and again over the years) in any shape or form until recently . What changed for me was the introduction of Simon Gault's stocks onto the market, which you mention. I've found them excellent. For starters, not too salty, which I found a lot of other brands were for my personal taste (I have the same problem with bacon, smoked salmon, feta...). I have all Simon's stock flavours and only use them for certain things, such as a kumara or potato dish where you slice potato or kumara 1cm thick, lay them in an oven dish in a single layer, pour two cups of stock in, dot with butter, bake for 40-60 mins at 180-200°C until all the liquid's almost gone - for that I use Simon Gault's lamb stock. Otherwise, they're used for any dish I feel really does warrant the use of stock.

If it weren't for Simon's stocks, I still wouldn't be buying any stock in any shape or form.

I don't buy stock at all as I prefer a clean-tasting chicken stock without additives or veges.

Every time I butcher a chicken, about every two weeks, I simmer the carcase, wing tips and trimmings in a small pan for about three hours in enough water to well cover it. No salt or other additions. I strain it and freeze, usually around 750 ml, in yoghurt or Jimbo's pots, and that is enough for soups, sauces and rice dishes throughout the year.

I simmer the bones, skin and assorted bits of chicken that we don’t eat,like wings for instance, and make my own chicken stock this way which I freeze. If I need to buy stock I buy Simon Gault’s stock. I think J1 mentioned the stock in a post some time back and I made a note of it. It’s an excellent substitute for when I have run out.
I was put off Campbells chicken stock because it has added sugar and a few years ago I got a carton of chicken stock that tasted decidedly sweet. I haven’t bought Campbells stock since because it tasted awful. Might have been a faulty batch perhaps.
At the weekend I cooked a whole chicken in water together with peppercorns, carrot, parsley and bayleaf. I needed a nourishing broth for my husband to drink today in preparation for a colonoscopy tomorrow as he is not allowed solids. Best broth ever and so gelatinous that I could have cut it. The meat was tender and made a great chicken pie.

I don't have the energy or time in life right now to make stock. I used to buy Campbells, out of habit, but about a year ago I changed to Simon Gault's pouches, and now I use them. Hugely more economical, better tasting, more versatile (being a concentrate) and lasts forever in the fridge. What's not to like?! (apart from that it's not as good as home made and probably has more salt than is ideal )



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/2020 08:55AM by Jenna.

Becoming lazy in my old age, always made my own and always had it on hand in the freezer. Now I use anything, brand doesn't matter and I have even been known to use soup mix thinned down. Lockdown has changed the way I cook considerably.

Hands up and I buy my stock. Lazy I know but it suits for us. Campbell’s is my go to

I make my own but not as often as I used to. And Simon G's pouches have become a stock item in my fridge.

I buy Simon Gault's pouches which I love for certain things such as if I want to bolster the flavour of stock without adding more fluid, and I also keep on hand Campbells stocks.
Regards,
Dawn.

I use a mix - sometimes make my own, sometimes buy Campbell's out of habit. I even have some oxo cubes on hand for emergencies and for the more 'robust' dishes such as slow cooked stews. I'm going to be trying the Simon Gault stock now though!. I do sometimes like the saltiness that you get from commercial stock but is really dish dependent

You go Stephanie D. Thanks for keeping it real!

My favorite is the Chef brand available from Gilmours but not in the supermarket, its a liquid concentrate which comes in 8 flavours Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Vegetable, Mushroom, Fish and Langoustine and Veal. It has a beautiful light flavour, and not too salty. My second favorite is Vegeta but probably because of my Croatian heritage, we put it in everything, I like the Chicken version of Vegeta as well, and then I don't mind the Simon Gault concentrates especially the Lamb one (it has a lovely hint of rosemary).

Pictures attached.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2020 01:14AM by Danube.

I do the same as tpandav in fact I made some this week & with the chicken I made a pie with a few added veggies to it. I like mashed potatoes & Kumara to go with the white sauce that I make the chicken pie with. I like adding Kumara to mashed potatoes then I don’t need butter. If I do need a stock I use Campbell’s come in little packs.

I needed an organic, GF chicken stock for a dish I was making and tried kallo chicken stock cubes for the first time. These have a genuine chicken flavour, and unlike the other brands I looked at, actually include chicken in the ingredients. I've used Campbells liquid stock in the past, when GF wasn't a requirement, but I think the kallo brand is superior.