Hot sauce is just one of those things that adds a little something extra to the food we love.
Hot sauce is one of those things that, if loved, gets put on almost all foods. According to Eric Vinje, writer for Cosmic Chile, hot sauce has been around since humans first encountered chili peppers; furthermore, by 1807 advertisements for cayenne sauce were already appearing in Massachusetts newspapers. Over the years, hot sauce recipes and uses have diversified, giving some regional culinary styles, such as Cajun cuisine, their staple.
Origin and Evolution of Hot Sauce in the United States
Native homemade hot sauces were first brewed in the Southern states. The fiery culinary style here gave rise to the urge of throwing chili peppers into a pot in hopes of creating a spicy blend that would set the chef`s food apart from the competition. In 1868, New Orleans entrepreneur Edmund McIlhenny began to mass produce and distribute what would become one of the world`s most famous hot sauces -- Tabasco Pepper Sauce. McIlhenny`s success encouraged several chefs to mass distribute their own hot sauce recipes. To this day, Tabasco Pepper Sauce continues to rule the hot sauce market, but the challenge of creating a better sauce has not come to a close.
Making Your Own Hot Sauce
There are roughly 10 common hot peppers to choose from when giving heat to a sauce: poblano, serrano, habanero, cayenne, jalapeno, Thai hot chilies, scotch bonnet, hot banana, pequin and tabasco. One of the best tricks to hot sauce creation is experimentation. Create a simple basic hot sauce base by combining a can of tomato paste, a can of diced tomatoes, garlic, juice of one lemon and a pinch of salt and pepper in sauce pan. Dice and add a combination of your choice of hot peppers and cook it all together for 20 minutes on medium-high heat. Stir frequently to prevent any burning. Once the tomatoes and peppers have cooked through and softened, turn the heat down to low and allow the sauce to simmer for 15 minutes. Scoop the sauce into a food processor and blend it until it`s smooth. Experiment by adding different blends of hot peppers and spices to the base to create a hot sauce that`s just right for you.
Hot Sauce Tricks
Hot sauce can be a great addition to food, especially if you like it to be spicy. Create an irresistible snack to share during a movie by adding a few drops of hot sauce to a bowl of melted butter and using it to flavor popcorn. Make the boring extraordinary by adding some of your favorite hot sauce to ketchup or any other dip to give your fries or chips an extra kick. Spice up your breakfast by folding hot sauce into your scrambled eggs. Caramelize onions and add hot sauce just when they`re nearly done to create a mouth-watering burger topper. There are countless ways to use hot sauce. The trick to using it creatively is experimentation.
Cleaning Pennies
Perhaps an unconventional use of hot sauce is for cleaning coins such as tarnished pennies. The acidic and salt content of hot sauce removes the oxidation from the surface of the penny, revealing the shiny copper beneath. Simply add a thin layer of hot sauce to the surface of the penny, allow it to rest for roughly two to five minutes, and then wipe away the hot sauce with a clean cloth. Any hot sauce, even one created by you, will work to clean pennies.
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