Try the Alton Brown "steam first" method. I’m not usually a fan of his methods, but I can vouch for this one. The steaming renders out some of the fat, making it easy to get crispy skin out of the oven without overcooking the meat. And you can do the steaming ahead of time and then just bake whatever quantity is needed.
As far as hot sauce goes, I put Crystal on just about everything except Asian food, which of course gets Sriracha. Cholula is good.
I have this stuff called “Wet Fart XX Hot Sauce” that I bought just because it made me laugh when I saw it at the store, but it’s actually really good. It’s not just hot, it’s got a good, complex flavor.
I’ve never really been a fan of Tabasco; it’s got an odd taste to me.
I tend to forget that Pickapeppa is considered a hot sauce… it is just so different than most. I love it though. Sometimes if a recipe calls for A1 I’ll substitute Pickapeppa instead and have never been disappointed.
depends. If you mean “hot sauce as a condiment,” then for asian or asian-style dishes I’ll generally use sriracha or any asian-style chili garlic sauce if I want it. Mexican or other Latin American dishes get Cholula if I think they need them.
if you mean “hot sauce as an ingredient,” then I’ll use one of those stupid hot things like Dave’s Insanity Sauce. I need so little of that I don’t care what it tastes like. Most of the time I put in the right amount of peppers anyway, but if I don’t a couple of drops of Dave’s puts it where I want it to be.
I just don’t get this… I want my food to taste like… ummm… I don’t know… maybe… food?
Sure, I’ll be happy to participate in a pissing contest with someone who wants to prove something (and I’ll probably lose), but for something I actually want to eat, I like things spicy, but not uncomfortable.
I have Franks, Cholula and Sriracha. Franks is for eggs and pizza, Cholula for Mexican and Sriracha for Asian and never, ever do I vary from that rule. I’ve tried and I don’t like to switch em up. I get Franks and Cholula at Costco in giant sizes.
I am happy that this thread reminds me how much I love El Yucateco and I’m putting it on my grocery list. For Mexican food only!
I like Tabasco, cock sauce (Sriracha), and El Yucateco. I use them pretty interchangeably, but for refried beans, El Yucateco is the only one hot enough to be worthwhile. Right now I’m also working on a bottle of Cholula. My least favorite of all time is that Tiger Sauce crap.
Does anybody else have a problem with Sriracha leaking from the bottle? It seems to ooze from where the bottle joins with the cap. I’ve had about three bottles, and each one started oozing while sitting in my cabinet. I don’t plan on buying anymore unless they fix the design or if anyone has any hints on how to prevent it.
Well, remember, “spicy” is relative. I don’t consider Dave’s Insanity to be “stupid hot” myself, but rather right at the very edge of where things start to get silly. (It’s the only extract sauce I actually like, and use it like a normal sauce, not as an ingredient.) But for others, it will burn their face off. You get used to the heat and get a bit numb to it. I don’t know why some people think it’s always a “pissing contest” (although, for some, it is some weird kind of machismo) because I don’t usually hold pissing contests with myself.
Have lots of the ones already mentioned, which I use often when cooking. But for a table condiment it’s always Yeo’s Sweet Chili Sauce. I gotta have it.
(Recently our favoured Asian Market closed up, and briefly I was unable to find it in the places I had anticipated. I grew quite anxious, as I went through three bottles in my pantry quite quickly. When this all coincided with Pomelos also suddenly disappearing from the shelves, I told hubby that perhaps I had angered the Gods somehow! But then, I discovered a new source and all is right with the world again! It was a frightening time though!)
I guess I misunderstood… I thought he was saying he would add heat at the expense of ruining the taste of the dish. (I’ve known some people like this).
I USE IT TO ADJUST THE HEAT LEVEL OF THE DISH I’M MAKING. I DON’T CARE WHAT THE SAUCE TASTES LIKE BECAUSE I’M ONLY USING A COUPLE OF DROPS AT THE MOST AND IT WON’T AFFECT THE FLAVOR OF THE DISH.
It’s a 50-50 split in our house between Sriracha and Valentina. I like the kick Sriracha gives, but I like the flavor Valentina adds more. The Valentina Hot is the front runner this month.
