What are good spices to use when cooking for someone that doesn't like the taste of spices?

Question

I like to cook using a lot of strong spices and bold flavors, but my girlfriend likes to "taste the flavor of the food and not the spice". Also what foods are these spices good for (beef, poultry, etc.).

Answer 1

My boyfriend doesn't like spices. I use sauces instead. Following is a simple one:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sliced Mushrooms (in the blue pack from the produce section of the market)
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 bottle of white wine (something you both like to drink)
Fresh Garlic, to taste

Coat a fry pan with oil
Add mushrooms
Stir and cook until they shrink (low heat)
Add butter, stir constantly
Add wine
Cook until reduced to syrup
Add garlic

Serve over meat, grilled veggies, wild rice, etc.

Answer 2

I lived in an area of the U.S. where people enjoyed simple, unspiced food, too. It is possible, however, to enhance the flavor of any meat you prepare by doing a few things:
Marinate the meat you will be cooking in wine. White wine for chicken and pork, red wine for beef.
Pierce the meat all over with a fork before you cook it, and rub it with salt and pepper and a little garlic powder.
If you are baking a chicken, try piercing two lemons and stuffing them in the cavity. Then butter the skin of the chicken, shake some salt and pepper on it, and bake it according to the directions on the package. The flavor is not altered much, but the meat is moist and tender, and the butter makes the skin crispy so the white meat is not dry underneath.
If you are making a pot roast, add a little vinegar to the roasting pan. It kind of does the same thing as the lemon in the chicken--keeps the beef moist without adding too much outside flavor.

You can usually put garlic and salt and pepper on just about anything, as long as you go easy on it. It's hard for us that like a ton of spice, but once you get used to it, you may start to enjoy the pure flavor of the meat you're cooking--I did!

Answer 3

Oh, gosh, I hope she has a lot of other good points to make up for her lack of taste in food.

Well, one thing you can do is cook more Japanese stuff -- which depends on super-fresh food and long stewing for flavor, instead of spices.

The other thing you can do is add spices to just your food, after cooking. And ask her to try a bite.

If you are with her for the long haul, there's a chance her tastes will change as she gets older. My mom used to hate Mexican and Chinese food, but now she likes it once in awhile.

It's very hard to change an adult's tastes. If they are open-minded, it's possible to educate them, but it sounds like your girlfriend isn't very open to new flavors. It may be something you just have to live with.

My husband is also a non-adventure flavor guy. I have to satisfy my cooking urges with guests. I rarely get compliments from my own family, but my friends love something a little different.

Answer 4

First - use less product... using a lot of spice/ herbs is overpowering - she might just like something that enhances the flavour, not drowns it out.

Avoid the Indian spices. Stick to green herbs. For variety, try 1 t cinnamon in pasta sauces. For chicken try a little tarragon. A sprinkle of sage is yummy on cheesy toast (melted cheese on toast). On potatoes try a mixture of oregano, basil, parsely, salt and pepper.

Instead of herbs, you might like to consider looking at using fruit juices for gravys and sauces for meat, as this gives a lovely rich flavour without harsh effects.

Try IBS/ colitis cookbooks for ideas on how to create tasty meals without using herbs.

Answer 5

Tony's creole seasoning is good on all meat. But if she does not like the strong flavor, use as you would salt- sparingly.

Answer 6

if she doesn't like spicy hot (like cajun)

maybe try tamer spices like ginger,
or add flavor with garlic or herbs

Answer 7

Salt and pepper