Full Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links that allow me to receive commissions at no cost to you should you use them to make a purchase.
When you begin cooking, one of the most important factors to continuing to cook is enjoying eating the food you make. This post is all about flavor and How to Season Food for New Cooks. If you’re wondering where to begin, you’ve come to the right place.
If you’ve ever walked down the condiments aisle, usually where dry spices and seasonings are kept, it can feel overwhelming. There are so many different brands and options. You’ll wonder where to begin. We’ll review which spices to stock up on, which seasons are most important and versatile, and how to troubleshoot common mistakes.
Start with Salt & Pepper
What to Stock Up On
Measure Until You get the Hang of it
Troubleshooting Common Mistakes
Also see, Quick Start Guide to Cooking at Home for Beginners
Let’s start with understanding what I mean when I say seasoning. For me, it’s anything that adds flavor to your meal so there’s a lot of flexibility here for things like dried or fresh herbs and spices. Google defines seasoning as salt, herbs, or spices added to food to enhance the flavor.
Start with Salt & Pepper
If you take only one tip away from this post let it be that salt and pepper are two seasonings that are the most flexible since you can use them on anything – yes I mean anything. The key with salt and pepper is to not overdo it with either. Since there are a few varieties of each, start with simple black pepper and kosher fine-grain sea salt. If you have trouble finding that particular salt, don’t get stuck – regular table salt will work too.
There are a few things to know about salting. Adding salt brings out moisture. If you’re cooking something like mushrooms salting too early can bring out the liquid and affect the texture. Oversalting is common and you just have to balance it out. You can balance it out with acidity. Try lemon or lime juice, and different varieties of vinegar like apple cider or red wine. You’re also in luck if you add too much peeper since the acidity also neutralizes the flavor.
What to Stock Up On
If I started my seasoning collection over, it would include salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, and a seasoning mix. Keeping it simple will take a lot of the thinking out of making your meal, plus you can use them on many foods. If you’re ready or want to include more variety pick up more dry seasonings and mixes; I’ve listed a few more below. Dried spices are great because they’re shelf-stable and have longevity in your pantry.
- Onion Powder
- Oregano
- Tyme
- Basil
- Coriander
- Chili Powder
- Paprika
These are just a few extras that are nice to have based on personal taste. If you like spicy foods pick up seasoning that adds a punch like those listed below.
- Cayenne
- Cumin
- Smoked paprika
- Red chili flakes
- White pepper
Wondering if fresh herbs and spices are the way to go? Dried herbs can’t beat fresh in taste but I haven’t included them in my lists because they’re easy to waste when you first start cooking and you don’t use them all. That also means wasting money and we’re avoiding that as well. Fresh herbs also create a bit more prep work. I recommend using fresh herbs when you know you’ll need them in a recipe while meal prepping. Markets now have a good middle ground between fresh herbs and spices. They’re sold in a tube as a paste. You can find garlic, basil, chili, ginger, and other spices and herbs sold like this and they are very convenient with a flavor that more closely resembles fresh herbs without the hassle of extra prep. You can usually find them in the refrigerated produce section of the market. The only downside with the pastes is their shelf life is still shorter than dried herbs so you may end up having some food waste if you don’t use them up. My tip is to start with the pastes you think you’ll use the most.
Outside of herbs and spices, there are what I call liquid enhancers like hot sauce, vinegar, and packaged sauces. If you consider using any of these, taste them with your seasoning before adding them to your food.
Don’t worry about brands. Pick up what best fits your budget. I’ve used off-brand and recognizable and don’t find any major differences in taste.
Measure Until You Get the Hang of It
To avoid making major mistakes when it comes to seasoning, measure out the amount of seasoning you’ll use. If you use too much of a flavor take a look at my tips in the Troubleshooting Common Mistakes section below.
Troubleshooting Common Mistakes
Here are some common mistakes I often see when people first begin cooking.
- Choosing Odd Pairings: After starting with salt and pepper you may be ready to experiment and add to your tool belt but sometimes what you choose doesn’t work out well. The best advice I can give here is to purchase a seasoning blend. Since it’s premixed, you’re reducing the chance of any flavors clashing. Take a look at the ingredients and make sure the flavors align with your tastes. You can also do a quick online search to find pairings.
- Over Seasoning: If you add too much of a particular seasoning or flavor you can usually balance it by adding something else. See Start with Salt and Pepper.
- Not Tasting: Make sure you taste as you cook when possible even when following a recipe. If making a sauce, keep any uncooked animal protein out until you give it a taste. If you think it needs more flavor take a look at my tip below for measurement tips.
- Under Seasoning: This tip goes along with the previous one. If you think it needs more flavor add in an eighth of a teaspoon and no more than a fourth of a teaspoon increments then taste again until it’s to your liking.
If you follow the tips outlined in the post, then you should have a good handle on flavoring your food and be one step closer to cooking meals that you fall in love with at home. If you’re looking for more information, I encourage you to visit this link to Spicetoutor on How Much Spice To Use In Cooking.