Buy Yourself a Caldo De Tomate Immediately
It’s a shame I already reviewed the condiments I keep by the stove all the time , because Knorr’s Caldo de Tomate (chicken-flavored tomato broth) deserves to be on this list (with a bullet mark).
I’ve been trying to get my hands on this tomato and chicken powder for a while, but I could only find it in a restaurant supply store in giant multi-pound tubs before. Yesterday I found it in a reasonable-sized can at Safeway and threw it into a cart with undue enthusiasm. Part of Knorr’s Mexican & Latin range of products, Mexican Rice Soup, Sopa de Fideo and Chicken Tortilla Soup are made from it, but you can sprinkle it on any savory dish in and around to enhance the flavor and great umami.
Knorr describes Caldo de Tomate as “a delicious blend of tomato and chicken flavors, enhanced with onions, parsley and spices,” but “MSG with tomato powder and anhydrous chicken fat” is more accurate and – for me – more desirable. Like any broth or condiment mixed with MSG, this product is salty and savory, but tomato powder is the protagonist. It brings sweet, sour, vegetable umami; and then chicken fat appears and strikes with the lightness of saturated meat. This is the perfect product. I will not hear slander about it. (I read several comments on the Internet that said it was “too salty.” I assume these comments were written by my fellow whites, but I can’t be sure – such is the anonymous nature of this network that we are browsing.)
Caldo de Tomate is clearly meant for soups and stews. It’s technically broth, after all, and that’s what broths are for. It also makes great rice, but that shouldn’t surprise you either. However, what may surprise you is that 1/2 teaspoon (or more) can help you make the most amazing Bloody Mary you will ever swallow. If you’ve ever owned a Caesar, you know that the extra umami brought by the clam juice to Klamato is a very valuable thing. Dehydrated Chicken Fat does something very similar, turning a simple Bloody into a much more addictive “Clucktato.” (In addition to adding Caldo de Tomate to your drink, be sure to apply a little to the edge.)
It also makes fried chicken. I mixed a few teaspoons with a quarter cup of mayonnaise, then spread this mixture over a whole bird before baking. Not only did the skin take on a fantastic salty hue, it also took on a golden hue and tasted overly chicken, which is exactly what you want chicken skin to taste. Did I sprinkle the chips too? Yes, and that was a good call. Unlike regular MSG, this tomato-flavored blend brings flavor to your mouth – salty, then meaty, then sweet and savory, all in seconds.
Put it on potato chips, put in potato chip sauce, put on popcorn, put on popcorn and put and / or on stews, soups, rice, chili peppers, beans, macaroni and cheese (trust me). If it is savory, if it benefits from a little Caldo de Tomate.