Cooking base, sometimes called soup base, is a concentrated flavoring compound used in place of stock for the creation of

soups Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingr ...

sauces In cooking, a sauce is a liquid, cream, or semi-solid food, served on or used in preparing other foods. Most sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to a dish. ''Sauce'' is a French wor ...

, and gravies. Since it can be purchased rather than prepared fresh, it is commonly used in restaurants where cost is a more important factor than achieving

haute cuisine ''Haute cuisine'' (; ) or ''grande cuisine'' is the cuisine of "high-level" establishments, gourmet restaurants, and luxury hotels. ''Haute cuisine'' is characterized by the meticulous preparation and careful presentation of food at a high pric ...

. Veal and chicken base are common, as are beef, lamb and vegetable base. Soup base is available in many levels of quality. Today, these products are produced in low and very low sodium varieties, seafood and vegetarian.

References

See also