Hot sauce is a great way to add some spice and flavor to your meals, and with over 50,000 chile pepper varieties to choose from, the possibilities are endless! If you’re a fan of hot sauce, you know that generic store-bought hot sauce can be boring. If you use hot sauce frequently, you’ve probably thought about making your own hot sauce at home at some point. And today we’re going to give you some of the best tips on making your own hot sauce!
So if you’re considering making your own, make sure to follow these simple tips!
1. Know the Type of Hot Sauce You Want
If you’ve ever searched for tips on making hot sauce from home or if you asked a friend, you probably were told to start by choosing the peppers you want to use. While this is a crucial step and one of the first things you should do, it’s not necessarily the very first thing to think about.
Before you start thinking about your favorite types of peppers, you need to decide on the type of hot sauce you want to make. Because depending on what you have in mind, will change the types of peppers that you’ll want to use!
Are you wanting a fermented or non-fermented hot sauce? Do you want an extremely hot, mild, or medium heat level? Think about the food profiles, are you going with sweet, tangy, or bitter? Or do you want a smokey hot sauce made for chicken wings?
So start off by thinking about the different types of hot sauces and decide on which one you want to create from scratch at home!
Source: cutsidedown.com
2. Decide On Chile Peppers & Heat Levels
Now that you know the type of hot sauce you want to make, it’s time to pick your chile peppers! This is where the creativity starts to come in and you get to experiment with different flavors.
Depending on what type of hot sauce you’re making, will decide which types of chiles you will want to consider using for it. For a milder version, you might try using anaheim pepper or jalapenos; for something with more heat, you might consider trying habanero or ghost peppers. You can also mix and match different varieties for some unique flavor combinations.
Also, be sure to think about how much heat level each pepper adds to your recipe. A habanero pepper packs a lot more heat than a jalapeno so plan accordingly if you don’t want your hot sauce to be too spicy.
Whether you are new to spicy foods and hot sauce or not, one of the best ways to gauge just how hot a chile pepper can be is by using the Scoville scale. Which rates chile peppers in a range of heat levels. By comparing those eat levels with the chile peppers you do know, you’ll better find out which peppers to use for the heat level you’re seeking for your new sauce.
3. Don’t Forget the Other Ingredients
The next step in making your own hot sauce is to start thinking about the other ingredients to use – this is where you can really customize it and make it unique! You can make this as basic as you want or go out all crazy and come up with a favorite.
There are some key ingredients that are used more often than not with homemade hot sauce recipes, such as vinegar (or citrus juice), garlic, onion, and salt. However, it’s really up to you and what kind of flavors you want to make. Depending on what type of hot sauce you’re making, these ingredients may vary slightly but they always remain some of the essential elements.
Some of our personal favorite additional that you may want to consider are cumin, oregano, or smoked paprika, which can add some fun flavor profiles.
Source: bbc.co.uk
4. Consider Fresh, Dried, & Powdered
Something that some people don’t realize is that you can make hot sauces from all three; fresh, dried, and powdered.
All three varieties will provide different flavors, textures, and colors to your homemade hot sauce. And while all are delicious in their own way, there are some key differences that can make one option better than another depending on what you’re aiming for with your hot sauce recipe.
Typically when using dried peppers, you’re hot sauce may have large flakes, which is great for certain types. If you ground them into a powder form using store-bought powder peppers will ensure you don’t have flakes and less texture. Hot sauce that is made with fresh peppers will need to be made within a couple of weeks or they made end up spoiling. Fresh peppers can also allow you to experience more of the heat from the peppers.
5. It Can Be As Simple Or Complex As You Want
Making the hot sauce from scratch can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. The key is finding the balance of flavors that work best together and provide you with an amazing culinary experience.
One tip for beginners is to start off simple, so focus on one type of pepper then keep adding more ingredients that will compliment the flavor profile you are trying to achieve.
It may also take you a couple of tries to get the process down and find the right rhythm that works for what you enjoy most. On top of that make sure to have fun while you’re doing it!
Source: gobble.com
Making Hot Sauce At Home From Scratch
Hot sauce is one of the most beloved condiments. It can be added to just about any dish to give it a little bit of a kick. If you’re a fan of hot sauce, making you’re own can be an amazing, fun, and fulfilling experience. So when you go to start making your very own craft hot sauce, be sure to follow these tips!
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out more in our sauce section!
