Go for acidity as others have recommended. Condiments that give a punch and are not spicy include preserved lemon, fish sauce, toum (garlic sauce), and ponzu for example. Try adding a little bit of sweetness to savory food and salt to sweet food to bring out the flavors. And paprika has to be fresh to taste good - if you can’t smell it, you definitely can’t taste it. Fresh garlic and ginger are the best, but those little frozen cubes from TJ’s are a great sub.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Garlic, ginger, soy and onion is one of my fave combinations, but I'm not sure if you consider ginger spicy? I find it a bit spicy raw, but when cooked its just lovely and bright.

I use those small frozen garlic cubes for stir fry, like shrimp with butter, garlic and pasta, or chicken with soy sauce cashews, broccoli and rice, and actually have the ginger cubes but haven't used them because I'm not sure what to put them in. The same stir fry with garlic?

Yes! Perfect in a stir fry. I wouldn't use it in buttery pasta, but anything asian inspired, absolutely toss it in.

Anonymous wrote:+1 on lots of fresh herbs. They can make a huge difference. Likewise zesting fresh citrus in at the ends.

For a little more depth, switch out some of the salt in the recipe and use dark soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or things that add umami, like mushrooms. I will make things like Herbamare knock off salt, smoked salt, mushroom salt, etc. and use in place of regular salt. Different vinegars can also add a “zing” in certain recipes.

Also, you can branch out with your spices. Try marjoram, which is very common in German cooking, but adds a very distinctive taste that’s nice. Explore using tarragon, dill, oregano, and basil - especially fresh, they will add a huge amount of flavour. Change up your onions if you only use yellow onions. Likewise wi to your garlic, you’ll get more pinch from fresh garlic. If it’s too “hot” for you, then roast it. You can freeze it in quantities to use in each recipe.

Do I use tarragon with the others like for when I'm doing meat sauce with pasta? I usually season the meat with oregano, basil, etc.

Anonymous wrote:I use seasoning peppers while cooking ethnic foods. They impart flavors without the searing heat. I’ll substitute Trinidad Perfume for scotch bonnets, habanada or aji dulce instead of habanero.

Um, I am not sure what any of the words you used mean. You are putting perfume and alcohol in food?

Anonymous wrote:Garlic, ginger, soy and onion is one of my fave combinations, but I'm not sure if you consider ginger spicy? I find it a bit spicy raw, but when cooked its just lovely and bright.

I use those small frozen garlic cubes for stir fry, like shrimp with butter, garlic and pasta, or chicken with soy sauce cashews, broccoli and rice, and actually have the ginger cubes but haven't used them because I'm not sure what to put them in. The same stir fry with garlic?

+1 on lots of fresh herbs. They can make a huge difference. Likewise zesting fresh citrus in at the ends.

For a little more depth, switch out some of the salt in the recipe and use dark soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or things that add umami, like mushrooms. I will make things like Herbamare knock off salt, smoked salt, mushroom salt, etc. and use in place of regular salt. Different vinegars can also add a “zing” in certain recipes.

Also, you can branch out with your spices. Try marjoram, which is very common in German cooking, but adds a very distinctive taste that’s nice. Explore using tarragon, dill, oregano, and basil - especially fresh, they will add a huge amount of flavour. Change up your onions if you only use yellow onions. Likewise wi to your garlic, you’ll get more pinch from fresh garlic. If it’s too “hot” for you, then roast it. You can freeze it in quantities to use in each recipe.

You may need more fat to help carry the flavors—cook the spices in oil for 30 seconds before adding other ingredients.

I use seasoning peppers while cooking ethnic foods. They impart flavors without the searing heat. I’ll substitute Trinidad Perfume for scotch bonnets, habanada or aji dulce instead of habanero.

Lemon juice

Take an education from Thai food. They smack you over the face for ALL taste bud types. You can tune the heat as much as you want.

Garlic, ginger, soy and onion is one of my fave combinations, but I'm not sure if you consider ginger spicy? I find it a bit spicy raw, but when cooked its just lovely and bright.

Citrus peel or juice can really add zip

Branch out to coriander and marjoram and oregano - not “hot” but flavorful

grated lemon peel and/or parmesan add a lot

Fresh herbs - get an aerogarden and you can have a year-round supply of them. It's a great way to liven up your food.
Ground spices lose their flavor rapidly so it's best to buy whole and grind them freshly yourself - my mortar and pestle is probably the most used item in my kitchen. You should probably stick to ones with no heat, but there are several.
For my part I can't stand onion and garlic powder but use plenty of fresh onion and garlic in my food. Carrots, celery and onion make a great soup base.
I also have fresh ginger and scallions on hand at all times.
Other flavor bombs include - parmesan rinds (in soup), miso, nutritional yeast.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahloewentheil/best-underrated-international-dishes-recipes

I recently read the above, and noticed how flavorful a lot of the dishes seemed. I am someone whose body is very sensitive, to the point that I will need to chug three glasses of water if my eggs have pepper on them. I can't do anything that could burn the mouth. Sometimes my mouth will be burned for 2 or 3 days, while someone else eating the same exact thing can barely taste/feel any spice at ALL. I spent a year trying to increase my heat tolerance (it was a new year's resolution) to no avail, so this is as good as I get.

But I'd like to add more flavor to what I cook somehow. Everything I cook is very simple (few ingredients, only one heat process). So like last night, I bought chicken noodle soup pre-made and cut up a chicken breast, cooked it in a frying pan with paprika and powered onion and tossed it in the soup. It was good, but is there a way to make the flavor richer? Is there a way to do this? Here are the spices I use:

cinnamon, nutmeg, smoked paprika, salt, minced and powered onion and garlic, basil, dill, parsley. Any suggestions?