My Hot Sauce Collection
I have yet to turn my hand to making a proper hot sauce, but for what it's worth -
here's my current collection of commercial hot sauces, condiments, additives and extracts.
Thanks to Scott Roberts for most of the heat measurements below - which are in Scoville units.
Thank God for Science!
eh? eh?
Thanks to Scott Roberts for most of the heat measurements below - which are in Scoville units.
Thank God for Science!
eh? eh?
Tabasco Green Sauce
Louisiana Jalapeño Pepper Sauce
One day, I couldn't find any green Tabasco sauce for my Huevos Rancheros or my cheese-on-toast,
so I bought this. It does the same job.
Pain Is Good: Jalapeño Wasabi Sauce
An inventive combination of flavours.
It's really mild and a bit more horseradish than wasabi, but quite tasty.
Pain Is Good: Louisiana Style Hot Sauce
A super-tasty sauce, I think it's my favourite "Pain Is Good"
Tabasco Original
Yep, I have this.
It's a good general-purpose sauce. I usually add it to dressings, or on my cheese-on-toast.
It's a good general-purpose sauce. I usually add it to dressings, or on my cheese-on-toast.
Noosa Red Hot Chilli Sauce
OK, not really red hot, but this thin Australian sauce makes a really nice salad or pasta dressing.
A present from my ex-flatmate Duncan. Don't know where he got it from (though maybe Australia? Just a thought!), but thanks Duncan.
A present from my ex-flatmate Duncan. Don't know where he got it from (though maybe Australia? Just a thought!), but thanks Duncan.
Sambal Oelek
Somewhere in here is the Dutch-slash-Indonesian condiment Sambal Oelek.
For something that's basically crushed-up chillis it's (usually!) surprisingly mild,
but it does go particularly well with chinese egg noodles.
Not on its own I mean. With other stuff.
Not on its own I mean. With other stuff.
Pain Is Good: Jamaican Style
I like the Pain Is Good series - not the hottest, but good flavour.
This is one is good and smoky, maybe a bit on the sweet side, but a good amount of heat.
Nice bottles too.
Nice bottles too.
Cholula
Tastier, thicker version of Tabasco.
Sonny Barger's Hellfire Sauce
A gift from my friends Aidan and Jude.
A pleasant habanero sauce - it may not be the hottest sauce in my collection, but I think its presence in their kitchen made them a bit nervous.
A pleasant habanero sauce - it may not be the hottest sauce in my collection, but I think its presence in their kitchen made them a bit nervous.
Tabasco Habanero
Hottest of the Tabascos.
Cambridge Chilli Farm "Ghost Pepper 10"
A rather refined hot sauce :) This was a present from my cute landlady Aline
who spent some of the time she wasn't hanging around at the top of the Peruvian rain forests writing up her PhD in Cambridge.
Each bottle apparently contains (the equivalent of) 10 Naga Morich "ghost" chillies, so it has a bit of bite to it, but it's quite mellow compared with some of the monsters below. It's all-natural, containing no capsaicin extract, with the pleasant sweetness of roasted tomatoes and garlic.
I couldn't find a Scoville value for it, so I gave it my best guess.
Each bottle apparently contains (the equivalent of) 10 Naga Morich "ghost" chillies, so it has a bit of bite to it, but it's quite mellow compared with some of the monsters below. It's all-natural, containing no capsaicin extract, with the pleasant sweetness of roasted tomatoes and garlic.
I couldn't find a Scoville value for it, so I gave it my best guess.
Dave's Temporary Insanity Hot Sauce
Widow - No Survivors
This Sauce Crafters sauce bottle also comes with a tasteful black plastic spider!
Da'Bomb Beyond Insanity Hot Sauce
Quite why this sauce, presumably supposed to be hotter than insanity
only sits between the temporary and the permanently insane.
Still getting pretty warm though - my friend Chris, who is no novice when it comes to hot sauces, described this one as at the upper limit of what you would consider edible but allowed that it has quite a nice flavour - sharp and not too sweet.
Still getting pretty warm though - my friend Chris, who is no novice when it comes to hot sauces, described this one as at the upper limit of what you would consider edible but allowed that it has quite a nice flavour - sharp and not too sweet.
Dave's Insanity Sauce
Unbelievably - they sell this at Asda. Without a wacking great warning sign!
Da' Bomb Ground Zero Hot Sauce
Blair's Mega Death Sauce
Dave's Ghost Pepper Sauce
Made with the Naga (or Bhut) Jolokia ghost pepper,
which was briefly the hottest chilli in the world, according to Guinnes World Records.
Unbelievably this is available in Tesco - I hope their bloated shuffling customers know what they're getting in to? Or are Tesco attempting a cull?
Unbelievably this is available in Tesco - I hope their bloated shuffling customers know what they're getting in to? Or are Tesco attempting a cull?
Satan's Blood Chile Extract
Finally brought this Sauce Crafters bottle up from my other house. Pretty little devil ain't it?
The sauce is certainly the colour of blood, but from its consistency it must be badly congealed.
The sauce is certainly the colour of blood, but from its consistency it must be badly congealed.
Da' Bomb - The Final Answer
I got this sauce from Harvey Nicks for Chicky's Wedding present (that's Chic and Nicky to you).
It's Chic's fault really - he once suggested that my scorching egg curry wasn't hot enough for him. I sure hope he was he was paying attention to the wrapping paper.
Chic: where it said DANGER - And I'm not kidding? I wasn't kidding.
It has that life-threatening background burn when you spread it on your sandwiches (though not too thickly) that makes you afraid of where it might possibly end.
Or not.
It's Chic's fault really - he once suggested that my scorching egg curry wasn't hot enough for him. I sure hope he was he was paying attention to the wrapping paper.
Chic: where it said DANGER - And I'm not kidding? I wasn't kidding.
It has that life-threatening background burn when you spread it on your sandwiches (though not too thickly) that makes you afraid of where it might possibly end.
Or not.
The Source
It's the hottest I have, but you never know - Christmas is coming.