Help me, /ck/. Everything I cook is fucking tasteless. I can't

>>7192192
>onions/garlic/veggies and olive oil, salt+pepper
>zero taste
it sounds like the heat wasn't high enough to caramelize the aromatics. or you didn't add enough salt. if you just want more spices, try chinese five spice with something like that. make sure you use fresh ground black pepper, preground tastes like dirt.

>>7192192
>it sounds like the heat wasn't high enough to caramelize the aromatics

I don't know how that works, so that could be it. I was honestly afraid of burning it because I'm a dumb fuck and didn't want to shit up my food for the next three days.

Is this a problem with cooking in general? I pretty much always play it safe with the heat for the reason mentioned above.

>>7192226
>Is this a problem with cooking in general?
yes, if the heat is too low you're essentially boiling or steaming your food which does nothing to add flavor. a slight bit of char can add quite a bit of flavor.

did you put everything in the pot/pan at the same time? not enough of the food will be exposed to the hot surface unless you're using something like a wok. you can cook your food in smaller batches to make sure everything browns evenly.

>>7192233
I put the onion/garlic in some olive oil first, then added the vegetables. I let that cook until the onions were translucent and then added the meat.

I could have added too much meat at once, though. My pan isn't huge and I pretty much had to keep stirring it the entire time to make sure all the meat was cooking.

>>7192237
okay, next time do the onion first on medium high heat until it gets just a slight char, and remove it from the oil to a plate or bowl or something. do the same with the garlic but only cook it for about 30 seconds, and remove. then do the vegetables until they get a slight char too, and are tender to your liking. finally do the meat, in small batches if necessary so it gets an even browning. then toss everything back together with your seasonings.

and make sure you scrape the stuff off the bottom of the pan, it's called fond and is basically concentrated flavor. you can add a small amount of liquid to help scrape it off. wine or stock is good for this, but water will work too.

>>7192192
Spices get their flavour sucked into fat, often first put into the oil that you're frying in alongside onions. Herbs tend to be more delicate and usually go in towards the end if they're fresh, or somewhere around the middle if they're dried. Salt goes in whenever.

Right at the end, add a dash extra of whatever herbs and spices you've already used.

Lemon juice is an easy way to add flavour. It doesn't go with everything, but greatly lifts any dish that it's suitable for.

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>>7192241
Thanks broham. I'll do that next time. Seriously appreciate it.

>>7192247
np brocephalus, good luck. this guy >>7192245 has good advice too, a bit of lemon juice or vinegar can really change a dish, especially if it's something with a lot of fat in it.