@DoubleD how familiar are you with cooking and the use of spices and seasoning?
@ButtWorldsMan Indeed. Why do you ask?
@DoubleD maybe I just need to find a sampler pack, but I'm looking for tips to spice things up.
I currently only have garlic powder. I like pizza and it works. It also works in other things like white rice, especially when mixed in with soy sauce. I also mix the garlic powder with sour cream for when I bake spicy beef patties. There have to be other spices I can reliably fuck with other than garlic. Preferably not sweet.
@ButtWorldsMan
Start with these spices:
Salt, pepper, garlic (dehydrated).
Garlic powder often has salt in it; so, check the ingredients.
Start with dishes you currently like like pizza.
Instead of getting sauce from a jar, get a can of pureed tomatoes, and make your own sauce for the pizza keeping everything else the same. Start by experimenting with differing amounts of pre-mixed Italian seasoning with your garlic, salt, and pepper.
@ButtWorldsMan
Once you have determined the amount of premixed seasoning that you like, get some of each of the component spices: basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, marjoram. Experiment with different amounts of each to try to replicate the flavour of the premix.
What you're doing is reverse engineering the flavours that you like.
@DoubleD I'm not interested in replicating flavor. I'm trying to experiment on what I can add to ready to eat food. White rice is probably versatile enough for me to augment with a variety of spices. I buy the pizza from a local place.
Thanks for answering, but I think I'm just going to have to find a sampler set to have a cheap way to test a variety of flavors.
In summary: i want to add to already hot, edible food. Not cook my own food.
@ButtWorldsMan Ah, okay.
For white rice: try furikake, dehydrated garlic, various sauces like dark soy sauce, BBQs, tonkatsu, types of hot sauces, premixed/jarred curries.
For pizza: dehydrated garlic, italian seasoning.
For burgers: any type of steak seasoning or BBQ rub
For chicken: Go with the spices of the cuisine. If it's TexMex, add taco seasoning mixes in varying quantities. If it's French, go with standard poultry seasoning.
@DoubleD Thanks. TFM will go without superchats, but I'm sure he'll understand. More importantly, he won't even care.
@ButtWorldsMan By all means, try it. I'll be happy to answer what culinary questions I can for you.
@DoubleD Would you point out which of those is spicy?
@ButtWorldsMan
Certainly spicy: Cayanne, crushed red pepper, chili powder, chipotle pepper
Potentially spicy: curry powder
@DoubleD Thanks, bro. Gonna try stirring some of them into soy sauce to see if it becomes salty n spicy.
@ButtWorldsMan If you're going to try that, do crushed red pepper let it sit overnight.
@DoubleD welp, it was an expensive method, but I managed to find out my tastes by destroying my taste buds for the next day. I basically poured a tiny bit onto a plate and tried each one by one dry. I feel nauseous, but it's for the greater good. I realized I'm a simple man. Garlic, onion, red pepper. I already have soy sauce and buffalo sauce. I'll look into tonkatsu. I just need simple shit. The other flavors are just way too exotic. Italian seasoning is just plain disgusting and minty.
@ButtWorldsMan Now you know: never try spices individually away from food. At least you know what you like, and it will keep your food budget simpler. You aren't afflicted with the curse of desiring a great variety of complex dishes. Garlic, Salt, onion, pepper, red pepper are all great choices. Try a bit of dill on eggs or cumin in chili if you still want to try small things. You might like small additions.
@DoubleD I live an urban lifestyle. I just buy farmer's cheese.
@DoubleD Is there a particular type, or brand, of butter you recommend I look into?
@ButtWorldsMan Best option: Get some fresh cream from a farmer's market and make your own in a food processor. Second, get butter from a farmer's market, amish or otherwise. In both cases get it from a dairy which raises free-range cattle for milking though that is rare these days. You will pay more for it, but the quality is best. Third to that is butter raised without antibiotics or hormones. Those cattle are kept indoors almost their whole lives, but at least what went in is cleaner.
@DoubleD So I got some irish butter. The cows touch grass and are natty. Allegedly.
So here's something new I tried. Hot white rice in a bowl, with butter, curry powder, and garlic powder.
It's still missing the salty taste soy sauce otherwise provides, but otherwise it works. Need to add salt next time.
@ButtWorldsMan Good start. Try a dash of cumin with the curry powder and garlic powder, and a pinch of cayenne if you want heat..
Also, once you figure out about how much spice you want on the rice, mix the spices together ahead of time instead of adding them to the rice individually.
@DoubleD cumin and cayenne. Haven't thrown those out. Will try in the evening with the bit of leftover rice I have.
@DoubleD so with a pinch of salt, along with all of the above, the final product was a really good blend of flavor. Curry powder had to be the dominant spice. The rice also turned a shade of orange/yellow.
Another good day in DIY flavortown. Thanks for the advice, as usual.
@ButtWorldsMan I'm glad to have helped. The yellow colour was caused by the turmeric in the curry powder.
@ButtWorldsMan Fourth, If you must buy at a grocery store, go to whole foods or somewhere else where they stock such butter. Stay away from the big brands.
Fifthy, buy cream from the dairy section and making your own with that in a food processor. Don't be intimidated with making butter. It's child's play with kitchen appliances, and it tastes amazing, even with store-bought cream.
@ButtWorldsMan I love a good syrnik in the morning! Did you make your own cheese for them?