Why Anthony Bourdain Considered This Humble Ingredient So Essential

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Anthony Bourdain, of blessed memory, will forever be a culinary icon. What he said about food (and life) goes, even years after it was first said. Take a gem from his foundational work, "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly", where he wrote that "Stock is the backbone of good cooking [...] Life without stock is barely worth living, and you will never attain demi-glace without it."

Demi-glace, an incredibly flavorful sauce rich with umami, comes from espagnole, one of the five mother sauces established by culinary icons Marie-Antoine Carême and Georges Auguste Escoffier. It's made with a stock from roasted bones and a mirepoix that then gets reduced and reduced and reduced. A stock-based demi-glace is so flavorful that it packs a punch in pan sauces, braising liquids, and so much more. Not to mention that Bourdain, a classically trained chef, revered it. But it's key to remember that this all-important ingredient cannot be made without stock; it is, after all, extra-concentrated stock. It should be thick enough that it coats the back of a spoon and is a deep brown color with a shiny and smooth appearance. Yes, it takes hours to make, but the payoff is well worth it. Plus, it freezes very well.

As Anthony Bourdain instructed us all: "Make stock already! It's easy! Just roast some bones, roast some vegetables, put them in a big pot with water and reduce and reduce and reduce. Make a few months' worth," he urged, noting that it's easy to then strain and freeze the results.

Once you make all this stock (in a heavy-bottomed pot, of course, according to one of 12 genius cooking tips Anthony Bourdain swore by), what do you do with it besides make a fancy French sauce? Soup is the obvious choice. Other than that, you can (and should) use stock to cook grains. A well-made stock easily elevates any rice, quinoa, risotto, couscous, harvest grain blend, or pasta you make by adding a wonderful depth of flavor that salted water never could. Throw in a pad of butter or drizzle high-quality olive oil on top for even more flavor. You can also use your carefully crafted stock to make gravy or use it as a liquid in pot pie.

As Bourdain knew so well, stock is versatile and essential, not to mention easy to make yourself, so long as you've got time. But if you're in a pinch and can't make your own, get some from the grocery store and add a dash of fish sauce to instantly deepen the flavor of store-bought stock. The homemade version is well worth the extra effort, though. You will readily notice the difference in your cooking when you switch from water to stock.