38
votes
Accepted
Mold on homemade sriracha
Do NOT eat this. You figured out right that the stuff on top is mold. The thing that makes mold dangerous is the mycotoxins produced by it and these will likely remain in the sauce even if you scrape ...
- 2,109
23
votes
Is seeding peppers a must when making hot sauce
The seeds of all peppers are bitter, you won't notice this when you are using a single pepper in a large dish of food, but if you make hot sauce without removing the seeds you will have a noticeable, ...
- 77.2k
22
votes
Accepted
Could you smoke a sauce?
What you're describing isn't all that different from how they make various products like Liquid Smoke (make smoke along with steam, then condense that steam). You will need to make sure that some ...
- 5,683
12
votes
Is seeding peppers a must when making hot sauce
First, the most capsaicin (heat) is in the pith of the peppers. You'll find it to a lesser extent in the seeds. Keeping the seeds will definitely change the texture of the sauce, but if you like that ...
- 5,134
11
votes
Accepted
How to add bourbon flavor?
What we think of as "bourbon flavor" is due to a combination of things.
Bourbon is aged in a new oak barrel that has been charred on the inside. The important thing is not so much the layer ...
10
votes
How to add bourbon flavor?
Heating to remove alcohol isn't as effective as you might think, and igniting the vapour is of no benefit. Once it's evaporated it's gone from the liquid anyway, and imagine trying to get a flame from ...
- 45.2k
6
votes
Emulsifier: is it safe to cook mayonnaise?
The mayonnaise itself is only a stable emulsion in certain temperature ranges. If you are talking about standard mayonnaise (made with egg yolk), it will split when heated, and won't help your new ...
- 140k
6
votes
Could you smoke a sauce?
I've definitely done this with ketchup before, with a couple key tweaks:
Spreading the sauce onto a rimmed baking sheet. This is to maximize surface area for smoking.
I used a Traeger pellet-smoker, ...
- 161
5
votes
Could you smoke a sauce?
Better or worse is a judgement call. Smoking the peppers then making the sauce v. smoking the sauce will produce different results, but both will impart smokiness. So, you can, in fact, impart smoke ...
- 77k
5
votes
Could you smoke a sauce?
This will definitely work, but I would recommend stirring it every once in a while as it will mostly be affecting only the surface. A shallow vessel with a larger surface area will also impart more ...
- 1,119
5
votes
Accepted
Turning Harissa into Hot Sauce
The only difference between something that would be called "hot sauce" and a "chili paste" is the consistency, and perhaps how finely ground the chilis are (though harissas are usually pretty finely ...
- 3,063
5
votes
Accepted
How to Calculate Scoville Heat?
You cannot calculate it, you can only measure it.
Scoville is a subjective scale. Wikipedia tells you how it is measured - by testing with human panelists, using a certain protocol.
As all ...
- 140k
4
votes
How to pump same amount of paste every time?
This thought came to me, and is so different from my first answer I don't think it makes a good edit to that...
If the product is really
made of pepper flakes in an oil
rather than mix a batch ...
- 19.1k
4
votes
Accepted
Emulsifier: is it safe to cook mayonnaise?
Mayonnaise is safe to cook. Prepared mayonnaise that you purchase in the store has been pasteurized and usually has more than enough acidity to keep any harmful pathogens from growing. Cooking with ...
- 77k
4
votes
Can I prevent hot pepper sauce losing heat?
The heat of your condiments isn't actually being lost. The condiments are marrying, meaning the heat becomes more homogenously distributed through the condiment. This means you don't have bits and ...
- 6,302
4
votes
Accepted
How to pasteurize lacto-fermented hot sauce?
According to the US FDA, normal pastuerization for fruit juice would be 160F for 6 seconds. This should be easily accomplished in a hot water bath; just heat up the water to 160f, and dip the bottles....
- 65.5k
4
votes
How to add bourbon flavor?
Your bourbon cask had a small amount of bourbon in the wood.
A similarly small amount of bourbon applied directly won't be enough alcohol to matter to your ferment.
You can take a bit more involved ...
- 19.1k
3
votes
How to Calculate Scoville Heat?
What SHU measures is (at least intended to be) the ppm by mass of capsaicin in the sauce, and there is a rough conversion factor of 1µg/kg capsaicin = 16 SHU. The concentration of capsaicin can be ...
- 39
3
votes
Accepted
Is slightly sugary mango fine for hot sauce?
If you don't have any other options, I'd go ahead and try it with a few minor adjustments. Keep in mind that recipes like this are really loose and based a lot on personal preference. If you don't ...
- 16.5k
3
votes
Can I prevent hot pepper sauce losing heat?
My suggestion is: try simmering the sauce for a short while before storing it in the fridge. My answer is based on the sauce I use for my Fajitas (onion, assorted peppers, ground cumin and cayenne, ...
- 1,391
3
votes
Accepted
Does soy sauce counteract hot stuff?
Soy sauce is not known to chemically influence capsaicin or capsaicin absorption. The effect is likely subjective and has to do with something like spicy heat feeling less objectionable in a higher ...
- 15.3k
3
votes
How to know if a recipe is acidic enough for storage/bottling?
Excellent question! I understand wanting to experiment with your own recipe. I hate following recipes and would much rather develop my own.
Virginia Tech has a PDF file that I consider invaluable to ...
- 3,953
3
votes
Hot sauce; Remove seeds?
It's been a long time since I had seen my mother make her own chilli sause. I had forgotten this step. She would remove the stems and put the rest in a blender. Add some water and blend. Once blended ...
- 31
3
votes
Accepted
Chinese XO sauce substitute?
You can roll your own XO sauce by stir frying (of couse, everything chopped) shallots, chili peppers, garlic, Jinhua ham, dried shrimps, dried scallops (conpoy), and cooking Shaoxing wine, ...
- 509
3
votes
How to prevent runny nose when eating spicy foods?
Basically you can't prevent this from happening as it is a physiological (part of your body's natural function) reaction to an irritant - in this case the chemical capsaicin in the chili fruit ...
- 16.2k
2
votes
Accepted
What can I do to stop hot sauce from separating?
5 gram per gallon (0.0125 percent) Xanthan gum inhibits separation in my pepper sauce.
You see that as an ingredient in lots of hot sauces. It's a bit of a pain to mix in thoroughly, but there are ...
- 11.8k
2
votes
How do I maximize the shelf life of my homemade hot sauce?
I have been making hot sauces for about 20 years. .....not much scientific knowledge going into it, but I have "seriously hot" mashes & whiskey hot sauces, wing sauces, etc. Some have been aging ...
- 21
2
votes
Accepted
How to know if a recipe is acidic enough for storage/bottling?
On the surface, the recipe would seem OK, but you can't really go by on the surface. What is is the source of the recipe? Is it a tested, reliable source such as a well-established book, say one in ...
- 8,642
2
votes
Accepted
Fermentation: volume vs. time
So, I checked Wikipedia, and want to make sure you plan to add salt into the barrel WITH the chile puree. I'm not sure why they would add more on top, but I'm not judging, here. However, if you want ...
- 5,227
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible