Why do oxo cubes always get sticky these days?

No indinana, I use them sometimes but they aren't sticky.

I find that chicken Oxo's are often more spongy than crumbly. They just won't .... crumble!

I think they don't tell you to crumble them any more, but to put boiling water on them (but I could be wrong). The chicken ones have always been less crumbly.

It's mainly the chicken ones that I have the problem with, but the beef ones are almost as bad. The last box of chicken ones had to be thrown out because they weren't just sticky, they had virtually liquefied inside the foil wrappers . I'd had them a few weeks, but they were well within their use by date.
I can rarely crumble an oxo cube into a casserole these days. Lynda Bellingham would be furious .

I don't think they crumble like they used to but at least they're not rock hard like some of the cheaper supermarket ones.

If they get the least bit of air into the foil, they go all gooey.

I decant mine into a glass storage jar with an airtight lid and they last ages. Might be worth trying

Yes, Katek, I think I might start doing that. Sure I've got a spare Mason Jar somewhere.

I prefer the Knorr ones.

And me Knorr that is

As a veggie, I always use Marigold stock powder, but only the green tub as the red one was, even for my taste, far too salty.

I am not vegetarian but I use Marigold too - the green tub.

My Oxo cubes, only beef, are more like dry sand and they don't crumble so much as disintegrate. I use Knorr for other flavours.

Indinana are they in a cupboard above where the kettle boils?

I use vegetarian everything, stock cubes etc, even though I'm not a vegetarian. I don't trust what goes into them and imagine it's the really nasty bits.

I just found out (how did I not know) how much salt there is in gravy and stock cubes, as both OH and I have high BP I need to find an alternative, the low salt varieties still have lots of salt.. any ideas what I can use to flavour dishes other than stock cubes, OH doesn't like herbs or spices in his meat dishes unfortunately

I don't like the new oxo cubes. I went back to them after using Bovril cubes because the Bovril cubes were hard to crumble. Now the Oxo cubes are hard to crumble, and what's with the peculiar shape? It is, in fact, no longer a cube! Is this to make it easier to use half an Oxo cube? For stock other than beef, I use Knorr or Maggi stock pots.

Lona, no I keep them well away from all the steam, in a larder cupboard at the far end of the kitchen! Trouble is our kitchen has three outside walls and, being a Victorian house, it has only single skin walls, so I suspect damp is part of the problem, although it is only in recent years that this has been happening and we've lived here for over 30 years. Also the kitchen has been completely treated for damp, with new floor, damp course and new ventilating bricks

And yes, tanith they are very salty, even the low salt ones. As is Bisto and every other commercially made stock cube/concentrate. Perhaps the only answer is to go back to our grandmothers' ways and boil up beef/lamb/ chicken bones for hours on end to make stock

I went through a phase of making chicken stock every time I had a carcass left over. Then it went into the freezer and I simply forgot about it and carried on buying stock pots! Problem is, because you have to brown the bones and then boil the stock on a high heat for ages to reduce it enough to intensify any flavour into it, it cannot be in the least an economical exercise. I've given it up. Admittedly though, salt in commercial stock products is a problem.

I always buy Swiss Vegetable stock powder that is vegan as well. It is reduced salt with only 0.5 grams per teaspoonful. I do not like salty food and this ticks all the boxes as well as being tasty. Sainsburys used to sell it but have stopped, like the shop always does. I buy mine from Holland & Barrett but any health food store and possibly other supermarkets would sell the product.

I use my pressure cooker for boiling up chicken carcasses after a roast. A slow cooker can also be used.

I always crush my Oxos in the foil packet, then sprinkle the crushed Oxo in to whatever I am cooking.
My last 18 cube packet came from Aldi and I haven't noticed any deterioration in the quality . 18 cubes lasts for longer in summer than in winter, perhaps 3 months.
As I always crush the cubes under a broad bladed knife before use, I hadn't noticed the change in shape from a cube to a stylised X until last year.
I then realised it must have been done years ago when the package design changed. Glad I wasn't the only one who took years to notice.

I think there must be different Oxos in different areas. Mine are cube shaped as always and there doesn't seem to be any change at all.

Yes, SandyD, why do shops always stop stocking things or manufacturers stop making things that I buy regularly? Bouillon is one - I always used to buy it in Sainsbury. Other items include jars of instant custard powder (now only available in packets); creamy pesto sauce by Salsa - no longer made; Jamaican Jerk mix by Knorr - no longer made. These were regular purchases for me and I really miss them!

Lona but don't they have a little indented groove down two opposite sides of the cube?