I Can’t Get Through the Holidays (and the Cold) Without This One Pantry Staple

Keeping a jar or two on hand just makes sense.

The holiday season is all about opening up our home to friends and family for gatherings, both planned and impromptu. And whenever I have company over, the first instinct I have is to feed them, which is why I’m a bit fanatical about keeping my pantry well-stocked at all times.

Recently, I spoke to Julia Turshen, the New York Times bestselling cookbook author, who shared one of her must-have pantry staples with me, especially for when you need to make a meal quickly for last-minute guests. I immediately ran out and bought a jar. Now, I can’t imagine my fridge without a jar (or two) of Better Than Bouillon in it.

What Is Better Than Bouillon?

Bouillon is associated with the cubes of flavor that can be transformed into stock by adding water, but originally the French term "bouillon" was used to describe any heavily flavored stock, whether it was meant to be eaten on its own or as part of a dish.

Maggi, a Swiss company, introduced the first bouillon cube at the turn of the 20th century, around the same time as competitors, OXO and Knorr, and the cubes soon became ubiquitous among chefs and home cooks alike thanks to their convenience, versatility, and long shelf life.

As opposed to bouillon, which comes in cubes, Better Than Bouillon is a thick paste used as a flavor enhancer or base. In each variety of Better Than Bouillon, the first ingredient is what you see on the jar. If it’s roasted chicken, roasted beef, lobster, or mushroom, those are the primary ingredients in the base. What that means is you get a concentrated, umami-packed version of that ingredient by the spoonful. And your stock with Better Than Bouillon will taste homemade.

Read More: The Only Store-Bought Stock Worth Buying, According to Food Editors

What Makes Better Than Bouillon So Great?

Better Than Bouillon is a powerful secret weapon to keep stocked in the fridge because it lasts for a long time and allows you to use as little or as much as you like for each recipe. It’s an excellent shortcut if you want to add depth of flavor to soups, stews, sauces, and pasta without spending an entire day making stock from scratch.

With the convergence of the holiday season and soup season, keeping a jar or two of Better Than Bouillon on hand just makes sense.

Julia likes to use it in her Tomato, White Bean, and Fennel Stew and other quick-cooking soups. “When you want to turn holiday leftovers, like roasted turkey or roasted vegetables, into soup, you just need some water and a spoonful of BTB,” she adds.

Beyond the world of soup, Better Than Bouillon has a ton of applications. It can add slow-cooked flavor to meatballs, a pop of umami to stuffing or dressing, and a wallop of garlicky goodness to mashed potatoes.

“Or, if you want to make no-stress gravy, use BTB,” says Julia. “It just makes life in the kitchen easier.” That’s why I’m stocking up on multiple varieties of BTB in my fridge. It’s a super easy way to get big, cooked-all-day flavor when throwing together a meal for last-minute guests.