How to Choose the Right Hot Sauce
Hot sauce is simply a form of spice, seasoning, or sauce made from tomato based ingredients and chili peppers. Most commercial types of hot sauce are made with ingredients you can purchase in your grocery store. The type of hot sauce you use depends on the type of dish you are making and its purpose. These types of hot sauces are usually used on foods to spice them up, as well as add a certain flavor that goes unmatched by any other type of sauce.
In addition to using it for food, hot sauce can also be used on just about anything else. You can make delicious homemade salsa for tortilla chips, or dress up nachos. If you are throwing a party, then hot sauce can be used on just about everything from bean dip to pasta salad. There are even packets of instant hot sauce that you can buy at the store that have extra flavor and can be used right away. It's all up to you!
For the ultimate in spiciness, you might want to consider making Santa Ana number one hot sauce from scratch, which will require some work and will probably take some time, but it is very rewarding once you get it done. You can buy ready-made chili pepper packs in bulk at your local drugstore or grocery store. These packs usually contain dried chili peppers, vinegar, salt, sugar, and water.
If you want a more intense heat for your hot sauce, then you can try using Cayenne pepper. These peppers add an acrid and spicy heat to anything they are mixed with. Other spices you can use to mix into your hot sauce are garlic, onions, and any kind of flavor from fresh herbs like parsley. These additional spices will bring out the other spices in your original blend, creating a much sweeter flavor that will definitely raise the bar when it comes to barbecue and salsas.
There are some things to keep in mind when it comes to finding the best hot sauces on the market. For one thing, you should avoid those "stove top" types that you can buy at just about any store that sells food items. These types of sauces are usually prepared by adding hot sauce to already-made food, which is not only a waste of money, but also doesn't taste very good. To get the most out of your cooking, make sure you purchase one that's designed to be made ahead of time and put it directly onto the foods you're going to be cooking.
Another great idea is trying to create your own home-brewed "fermentation" recipes. There are plenty of books available that can help you do this, and there are even different types of cookbooks dedicated entirely to recipes for making different types of fermented food. The key to making these recipes work is to let the natural flavors of the foods marinate, so the vinegar doesn't have to sit on the surface of the food for too long. There are many different types of meats that can be used to make hot sauces, and you can experiment with different kinds of vinegar to see what works best for each particular recipe. Just be sure you keep experimenting, and always use ingredients from reputable Santa Ana number one hot sauce.
