Can Bouillon Cubes Go Bad
You won’t have to worry about the bouillon cubes going bad before the best-by date because they can stay fresh for 1-3 months beyond that. The shelf life of bouillon cubes is between a year and 18 to 24 months, and they maintain their quality for at least a few months.
Bouillon cubes have the potential to spoil over time, particularly when stored under certain conditions which may cause it to spoil before its expiration date. The average shelf life for bouillon cubes is 18-24 months, but you can typically use them for up to 3 months after the expiration date. After that date, flavors can shift or wane, but your bouillon cubes will generally still work, unless they show the telltale signs that they are spoiled. Bouillon cubes can stay fresh for 1 to 3 months past their best-by date, so you do not need to worry that they are going to expire quickly.
The high salt content of bouillon cubes helps them to last for long periods of time before going bad, but the cubes do contain some fats and oils which will turn rancid over time. If you crack the cubes easy, then your cubes might be pretty old, and the broth flavors that come from boiling them might not be as tasty.
Freezing the cubes at a market does nothing to keep them fresh, as they may be sitting around quite long by now. Exposing them to any humidity and air could trigger microbes and mildew, something you would like to avoid as much as possible. Market Cubes are made with dried ingredients, and they are loaded with salt and preservatives to help keep them from spoiling.
The production process removes between 95% to 97% of moisture, so the ingredients are very difficult to go bad. It is recommended that if you bought or made stock cubes, they are not properly preserved. You can rationally assume you discarded the packets, and only discarded the broth cubes. Well, I am sure you already know this; but I will point out that, just like with homemade chicken broths and with opened veggie stock, you must chill the stock that you make from the cubes.
With homemade chicken broth, chill it first, then transfer it all into a sealed container and keep in the refrigerator, to keep it colder. If you properly store your opened stock in the refrigerator, an ideal time to use or cook your opened chicken stock before it spoils is 3-5 days. Commercial chicken broth lasts well past its expiration date, which is anywhere from 6 months to one year, as long as you keep it unopened and store it correctly.
Store-bought chicken broth is usually canned, either in a bottle or in a can, and anything canned generally makes us think that it will keep a very long time. If you bought store-bought chicken broth, chances are that it has been sitting around for months, if not years. Freshly made bouillon, made with no preservatives, only lasts for about five days in the fridge.
If you store your bouillon gelatin in the fridge, or if you accidentally added preservatives to your mix, it will last for up to six months. If you have made too much bouillon and wish to store for later, you may want to freeze it in an ice cube tray. If you follow this procedure, your cubes of bouillon can last for 18 months, or longer. About five days does not sound like much time, especially because the bouillon is supposed to be a simple ingredient that re-constitutes to full-flavored chicken broth any time you need it.
A stock made with the cubes you have dehydrated will keep for about five days, regardless of whether you are using store-bought or homemade bouillon. You can also make homemade chicken stock cubes as a storage method to prolong your broths shelf life. Frozen homemade cubes can sit in the freezer up to six months, while fresh stock only keeps for five days.
Refrigerating your cubes is usually the safest way to store them, especially if you are making them at home. Store-bought cubes do not need to be put into a sealed container, as long as you have not opened the original package. If you do not feel like your pantry is that dark and cold, you can still store the cubes in it, just put them in a sealed container or bag.
For instance, some cubes are designed to keep in your refrigerator, as long as you break open the foil package, but even then, you will still have plenty of time to use them. The original packaging the cubes were purchased in is best used for cube storage, but if you discarded the original package, then a tight-sealed container or plastic bag should do. Chicken bouillon cubes are considered to be unopened chicken stock; thus, you should store them similarly to canned chicken stock, in a dry, clean, room temperature environment.
When you wish to thaw and use the chicken broth cubes, remove them from freezer and allow to sit in refrigerator overnight; or, you may use them right away by melting it in the cooker on medium heat till it turns completely to liquid. Pour chicken broth liquid first into an ice cube tray, remove and place all the frozen cubes into a sealed container. If a recipe calls for dropping cubes into the broth without dissolving them first, make sure you remove a cup of water from the recipe when adding broth.
The flavor will wane and become boring over time, but if you are not bungling the storage, at least broth cubes should do for several months. As long as there is not any humidity anywhere near your broth cubes, we would recommend they are safe for up to 3 months after the expiration date. Sure, stock cubes or broths never taste quite like homemade broth, but at the end of the day, very few people will ever know the difference. If using older stock cubes, you may want to use 2 rather than 1 cubes to compensate for flavor loss.
Can you eat expired bouillon cubes?
After that, the texture, color, or flavor of the bouillon chunks or granules may vary, but generally speaking, they will still be safe to eat if they have been maintained correctly, the box is unbroken, and there are no symptoms of rotting.
How long are bouillon cubes good for?
Bouillon cubes have a 2-shelf life. If they spoil, they’ll look gross, taste funny, and maybe even change color. Since there are fewer preservatives in homemade bouillon, its shelf life will be shorter, but it will remain excellent for months if kept cool and dry.
Can you store bouillon cubes long term?
When kept at ambient temperature, bouillon cubes still in the container can keep up to 18–24 months. They retain their flavor better when stored in a cool, dry environment. The shelf life of bouillon cubes is reduced to around 12 months if the packaging that they were packaged in has been thrown away.