A little while ago, this lovely kit arrived through the post, containing a packet of Risotto Rice, some garlic and some new Stock Melts from Bisto.
But that wasn't the best bit ! There were also some rather fabulous personalised chefs hats and aprons for the Madhouse Mini-Testers. How cool are those ? I have my own Bisto Kids !
Well, as it's half term, I've been getting the kids more hands-on in the kitchen, not just for cakes and biscuits but for proper cooking skills. Chief Mini-Chef of the day today was Juliette who couldn't decide which of the Bisto Stock Melts we should try first - Vegetable, Chicken or Beef !
One of Madhouse Daddy Mike's work colleagues had given us some huge wild mushrooms that he'd picked in a local forest so I decided to make wild mushroom risotto, using the Chicken Stock Melts.
First, I got Juliette frying the mushrooms. This is the first time she's actually got really hands-on with helping to make dinner for the family so she was very proud !
Time to discover the Stock Melts. They actually remind me of leftover homemade gravy that has gone solid, which is basically what they are. The enclosed press release explains : "New Bisto Stock
Melts are little portions of concentrated stock that contain real
meat juices, herbs and seasoning to deliver extra depth of flavour
and enhance dinnertime dishes with a richer taste. What is more,
they’re lower in salt than Knorr Stock Pots so you can feel
confident with what you’re feeding your family." They're really convenient because you don't need to dilute them, you just throw one in the pot and let it melt.
I popped one of the Chicken Stock Melts into the pan with the mushrooms, waited for it to melt, added some of the risotto rice and some water and left it to get on with it, stirring every now and then and adding extra water when required. It made a really rich, well-seasoned risotto with a lovely deep flavour that was much easier to achieve than with stock cubes or gravy granules.
Meanwhile, Juliette was helping to prepare the Madhouse Mini-Testers' favourite vegetable dish - leeks in cream with grated cheese stirred in.
Juliette was very proud to serve up such a fabulous meal for her first attempt at proper cooking. Thanks to Bisto for the helping hand and the chef's outfit so that she looked the part too !
The Bisto Stock melts look like a really versatile and convenient ingredient that I'll definitely be trying out in soups, stews and sauces. I love the way that the three different varieties will enable busy cooks to play around with flavours without altering the basic recipe.
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : £1.89 for 6
Disclosure : We received some Bisto Stock Melts, as well as some fab extras including the aprons and chefs' hats for the Madhouse Mini-testers, in order to write an honest review.
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They look good. Do you have to keep them refridgerated? I've used Knorr stock pots but am keen to lower the salt I use in cooking. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteNo, just in the cupboard :)
DeleteI saw them recently and bought a beef variety, I thought it was pretty good. LOve the young chefs!
ReplyDeleteHas anyone tried the veggie ones? Knorr seemed to have stopped making their wonderful vegetable stock granules (or maybe everyone but Tesco had stopped stocking them) so I bought the Bisto stock melts instead. Took one sniff of the first pot and threw it down the sink! It does not smell, and presumably does not taste, of nice green vegetables at all but of the very dried herbs that just don't work dried. Dried chives and parsley would have been fine, but this was a veggie product obviously designed by someone who just doesn't get it.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, I have only used the chicken and beef ones at the moment. I'll get back to you once I've tried the veggie ones but I've got a stinking rotten cold at the moment and can't taste or smell a thing !
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