Knowledge Base > Dan Marek - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)
Dan Marek - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)
This event was on
Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 11:00 am Pacific, 2:00 pm Eastern
Join Chef Dan Marek in his virtual office as he welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to Ask Anything – from cooking techniques to cours… Read More.
Question:
What is a good spice to add to my dishes that isn't too spicy, but will make my bland tasting food more exciting?
— Chris Stephan
Answer:
So, uh, depending on what you're making, um, you know, you could add a huge variety of different spices to this. Uh, usually most chefs would say add salts right to the beginning, but that kind of depends on how much you've already added to start out. If you're doing something that, um, you know, might have like a Mexican or a, you know, a Spanish flavor, something like a chili powder might be nice. A paprika might be nice to be able to add to things. If you're looking for something that's definitely, um, original, you could probably do something like a sumac, um, you know, root that's kind of a, a ground up as well too would be really nice too. So, um, you know, again, kind of depending on what you're looking at, uh, if you're looking for other exciting things, you might try something like a, a blend of different spices. Kinda like the chili powder is like maybe even a zatar or a curry. Um, it would be great things to be able to add into dishes to be able to help 'em spice 'em up a bit. Um, if you're just looking for something that's kind of in that spice area, I think sumac might be a great option for you as well too.