# New Orleans Tabasco and hot sauce, what do these condiments go on?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 29, 2020, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691 "2020-02-29T03:27:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/41 "2020-03-01T02:16:46Z")

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I don’t think there’s a bottle of Tabasco in the house. I have a couple of mini-bottles in my travel bag, but for regular use I prefer Crystal. Of course, there are a plethora of other hot sauces in the house, each with its place. But for a Louisiana-type sauce, Tabasco comes in a distant third place.

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**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/42 "2020-03-01T09:12:54Z")

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I don’t often use hot sauce on anything, but sometimes Tabasco is just right on pizza, applied a drop or two at a time every few bites.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/43 "2020-03-01T15:59:57Z")

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> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#):
>
> Cholula works nicely for me on my enchiladas.

Cholula Hot Sauce is only half-right. It’s a sauce.

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/44 "2020-03-01T16:31:56Z")

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Cholula is on the eggs I am eating as I am typing. It’s thicker then Tabasco, with a more rounded flavor.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/45 "2020-03-01T16:35:53Z")

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If I don’t put Tabasco on my eggs, I use Sriracha.

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**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/46 "2020-03-01T16:37:44Z")

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Whenever I have a hankering for chips and salsa, I get store-bought regular old salsa and mix in some Cholula, because even name brand salsa is too chunky for me yet not hot enough. Restaurant salsa is still too chunky and thus not as good as a hotness delivery mechanism. I guess my ideal salsa would be a mix of Cholula and Pace/Tostitos but made with fresh ingredients.

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**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/47 "2020-03-01T16:48:55Z")

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> [@cgg419](#):
>
> Not sure about Tabasco specifically, as I haven’t bought it in years, but hot sauce is great on vanilla ice cream.

Some twenty years ago Dreyer’s had an ice cream they called Chilly Chili. It was vanilla with a mole ribbon and spicy Spanish peanuts. I bought a half gallon, loved it and consumed it in about three days.

I went back to the store; there were none to be had and I’ve not seen it since. I still yearn for it.

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/48 "2020-03-01T16:50:49Z")

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> [@silenus](#):
>
> Cholula is on the eggs I am eating as I am typing. It’s thicker then Tabasco, with a more rounded flavor.

Well, yeah, Cholula is flavored with other spices (garlic, for one). Tabasco (original) is not. It’s a different set of flavors. I love Cholula, and either that or Tabasco will work fine for me on my eggs. But they’re not quite the same thing.

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**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/49 "2020-03-01T16:51:25Z")

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> [@cgg419](#):
>
> Not sure about Tabasco specifically, as I haven’t bought it in years, but hot sauce is great on vanilla ice cream.

Some twenty years ago Dreyer’s had an ice cream they called Chilly Chili. It was vanilla with a mole ribbon and spicy Spanish peanuts. I bought a half gallon, loved it and consumed it in about three days.

I went back to the store; there were none to be had and I’ve not seen it since. I still yearn for it.

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**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/50 "2020-03-01T16:57:12Z")

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I prefer Franks and Louisiana to Tabasco. I like Cholula on occasion, mostly with Tex Mex dishes.

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/51 "2020-03-01T18:06:39Z")

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A quick survey of the Ready Rack (as opposed to the cabinets) reveals: Cholula, Red Rooster, Tapatio, Crystal, a boutique hab sauce from my lawyer, and Slap Ya Mama.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/52 "2020-03-01T18:09:26Z")

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> [@LH75](#):
>
> I prefer Franks and Louisiana to Tabasco. I like Cholula on occasion, mostly with Tex Mex dishes.

Louisiana hot sauce and Tabasco are Louisiana-style hot sauces: peppers, vinegar, and salt.

Frank’s isn’t Louisiana-style: vinegar, peppers, salt, water, canola oil, paprika, xanthan gum, butter-type flavour, and garlic powder.

Not that Frank’s is bad – I use it for things – but it’s not ‘New Orleans Tabasco’.

