Hot Sauces
Sizzle in a Bottle
The best way to add a little kick to your meal is by adding hot, fiery spices. You can set your taste buds "on fire" with chili based products that are available in dried, paste or sauce forms. Although certain types of horseradish can also give you that burning sensation, we'll focus on chili pepper sauces for you.
Anyone who loves spicy foods enjoys adding hot sauce to their meal; some even enjoy it for breakfast. Made from hot chili peppers, hot sauce can range anywhere from mild to extremely spicy. Believe it or not, some very hot sauces can even cause burns.
In addition to the hot peppers, hot sauces are created using such ingredients as garlic, vinegar, spices, citrus, onions, and other items to enhance the taste. If the goal is to weaken the heat level, or Scoville Heat Units (SHU), then you may also see vegetables and/or tomatoes added. Pure pepper oil is used to create some of the most fiery hot pepper sauces. These are definitely for the brave!
A chemical referred to as capsaicin found in chilies and hot peppers arouse our heat receptors. Oddly enough, this is also the same compound that is found in poisons such as nightshade. Regardless of this fact, those who love hot sauces often claim to feel alive and/or get an endorphin rush when they consume hot sauce.
The Scoville scale is used to measure a hot sauce's heat. Habaneros, which are among the hottest type of peppers, actually rate over 300,000 SCU. So, what does this mean? Well, in order for their active ingredient to go undetected, it would have to be diluted a whopping 300,000 times.
If you want to know a little more about some of the peppers that give hot sauces their heat, then here are a few facts for you. Jalapenos are actually hot chili peppers. Cayenne pepper is hot, but only rates between 30,000 and 45,000 SHU. Habaneros are quite hot, and can rate between 200,000 and 300,000 SHU, while the Scotch Bonnet, which is a Caribbean variety of the habanero, can rate higher than 350,000 SHU. If you think that is hot, then wait until you read about the Red Sevinas. Also a type of habanero, Red Sevinas can rate higher than 500,000 SHU.
Almost everyone has reached for a glass of water to try and relieve the burning sensation which is powerful enough to bring you to tears – only to find that water didn't do very much except perhaps make it worse. Research shows that starchy products do better to squelch the flames, so you might want to keep rice, bread, potato, corn or similar products close by.
You many not enjoy the taste of hot spicy food, but, if you know someone who does, hot sauces make a wonderful gift.