Build a Flavor Foundation

Aromatics are combinations of vegetables and herbs (and sometimes even meats) that are heated in some fat – like butter, oil, or coconut milk – at the beginning of a dish. The heated fat helps these ingredients release addictive aromas and impart deep flavors into the dish that’s being cooked.

Sauces, braises, curries, rice dishes, sautes, stir-fries, soups, stews, and stocks all typically start off with aromatics, which help form the flavor foundation of these dishes. Try making a soup without onions. You’ll notice that it just doesn’t taste as sweet. Or cook a curry without garlic and ginger. It’ll feel a bit empty.

But now that you know about aromatics, you won’t ever have to worry about your dish lacking in anything!

There are 2 simple rules for how to prep or chop aromatics:

1. FISHING THE AROMATICS OUT OF THE FINAL DISH

If you plan on fishing the aromatics out of the final dish, like in a stock, don’t worry too much about the chopping. Halve the onion or chop a carrot into 3 or 4 pieces, but there’s not need to worry about the fine knife work. You can even throw a whole sprig of thyme in – the leaves will come off and you can easily remove the stem before serving.

2. KEEPING THE AROMATICS IN THE FINAL DISH

If the aromatics will be a part of the final dish, then you’ll want to finely dice or chop them. The extra surface area means they’ll release more flavor in a shorter time, plus the smaller size means it’ll melt into the texture of the final production.

Learn how to prep some of our most commonly used aromatics with these videos: