A stock cube, also called a bouillon cube, is a small compressed cube of dried, concentrated flavourings that dissolves in hot water to make stock for soups, stews, sauces, and gravies. The typical cube contains salt, yeast extract or hydrolysed vegetable protein, dried meat or vegetable extracts, fat, herbs, spices, and flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate. It was developed as a convenient shelf-stable alternative to long-simmered homemade stock. Nutritionally the main caveat is salt: a single cube can supply a large share of the recommended daily intake, so low-salt versions exist. Cooks value stock cubes for speed and consistency, though they cannot fully match the gelatinous body of a stock simmered from bones.