Which supermarket cooking stock is best? We asked 6 experts, and only two agreed

First up, I asked Sarah Pound, author of the cookbook Wholesome Made Easy. She says there are two supermarket stock options she keeps in the cupboard.

“Campbell’s Real Stock is probably the one I use most often,” she says. “I always keep a few cartons in the pantry because they’re so convenient and have a lovely, rich flavour.

“Campbell’s is my go-to for recipes where I’m using larger amounts of stock, like soups, casseroles, risottos and slow-cooker meals.”

As for her second pick, Sarah loves The Natural Stock Co. Chicken Stock Concentrate.

“I like its simple ingredient list, and because it’s a concentrate I can make up exactly the amount I need, which means there’s very little waste.”

She adds: “It’s brilliant when I only need a cup or two. I’ll use it in sauces, gravies, one-pan dinners, to cook rice or quinoa, or whenever I just want to boost the flavour of a meal without opening a whole carton.

Price: Campbell’s Real Stock, $5 for 1L. The Natural Stock Co. Chicken Stock Concentrate is 10.95 for 160 grams, but it’s concentrated and should last ages.  

Chef Mike McEnearney also prefers a concentrated supermarket stock. 

“Best of the Bone has been my go-to bone broth for years,” he says. “It’s Australian-made using grass-fed Australian beef bones, and it’s one of the richest, most nutrient-dense broths I’ve found, making it a staple in my daily routine for gut health and an extra boost of protein.”

He adds: “The flavour immediately takes me back to childhood when a pot of homemade soup was always simmering on the stove. It’s beautifully balanced, with nothing added to mask the natural depth of the beef, just an honest, full-bodied broth.”

But what he really appreciates about this stock is the quality. 

“It stands on its own, so there’s no need to add anything to enhance the flavour. At home, I often use it as the foundation for soups or sauces, or simply add an extra spoonful when I want to deepen a dish’s flavour.”

Price: $33 for 390 grams of concentrated stock.

Another tick for Best of the Bone’s bone broth, BHG creator award winner Lucy Rosenberg says she uses it for most of her cooking.

“I love that it’s incredibly rich and concentrated, so you get a huge amount of flavour from a small spoonful,” she says. “It’s also really versatile and works across everything from soups to sauces and marinades.”

Describing the flavours, Lucy says there’s a range to choose from. 

“They have flavours like Original, Turmeric & Ginger, Mushroom, Miso and Chicken, so each one brings something different to a dish. The Mushroom and the Miso varieties are rich in umami and incredible in pasta, risottos, and sauces, while the Original is a great all-rounder.”

For fans of chicken soup, Lucy says, “The Chicken Broth range is also one of my favourite shortcuts for making a really comforting cheat’s chicken soup.”

“It gives you that slow-simmered flavour in a fraction of the time, so with a few fresh vegetables, herbs and shredded chicken, you can have something that tastes homemade without spending hours over the stove.”

Price: $33 for 390 grams of concentrated stock.

Winner of the BHG Creator Awards Home Cook category, Maddie and Nonna Finna both agree homemade stock is always preferred, but when they need something quickly, they like to use Vegeta.

While they mainly use it when making soup, they say, “You can add it to almost any dish to make it even tastier.”

Sharing a little tip to make Vegeta taste a little more homemade, they say: “If you boil the Vegeta Vegetable stock for 5 minutes with a bay leaf and a few celery leaves, it tastes more like a stock you’ve made from scratch. But again, nothing beats homemade!”

Price: $4.85 for 250grams

French-trained chef Alex Charasse, who has worked in Michelin-starred kitchens across Europe, says his go-to is Massel 7’s, either chicken-style or vegetable.

“It’s consistent, clean-tasting and has a savoury backbone that works across cuisines. It also avoids the ‘salt bomb’ problem many supermarket stocks have,” says Alex.

He adds: “It has a gentle herbal lift and a clean finish without an artificial aftertaste. It tastes like a neutral base you can build on, which is exactly what you want from a supermarket stock.”

Perfect for weeknight soups, pan sauces, risotto, poaching chicken and boosting slow-cooker meals, Alex says, “It’s versatile because it doesn’t dominate the dish.”

Price: $1 for 7 stock cubes

Our resident food editor, Sarah Murphy, says she keeps these little guys in her pantry.  

“Space is quite limited in my pantry, so keeping large tetra packs of stock isn’t an efficient use of space. I find I get really good flavour from these, and they take up barely any space too.”