HOW TO... A SHORT GUIDE TO SEASONING
Seasonings are obviously used to enhance the flavor of a dish, but should not be used in so high amounts that they dominate the dish. The best bet is to use as much so it just can be felt on the tongue. Another big point to consider is the timing of adding the seasoning - sometimes you want to e.g. marinade a piece of meat for a few hours, while at other times you need to season the almost finished dish to its final flavor stage.
There are many seasonings to choose from: salt and pepper are the most common ones. Oils, spices, garlic, herbs, vinegars, and a wide array of aromatic vegetables are available for use in your dishes. The purpose is to choose the ones that will go well and complement and enhance your dish. Some of the seasonings, like e.g. a marinade or a salt cure, will also not only give more flavor but also change the texture of the dish.
The most commonly used seasoning is salt and pepper. They both comprise a good combination of flavor-promoting and flavor-extracting seasonings, and they should be used already before you start cooking. The reason is that you will get a better flavor extraction from the ingredients if you add some salt to the dish in the beginning. Of course, the final seasoning adjustment with some more salt and pepper, if necessary, should be done as well.
Other seasonings that create an even more unique flavor include all the different spices, herbs, and other aromatic ingredients that also can be used prior to cooking. They are simply applied to the meat or fish before cooking, just as salt and pepper. If you are using spices that are contained within seeds, it is best to toast the seeds slightly on a pan to bring out more aroma. Just be careful so you don't burn them, which is very easily made - terminate the toasting just when you can smell a nice fragrance coming out of the pan. You can do the toasting either in a stove or in an oven.
Now if you are using a dry seasoning mix you might also want to let the aroma diffuse into the meat before you actually cook it. To do so, simply rub the meat with the seasoning and refrigerate it for a few hours. You can then remove the seasoning from the meat (if you want to).
An alternative to this dry rubbing technique is a liquid marinade. They usually are based on oil and some aromatic spices, and can also contain some vinegar or lemon juice or wine. The idea behind oil addition is of course to let it transfer the aromatic molecules into the meat. When it comes to the acidic ingredients (vinegar, etc.) they will add more flavor and change the texture of the meat. For this last reason it is also important not to overdo a marinade since it can destroy rather than "improve" the texture. Usually the tender ingredients (e.g. fish) need just a short time in marinade, 15-30 minutes can be enough. The meats need longer time, maybe several hours or even days. The time factor is also dependent on the amount of acid in the marinade - naturally, more acid means less time. Remember also that before cooking, the marinade should be scraped off unless it don't gets burned during the cooking.
Another way to work with the spices is to add them to the sautéing aromatic vegetables. Together, they will create an aromatic oil/butter that will nicely infuse the meat or fish that you are cooking.
Working with herbs and aromatic veggies opens up yet another way to season your meat. It is quite nice to make a paste or coating out of chopped herbs, bread crumbs, and sometimes some liquid, like oil or a paste (to make the flavorings stick to the meat).
These are the basic and quite experiment-worthy techniques of seasoning that you probably recognize from the recipes you have used in your kitchen. Try to invent your own seasoning blends, based on this knowledge and looking at how other people do it.