I have made stocks all my professional life. Do I make fresh stocks at home? No. With a young family, there’s no time. But I love stock cubes, the beef ones in foil. They’re a combination of yeast extract, beef extract – quite a few extracts – and they’re very high in salt. How you use them is key. I don’t necessarily make stock from them, but use them as a seasoning, like salt.
If you make a bolognese, chilli, curry or stew and it seems a bit bland, grab a stock cube and sprinkle it in at the end. It transforms it. It’s like an adrenaline rush – a shot of something.
If I do make a stock with a cube, for a gravy, I won’t just use one cube, I’ll put in about three. I generally use the beef cubes, even for chicken or lamb, because it just gives a strong meaty flavour. The real beef or chicken flavour comes from the meat you have cooked.
I use them as a rub. Flake stock cubes into a bowl, add some spices, then rub it over chicken drumsticks or pork chops. Leave to marinate, then gently roast them. That’s why I prefer the old-school cubes – you can’t do that with the little jelly pods you need to dilute with water.
It’s about trial and error; be confident, but don’t go too crazy – taste as you go.
Marcus Wareing is a chef and author of Marcus’ Kitchen (HarperCollins, £22)
