# Tabasco or Frank's Red Hot? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [November 9, 2020, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145 "2020-11-09T12:56:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/1 "2020-11-09T12:56:02Z")
_Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/1))_ Now that the election is over, let’s vote for something that really matters 🙄 So I’ve traditionally been a Tabasco guy, but Costco did not have Tabasco, so my wife brought home a giant 2-pack of Frank’s Red Hot. I was initially disappointed, but doing a side-by-side taste test, I actually think I like Frank’s a little better. Maybe it’s just that I’m used to Tabasco and Frank’s is a change of pace. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/2 "2020-11-09T13:00:04Z")
Of the three as listed I’d take Cholula. I use it for the same things I use Tabasco for but it’s better. I don’t like Frank’s Red Hot _per se_ as much as the other two, but I like their pre-made wing sauce and use it on things other than wings. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/3 "2020-11-09T13:11:31Z")
Crystal ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/4 "2020-11-09T13:15:27Z")
Marie Sharp’s. Best basic hot sauce I’ve ever had. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/5 "2020-11-09T13:23:08Z")
Cholula. Also, I used to use Goya, but recent political circumstances have changed that. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/6 "2020-11-09T13:23:20Z")
Any other hot sauce without an over bearing amount of vinegar. My GF loves Tabasco sauce and I can smell that crap from across the table. And she knows not to offer me a bit of her food once she has put that on it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/7 "2020-11-09T13:27:31Z")
All three choices are different and nature and have different uses. I use all three regularly. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/8 "2020-11-09T13:58:52Z")
I like variety. Cholula, Valentina, Sriracha, and Melinda’s Mango Habanero are my current favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/9 "2020-11-09T14:58:01Z")
Sriracha (although I do like Cholula). ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/10 "2020-11-09T15:15:15Z")
Red or green el yucateco has been my go to recently. But definitely Tabasco over Frank’s. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/11 "2020-11-09T15:22:26Z")
Another vote for Cholula. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/12 "2020-11-09T15:27:28Z")
I generally don’t have much use for Tabasco; it tastes spoiled to me. But I usually have a bottle of Frank’s, a bottle of Sriracha, and a bottle of some Mexican-style hot sauce like Cholula, La Victoria, Tapatio, or Valentina (what I currently have) on hand. One thing to consider about Cholula is that in my experience at least, it seems to change color and go bad faster than a lot of the others. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/13 "2020-11-09T15:28:14Z")
That’s more or less my position. Of the vinegary cayenne or tabasco pepper sauces, I do prefer Tabasco over Franks and Crystal. Louisiana Hot Sauce is pretty darned good, too, but milder. Great flavor in that. But I like the funk of Tabasco. It’s got a bit more complex flavor than the others, in my opinion. Despite my preferences, I stock all of those in my fridge. They all have their place, and sometimes I crave a different hot sauce. Frank’s I use almost exclusively for wings. There is no substitute for Buffalo-style wings. As for other hot sauces like Chalula, there are so many I like for many different reasons. I don’t like Sriracha anymore, though – well, maybe mixed with mayo. It’s just too sweet for me and has a bit of a garlic powder taste to it that puts me off. The whole line of Yellowbird sauces is great. I particularly like their habanero, but all are fantastic. Chalula is perfectly good. The El Yucateco sauces are very good, especially the black label and the Carribean. The green is my usual go-to, though. All the Secret Aardvark sauces are delictable. I can go on and on. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/14 "2020-11-09T15:31:41Z")
I’m a big fan of Tabasco when mixed with ketchup, and also on hash browns. Sriracha has uses in stir-fries and as a sandwich spread when mixed with mayo. My new love, though, is Peri-Peri sauce, a South African hot sauce with a strong lemon hit. So good! ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/15 "2020-11-09T15:37:28Z")
Nando’s. They make about 6-8 different kinds and they are all great. If you don’t have a Nando’s restaurant near you, and you probably don’t, just using the sauce gets you a lot closer. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/16 "2020-11-09T15:40:27Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > All three choices are different and nature and have different uses. ^This. Tabasco, a Louisiana-style hot sauce, is for American food. Frank’s is for hot wings. Sriracha is for Asian, pizza, hot dogs, and such. Crystal is too weak for anything. Louisiana is for jambalaya and the dressing for Herbsaint’s shaved beef salad. Tapatio is for Mexican food. Cholula Hot Sauce is only half-right. It’s a sauce, but it has no heat. I’ll only use it if I’m at a restaurant and they don’t have anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/17 "2020-11-09T15:43:15Z")
I prefer green Tabasco but compromised with my SO so we’re a Texas Pete home. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/18 "2020-11-09T15:43:20Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Nando’s. They make about 6-8 different kinds and they are all great. If you don’t have a Nando’s restaurant near you, and you probably don’t, just using the sauce gets you a lot closer. Hah! The Peri-Peri I was talking about above is, of course, Nando’s. It’s the only brand I’ve ever seen at the grocery store, although I think it’s a generic term for a particular style. ---
**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:** [November 9, 2020, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/19 "2020-11-09T15:45:31Z")
FWIW, Trader Joe’s Green Dragon Sauce is really good on scrambled eggs & cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145/20 "2020-11-09T15:54:32Z")
Depends on the application. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tabasco-or-franks-red-hot/925145.md?page=2)