Every great dish starts somewhere. In most cases, that somewhere is a flavor base. A flavor base is a mix of aromatic vegetables cooked in fat. It's the first thing that goes into your pot or pan when starting many dishes.

Think of a flavor base as the foundation of a house. Without a good foundation, a house might look nice at first but won't stand the test of time. The same goes for cooking. Skip the flavor base, and your food might taste flat or one-dimensional.

Flavor bases aren't fancy or complicated. They're simple combinations of everyday ingredients that home cooks have used for centuries. What makes them special isn't what they contain, but how they transform dishes.

When you're rushing to get dinner on the table, it might be tempting to skip this step. But those extra few minutes spent on your flavor base will pay off in the depth of flavor in your final dish.