As a child in the Midwest during the 60’s and 70’s I was largely unaware of foods that required hot sauce. The one exception to this was chili. The only brand of pepper sauce I can recall seeing on the store shelves in this time was Tabasco. It was what constituted ‘normal’. I have, however, broadened my palate and now prefer the taste of Frank’s over than of Tabasco. Tabasco is slightly too vinegary for my current tastes.
Frank’s isn’t something I’d ever buy. Tabasco is — I like the combination of medium-mild warmth and vinegar, although not for every food / every situation.
Cholula is a bottle I’m fond of.
I like El Yucateco red when I want something a bit warmer.
My go-to bottle for when I want full-on hottt is Blair’s Mega Death which the hottest thing I’ve ever tasted that has a taste to be tasted and not just flavorless hot.
Bias alert!
So I grew up (6-18) in southern New Mexico, some 30 years ago. The sauces you mention would show up for sale in major supermarkets that catered to gringos (like my family, since we moved from Massachusetts), but no one local would bother. Heck, McDonalds had green chile cheeseburgers on their menus, because otherwise no one but tourists would have eaten there.
Tabasco was found in a few local diners, but the only thing I ever saw people using it on was hashbrowns, which I do as well. The sharp tang of the vinegar and low heat work really well on the blandness. It’s the only thing I still have tabasco in my house for these days. We are all spoiled now, where the average grocery store has at least two dozen different hot sauces so you can pick the one that matches the dish.
If I have to pick an ‘all purpose’ widely available hot sauce, the one in my cabinet is Sriracha, which to my tongue at least, has a less aggressive vinegar taste, and can therefore be added as a cooking ingredient in more foods with minimal concerns for flavor profiles.
Tabasco, as a normal flavor application. Love it on hash browns and eggs.
Frank’s is alright, and if you like it, Lay’s currently has a Frank’s-flavored potato chip out… surprisingly good!
There is a Scorpion-flavored Tabasco sauce with extra guava and pineapple (and salt) that is palpably hotter than the original flavor, without being extremely spicy.
Tabasco has a “clean” flavor that goes well with many foods. I used it sparingly on steak. I dip the corner of each piece in a pool of Tabasco. Frank’s is milder and the garlic really comes through on a side by side taste test. But it affects the flavor of foods more then Tabasco.
I like them all. I’ll take whatever is handy. No real preference. I know, that’s just plain lazy, ain’t it?
Right now, in the house, I’ve got Valentina (kinda gunky, really. I put it on hashbrowns), Tabasco (both red and green) and Cholula. I like it for the wooden top and pretty label. Tapitio is good and largely interchangeable with Cholula. I know there is some kind of ‘Rooster Sauce’ somewhere in the house, but I couldn’t find it to get the brand.
I’m a Hot Sauce Heretic.
Interesting. Sriracha tastes really sweet to me, so I dislike it on most savory dishes.
Huh. I also wouldn’t characterize Tabasco as “clean.” It’s sharp and funky, like a good cheese. The ferment is key to its goodness. I also like pickled pepper vinegar, and I would describe that flavor as “clean.”
I’ve been a Texas Pete guy as far back as I remember.
Valentina is my go-to, especially with eggs. I also have all of the Yellowbird sauces and like them all, but think that the sriracha type sauce is too sweet for most things.
I still hold Tabasco close to my heart, with my main use for it being Cincinnati chili. Nothing else seems right to me there.
My daughter prefers Tabasco Habanero Sauce.
It really depends on what I’m eating.
For eggs, Marie Sharps’.
For cajun food, Tabasco. I also prefer Tabasco on scrambled eggs if I have sourdough toast.
Wings should always use Frank’s.
I, uh… have a lot of hot sauces in my pantry/fridge.
“Lottie’s” from Barbados is excellent.
I like Sriracha for eggs and things. Tapatio is our go-to for Mexican type foods. Slap Ya Mama is a good Cajun hot sauce.
Yeah, I prefer Tabasco over other sauces of its type: the others taste to sweet and cloying in comparison. I guess you could call that type of sauce “clean” as in uncluttered, as in “not a very broad flavor profile”. But that’s why I prefer other styles like Cholula and Sriracha for most applications because of their broader spectrum of flavors.
Marie Sharp’s for most food. Frank’s for pizza. Tapatio for taco’y type things. Sriracha for pho and Thai food.
I just wanted you to know that I agree with you, and most brands of Sriracha are sweeter than ideal. That’s why I had to preface thusly.
I’m rarely using hot sauces on their own, I’m adding it to things I’m cooking. And for a lot of dishes, it’s easy enough to leave out things that add sweetness (juices, added sugar, fruit) to compensate. It’s harder to cut the tang of strong vinegars, especially as I already tend to use a lot of acid (which often includes those same juices and fruit!). But everyone tastes work different.
That’s why I probably have at least a dozen hot sauces in my pantry, and mix and match to what I’m cooking. The other nice thing about Sriracha is with it’s flavor profile and not insubstantial sweetness, is that I often sub it out for ketchup or tomato paste in dishes I’m cooking. Often those two are added just for sweetness or color, and if I can add a more complex flavor and a bit of heat, I’m all for the sub.
I have a drawer in the frisge for hot sauces. They all have a place but of the three Cholula is my favourite. Frank’s for wings, Tabasco for eggs and cheesy stuff. As @pulykamell noted; Yellowbird, ElYucatejo and Secret Aardvark are all good. I’m also partial to the Heatonist sauces, the classic and los caliente rojo in particular. The last dab sauces are pretty ferocious, and I’m judicious in thier use, but the flavours are great!
Absolutely on the list. I also like Jardine’s, Lucky Dog and ABC sambal pedas.
Didn’t read all the posts. IMO Tabasco is a holdover from the pitiful culinary standards of 1950s US cooking. It’s all cheap vinegar and a smidgen of flavor. Any red sauce brand is better than Tabasco.
Franks is a perfectly serviceable generic sauce and is well-suited to buffalo wings. It has a nice flavor although it’s far milder than I like my wings.
Cholula is better yet, with Valentina or Crystal even better.
El Yucateca is excellent if you want habanero. Somethings go well with the flavor overtones of habanero, some things don’t.
Living down here near Miami I’ve recently become a convert to Jamaican hot sauces. This scotch bonnet sauce by Grace Foods is pretty hot and has a great flavor. I even use it as a steak sauce. All their sauces are great and their prices can’t be beat.