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Fresh ingredients, if at all possible, are absolutely essential for any French sauce. Especially in America where chemical stews masquerade as flavorings and dried vegetables are accepted as all right, fresh must modify any additives listed in the recipe.

To say nothing of herbs and spices, even fresh bay leaves if available, liquids need to be fresh as possible. Wine, for example, should be good wine, not leftover vin ordinaire that has sat on a shelf for a week, or very cheap wine you wouldn't drink if offered. Wine is a flavoring, and like any flavoring, it must impart the best of what it offers. Not even a weekend chef worth his salt would use imitation vanilla, we trust, so why would we use scraps of cheap wine to flavor a red wine sauce or a barnaise?

Milk is another liquid that must be fresh. If possible, buy milk from a local dairy, which is fresher than milk supplied by a corporate dairy miles away. Your mother sauces will taste richer and fuller if you're picky about the freshness of all your dairy products. Whole milk buttermilk, for instance, is divine compared to the cultured stuff that is not much better than sour milk.

Even flour used in roux must be fresh as possible. So, how does one make sure flour is fresh? Well, like dairy products, often you can find a local mill where flour can be bought in small, fresh quantities. I know, that's going too far, maybe, but sauces, whether French or not, are the soul of a meal because of the incredible flavors they can impart. A roast beef may be delicious, but a barnaise make it ethereal. But, the barnaise must be ethereal, and that means, in my humble opinion, fresh as possible.

Use olive oil to saut, I believe, because when all is discussed about oil, olive most always heads the list. Why? Because it is delicious. The flavor of FRESH extra virgin olive oil in unrivalled. Spread on a good bread it becomes butter. Again, since olive oil is a flavoring as well as oil, it needs to be fresh. If it smells like paint thinner, toss it out. Buy olive oil in small quantities and use often. It's good for you.

Finally, fresh spices. Unless you are Superman and can circle Earth is a few seconds, you can't god pick spices from their natural habitat. And, it is not necessary. What every cook needs to do is check dates on spice containers and throw away those that have exceeded their time. Oh, they may smell like the spices they are, but their flavors will be compromised. As with olive oil, buy small and use often.

All this may sound like fuddy dubby ravings from a picky old amateur chef, but remember what a sauce represents: your skill. French sauces, especially, represent your expertise as a cook, but they represent a country that probably still defines some of the best cuisine in the world. Don't allow yourself to let you or the country down because instead of fresh you said, "Oh, this will do." In cooking nothing will do except the freshest best.

Learn more about this author, Frederick Fuller.
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