Hot Sauce Enthusiasts

Right now, I likely have 15 different hot sauces in my house. Many of the novelty hot sauces are not hot, and they aren't necessarily flavorful.

So that causes me to more utilize Frank's Extra Hot, Texas Pete's, Cholula, Tapatio, Tabasco, and Sriracha. If it's not hot enough I use more, and/or sprinkle cayenne powder on my food.







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I like several, but this is by far my favorite. Perfect amount of heat for me.

Our local grocery Fred Meyer's stocks Mrs. Renfro's Ghost Pepper Salsa which is my new "go to" favorite. Not smoking hot but adds a nice flavor to many dishes. We also have the usual ones - Tabasco, Cholula, Valentinas, but Frank's is way too vinegary for my taste. My wife doesn't care a lot for really spicy food so I add it to my plate.

Jeepnik said:

Spicy is good until it gets so hot you can't taste the food. There seems to be a trend to proving one's manhood by eating the hottest food possible. I ask my BIL who loves hot stuff what the food tastes like and he can't even tell me. I like to taste the food I eat.

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Jeepnip,
I am with you, I like it mildly hot, because I want to taste my food and enhance the flavor with a mild hot sauce. - (side note) When my son in law was in the Marines, there was a contest to make hot sauce he made some up and woman tried it, It was so hot so almost wanted to go to the hospital. The Marines gave he some milk and helped her.

My go to hot sauces are Franks, Texas Petes, Louisiana, and Tiger Sauce. Not a fan of Tabasco which to me overpowers the flavor of food.

I use the original Cholula daily. Great taste not vinegar. This is my collection so far haven't tried many. The one drop at a time fell on the floor and broke. Did taste it but was weak. Last batch lived up to its name. I like hot pickled okra but usually have to get mild due to lack of stock. So I dropped some one drop in it only 3 came out and those okra were awesome! Darn stuff ate up the rubber on the eyedropper.

One thing I'll not need to further spice up... Hot peppers stuffed with anchovies. They burn... TWICE

Serano's for me...used to be Jalapeño but lately they are more like bell peppers...

gunzo said:

Ahh! one of my hobbies. Have tried many more since this photo, some stayed & others won't likely be back.

Crystal, I'd had before, but when compared, taste like watered down Franks. But since Franks is a staple here for our decades long wild wing sauce, no use for the crystal. Just don't like the flavor of Louisiana brand. Cholula red, easily matched by brands at a third the cost. Cholula green OTOH, is a winner for me on certain dishes. Now a staple.

Big time winners for me,,, Tapatico & Texas Pete. Pete has a flavor I like & not so hot so I can use a lot of it for the flavor with some a bit of heat. Topatico has a similar flavor profile with more heat.

Snagged two 17 oz. bottles of Huy Fong Sriracha a few weeks ago & was like a kid with a new toy. Not seen in my area for 2 years. Like most, it works for some dishes, fails with others.

Sorry for being boring about this but hot sauces are so interesting to me. What works great for some foods might fail with others. Fun to experience new flavor combo's.

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Not s Boring Topic, this is important !

I have about 10-15 in the house right now. Depends on what I'm eating or cooking on the sauce I'll use.

New fav on eggs is…Tabasco Sriracha.

Started making my own spicey Bloody Maty mix & tried so many things, but it wasn't working. Wasted a lot of tomato juice. Kept adding different spices but just couldn't get the flavor I was looking for. It turned out that more or less of this or that spice wasn't the key. A change in hot sauce was what was needed. Bingo.

Had a Japanese dish in the cafeteria at Toyota Motor Manufacturing that just blew me away, a spicey oriental type beef stew over a bed of rice. Gosh, I sauteed mushrooms & onions in butter & garlic, then just the shrooms & only sweated the different types of onions I tried, etc. etc. All the time being a dummy & not changing the hot sauce. Sriracha was tried. Home run!

About to start a 2 egg seafood omelet for brunch. After trying so many, Cholula green will be the star here.

Long story short, if hot sauce is to be used, I think the right one should be a big consideration. My first time out with a dish I think HS would enhance, I might open 2, 3 or more & sample. Then try to remember what worked best.

Not too particular about brands but use whatever seems to be handy. My performance rater is how quick the my bald spot sweats.

sigh...We spent 43 years in the Phoenix metro area with various pepper gardens. I married a Lopez girl who makes fantastic salsa's af all kinds.
However we retired to the snow covered mountains in 2020 where peppers do not do so well.

When my dad used to take me to the New Mexico Cafe diner in L.A., he would pour Tabasco over some Fritos for a snack. We would usually have chorizo con huevos for breakfast, morning, noon or night, whenever we went there. In my 50's, working swing shifts, having late night snacks, had trouble sleeping and my doctor recommended laying off the hot stuff, which I did for a few years, however my wife would still buy Cholula's which was not as hot as Tabasco and yet flavorful. One day, i discovered they also made a green sauce which was even better.

Kevin said:

I like some hot sauces but not all. Nothing too spicy. Tabasco has a green hot sauce. So does Choula (spelling???) they have flavor without being hot.

I would say those are my favorites.

But I was at the grocery store buying some ketchup and some woman bought the largest container of Tabasco I've ever seen. One of the big, big bottles. I should have asked why.

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Cholula Green is GREAT on scrambled eggs!!! Tabasco Green is runner-up. I prefer taste over heat!

Not hot "sauces" but one year I grew Habaneros, Serranos, poblanos, and jalapenos. Dried them and powdered them in a spice mill. Fancy, but accurate names such as Zombie Powder, Death Powder, etc. Varied from 10% jalapeno to 90% Habanero. Had a couple of "Chili Heads" in the office that I gave them to as Christmas Presents. One girl said she loved the 90% Habanero on cheese sandwiches! The rest of the office got Apricot- Habanero jam that year! Had to stop because the dust in the air affected my wife's asthma!

I've tried a lot of hot sauces and for me Frank's regular isn't hot enough and Texas Pete is better. However, I found Old Bay hot sauce has just the right amount of heat and flavor for me. Best flavor I've found.

fiasconva said:

... I found Old Bay hot sauce has just the right amount of heat and flavor for me. Best flavor I've found.

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Thanks for reminding me about Old Bay. I bought some a couple years ago when it was so scarce and extremely expensive.

I just went to Amazon and ordered a couple bottles, one a limited edition for twelve bucks and the unlimited edition for $2.51 . We'll just have to see what the difference really is.

WAYNO said:

Thanks for reminding me about Old Bay. I bought some a couple years ago when it was so scarce and extremely expensive.

I just went to Amazon and ordered a couple bottles, one a limited edition for twelve bucks and the unlimited edition for $2.51 . We'll just have to see what the difference really is.

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I've never tried Old Bay. But Amazon makes it too easy. I got the 3 pack for $16.