What to use instead of red pepper flakes
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Heat bloomed in oil at the start of a sauce
Capsaicin is fat-soluble, so warming the flakes in oil spreads the heat evenly through the whole pan instead of leaving hot spots in single bites.
Cayenne pepperRan out
1/2 tsp cayenne per 1 tsp flakes
Heat arrives faster and sits flatter, with none of the toasted seed flavour and no visible red specks in the sauce.
Calabrian chili pasteRan out
1 tsp paste per 1 tsp flakes
Brings salt, vinegar and oil with it, so the sauce starts seasoned and reads sharper. Add it after the garlic since the paste scorches.
GochugaruRan out
1 1/2 tsp per 1 tsp flakes
Milder and fruitier with a deeper red colour. Korean flakes carry almost no seed, so the heat is rounder and the oil stains harder.
Whole dried arbol chiles, brokenRan out
2 whole chiles per 1 tsp flakes
Heat sits at the top of the dish and fades fast. Fish the pieces out before serving or somebody bites one whole.
What doesn't work: Sriracha or any bottled hot sauce dropped into the hot oil. The water in it drops the pan temperature and spits, and the vinegar cooks off sour rather than blooming. Stir hot sauce in at the end if it is all you have.
Table heat scattered over a finished dish
Dry flakes on top stay as separate points, so each bite carries a spike of heat and a bit of crunch rather than an even background burn.
Aleppo pepperRan out
2 tsp per 1 tsp flakes
Around a third of the heat, more raisin sweetness, and a little salt already in it. Colour goes darker brick red.
Chili crispRan out
1 tsp crisp per 1/2 tsp flakes
Adds oil, fried garlic and crunch, so the surface goes glossy and the dish eats richer than it was written to.
Coarse black pepper plus a pinch of cayenneRan out
1 tsp cracked pepper + 1/8 tsp cayenne per 1 tsp flakes
Heat lands at the front of the mouth and fades quickly, under a woody pepper aroma the flakes do not have.
What doesn't work: Chili powder from the spice aisle. It is mostly cumin, oregano and garlic with a little chile in it, so the top of the dish turns grey-brown and tastes of taco seasoning.
Flakes fade badly after a year. If a full teaspoon tastes of nothing, replace the jar rather than adding more.