For savoury meals made with store-cupboard ingredients
You’re looking for a cooking aid for soup, rice, pasta, risotto or a sauce. Keep stock cubes with those ingredients, separate from products for toast and jam.
Who are stock cubes for?
For people keeping an eye on their salt intake
You want to tell the difference between standard, reduced-salt and salt-free recipes. Compare the nutritional information for the product you choose: a reduction compared with other stocks doesn’t mean it contains no salt.
For shoppers who check the ingredients
You check the ingredients and allergen information for the exact product, particularly if celery, soya or possible traces matter to your choice.
What should you check before buying?
Start by separating what you need for toast and jam from the ingredients for savoury recipes. For savoury dishes, the type of stock, salt content and ingredients will help you compare products.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| How you’ll use it | Check that your planned recipe is savoury, and look at the suggested uses and quantities for the stock cube you choose. | If I’m making soup, rice or pasta, I want a cube suited to those dishes rather than a product for sweet toast; around 42% of consumers would favour this savoury use. |
| Salt | Compare salt on a like-for-like basis, particularly per prepared portion when that information is available. Tell ‘reduced salt’ apart from ‘salt-free’. | If I’m already adding salt to my dish, I want to know how much the stock contributes so I can adjust my recipe; around 33% of consumers would prioritise managing their salt intake. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredients list and any ‘may contain’ information for the exact product and pack you’re buying. | If certain ingredients don’t suit me, I need to be able to choose based on the exact ingredients, even for a ‘vegetable’ stock; around 25% of consumers would put this check first. |
Mistakes to avoid
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Adding stock cubes to your ‘toast and jam’ basket
The uses listed by Knorr and Auchan are for savoury dishes. A stock cube isn’t a topping for sweet toast or an ingredient for jam.
Shop for toast toppings separately, and save stock cubes for the savoury meals you plan to cook.
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Reading ‘reduced salt’ as ‘salt-free’
According to the comparison shown for Maggi Reduced-Salt Vegetable Stock, its 25% reduction is measured against the average for stocks, excluding reduced-salt products. This doesn’t mean the product contains no salt.
Check the nutritional information for the product you choose and compare equivalent prepared portions before adjusting the salt you add to your dish.
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Assuming ‘vegetable’ stock is suitable for every dietary restriction
Auchan’s vegetable-flavour stock product information lists celery and soya, as well as possible traces of other allergens. The recipe name alone doesn’t tell you what’s in it.
Check the ingredients and allergen information whenever you switch product or pack size.
Brands to know
Maggi
The range includes stocks for savoury cooking, including a reduced-salt vegetable option.
- For this product, Maggi says it contains 25% less salt than the average for stocks, excluding reduced-salt products.
- This comparison doesn’t mean ‘salt-free’. Check the ingredients and allergens for the product you’re buying, too.
Knorr
The brand offers standard stock cubes and a Salt-Free Vegetable option for savoury dishes.
- Knorr states that its Salt-Free Vegetable option contains 0,02 g of salt per portion.
- The standard Vegetable recipe is different: Knorr states that it contains 1,7 g of salt per portion. Check the product and portion size before comparing.
Auchan
The retailer offers a dried vegetable-flavour stock in a box of 12 cubes weighing 10 g each, for a range of savoury dishes.
- Auchan’s product information lists the ingredients, storage advice and a suggested quantity of one tablet per half-litre of cooking water.
- This product contains celery and soya, among other ingredients, and warns that it may contain traces of other allergens.
Marque Repère / Rustica
E.Leclerc sells a dried cooking stock under the Rustica name, with 12 tablets weighing 120 g in total.
- The product information includes the ingredients and nutritional details.
- It states that the unprepared product contains 48,9 g of salt per 100 g. Don’t compare this value directly with the salt per prepared portion shown for another product.
Bio Village
E.Leclerc offers organic Bio Village chicken stock in eight tablets weighing 80 g in total.
- The product information marks ingredients from organic farming with an asterisk.
- It also states that the unprepared product contains 38,2 g of salt per 100 g. The organic label alone doesn’t tell you how much salt there is per prepared portion.
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Frequently asked questions
Are stock cubes used to make toast or jam?
No, not for sweet toast or jam: Knorr and Auchan present their stock cubes as cooking aids for savoury dishes such as soups, pasta, rice and vegetables. So, shop for toast toppings separately.
Does ‘reduced salt’ mean ‘salt-free’?
No. For its Reduced-Salt Vegetable Stock, Maggi says it contains 25% less salt than the average for stocks, excluding reduced-salt products. Knorr’s Salt-Free Vegetable option has a different description and states that it contains 0,02 g of salt per portion. Check the salt content and portion size shown for each product.
Is vegetable stock automatically free from allergens?
No. Auchan’s vegetable-flavour stock lists celery and soya, among other ingredients, and warns that it may contain traces of other allergens. Check the ingredients list and allergen information for the exact product before buying.
How should you store stock cubes after opening?
Follow the instructions on the pack you’ve bought. For its vegetable-flavour stock cubes, Auchan advises keeping them away from heat and moisture and, preferably, placing the tablets in an airtight container after opening.