Depends on the meat and your tastes. Chicken will absorb almost any flavor you want it to. Fish is best with citrus flavors, maybe some pepper. For instance you could take a fillet wrap it in tin foil with lemon pepper spice (or lemon juice and pepper) and bake it for…oh…20 minutes at 450 should about do it.
Steaks, in my opinion, are best over an open flame. But then again I think all meats taste better cooked over an open flame, hot dogs even become edible. Marinades can be very useful. You can use store bought, or make your own with water, spices (garlic, onions, pepper, salt, etc), and maybe some vinegar. You can use a barbecue sauce, your best technique it put it on while cooking it over the fire. This makes sure the taste is infused into the meat, then add some on top when it comes out. Or you can rub garlic, dried onion, and stuff on the meat and cook it to the desired degree. Trick of the trade: touch your thumb to each finger and feel the base of your thumb (you know, that fatty lump next to your palm). This is approximately the feel of steak rare, medium, and well done. The softer the feel the rarer the steak. I like mine bloody, but if you were a herbivore for a while you should probably cook it to medium at least. There might be some psychological reflexes left. Digestive pyrotechnics are even less fun when you’re the chef.
Chicken cut up into small pieces cooks faster in a frying pan, otherwise you’re better off baking or grilling. Those small pieces can be seasoned with all kinds of things. Rosemary, thyme, and such are particularly good. Peppered chicken can be tasty if done well. You can also cook it in honey or maple syrup for a sweeter dish. Add some extra at the very end to emphasize the taste on the tongue.
If in doubt, take your thyme. Slow cooking is better than fast in most cases. And as a spice it can be used successfully on most foods. Watch adding salt, pepper, and hot spices. These can easily overwhelm a dish, somewhat defeating the purpose of making the meat taste good.
Watch for cross contamination, and make sure you always cook your burgers and pork all the way through. Failure to do this can, and eventually will, result in food poisoning. What this means: if you cut up the chicken and then use the same knife to cut up carrots for a salad you will not leave the bathroom that night.
But, have fun! You’ll learn your tastes pretty quickly, its a art not a science.
Recommended kinds of meats:
Fillet Minion - there is no finer cut of meat, its also the most expensive.
Chicken Breast - best strongly flavored as it has little of its own.
Dark meat - pepper it, make it crunchy (you can do this by breading it if you’d like, broiling with the fat on, or removing the fat and coating it with egg…try to think too hard about the last one).
Salmon is delicious anyway you prepare it, or even raw. Wild caught only, and eat it sparingly, we’re running out.
Tilapia as a fish is cheap and tasty without being tuna.
Leg of lamb is excellent, as are other similar cuts on other animals. Mint is particularly favored. I once butterflied the leg and stuff it with fresh peppermint leaves from the garden.
You can get buffalo now. I think its better than cow, and certainly less fatty. You have to pay for it though.
Oh, I could keep going. But really, just remember stew meats are not good grilled, you get what you paid for, and just see what’s on sale. Bulk works fine, because frozen meat can last quite a while…although some of the nutrition is lost.
- Benjamin Shender