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**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/53 "2020-03-01T22:40:40Z")

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> [@jnglmassiv](#):
>
> Tabasco is a unique sauce with a pleasant musty fermented flavor. It’s very good but only in a narrow range of foods. I mostly crave it on hashbrowns/fried eggs/diner skillet-type breakfast dishes. I wouldn’t put it on, say, pizza or chicken wings, like I would a lot of other hot sauces.

Yeah, I like it on eggs at breakfast, but I definitely don’t like it on _everything_. I prefer more variety. You don’t get the same ‘hit’ if you over-indulge.

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**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/54 "2020-03-01T22:41:41Z")

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> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#):
>
> Cholula works nicely for me on my enchiladas.

Yeah, the spices in Cholula are better with most Mexican food. I have Cholula, Tabasco, and Sriracha in my fridge. I don’t really need anything more exotic.

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**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/55 "2020-03-01T22:47:13Z")

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> [@DesertDog](#):
>
> Some twenty years ago Dreyer’s had an ice cream they called Chilly Chili. It was vanilla with a mole ribbon and spicy Spanish peanuts. I bought a half gallon, loved it and consumed it in about three days.
> 
> I went back to the store; there were none to be had and I’ve not seen it since. I still yearn for it.

Oh, that sounds **awesome**.

Gotta mention that an ex-bf of mine used to have a gigantic bottle of Tabasco in his apartment (it was like 18" high?). It wasn’t the jugs they sell now; it was the same shape as the traditional bottle of Tabasco – just gigantic. Well, his apartment was burglared, and, along with other things, took his bottle of Tabasco. He never recovered any of his other goods, but he found the Tabasco about half a block down the street on the sidewalk.

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/56 "2020-03-02T00:45:38Z")

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> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> Louisiana hot sauce and Tabasco are Louisiana-style hot sauces: peppers, vinegar, and salt.
> 
> Frank’s isn’t Louisiana-style: vinegar, peppers, salt, water, canola oil, paprika, xanthan gum, butter-type flavour, and garlic powder.

Frank’s Original is just peppers, vinegar, water, salt and garlic powder. So, yes, it does have the extra garlic in there, but no oil, paprika, gum, butter. You must be thinking of their prepared wing sauce or something.

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**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/57 "2020-03-02T01:37:28Z")

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Back when stove gas was cheap I’d make salsas by boiling dried peppers with a little salt for a few hours, adding a bit of vinegar and spices as desired. I’ve not done so since the fall of the USSR. Now I’ve found Instant Pot pepper recipes to try, with spice options for various cuisine styles. Volunteer lab rats may apply by PM. 🆒

Beware hot stuff. Some decades ago, a popular pickled products firm released marinated sliced Habañeros. I lined a few on a sandwich and didn’t feel much burn. Then I passed out and collapsed on the floor. Conclusion: Capsicum works in mysterious ways.

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**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/58 "2020-03-02T17:55:11Z")

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Tabasco on popcorn is the bomb. You know, you’re at the bar and there’s a free popcorn machine in the corner. Scoop up a basket and sprinkle the sauce liberally. It can be a little messy but, hey, you’re in a bar!

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**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/59 "2020-03-02T18:03:20Z")

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> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Don’t forget Crystal. Seems everyone I know prefers it to Tabasco, though I prefer the bit of funk Tabasco has. That said, I do like Crystal’s extra hot (which is still not all that hot in the hot sauce universe.) Louisiana-brand hot sauce is quite good, and a bit milder than these.

I’m a Crystal or Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce fan… Tabasco’s funk tastes kind of moldy to me.

I see plenty of people using the hot sauce, but I can’t say that I’ve ever seen anyone use the peppers in vinegar on the table at a lot of places. That’s the true mystery condiment IMO.

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-tabasco-and-hot-sauce-what-do-these-condiments-go-on/848691/60 "2020-03-02T19:35:48Z")

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Look for people eating greens. That’s what I use the pepper vinegar on.

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