Author Topic: Condiments.  (Read 5197 times)

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Online 8ullfrog

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Condiments.
« on: August 07, 2023, 06:59:03 PM »
I call condiments sauce way too much.

My local Grolet posts weekly video presentations of what they have in, and I naïvely requested they show "the sauces". They did an entire video dedicated to... tomato sauces.

Which honestly bore me. One jarred sauce might as well be the one next to it.

I meant condiments. Hot sauce, mustard, BBQ sauce, bizarre twists.

I'll admit, bizarre twist sauces tend to be my favorite.

Today I watched a couple videos on various hot sauces, and realized, I've been going up the scale on heat, and don't actually enjoy it. I'm going to aim downward from habanero.

For instance, Tapatio is 3000 SHU, and that's too much for me.

So how about you? What's your favorite taste invigorator?

Offline 6pairsofshoes

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Re: Condiments.
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2023, 06:53:31 PM »
I put soy sauce on lots of stuff, as I like salt.  Eggs, some noodle dishes, like ramen.
A1 sauce on French fries.
Barbeque sauce on veggie burgers.
Salsa on veggie burgers.
Dijon mustard on turkey sandwiches.  I usually put mayo on also.
Tapatio hot sauce is a favorite for mexican food, and the McInney's Green hot sauce is good as an alternative to salsa verde.
Lemon juice is nice for bringing out flavor, but I generally use it when cooking, instead of as a condiment.

Online 8ullfrog

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Re: Condiments.
« Reply #2 on: August 24, 2023, 01:48:58 AM »
I got a bottle of Gringo Bandito at Smart & Final yesterday. Either it has a shorter shelf life than most other hot sauces, or I got one that should have been shelf scooped, as it's only good until December.

I like it. I complained about Tapatio earlier, and this honestly tastes like Tapatio if someone sanded the edges down. It's a blend of peppers, rather than Tapatio's singular, but both are produced here in California.

I thought it was a bit pricey at $3.49, but apparently that's supposed to be seven dollars.

I very much enjoyed the sauce, I had it on eggs.

It's 820 SHU to Tapatio's 3000.

Here's a review by someone who knows what they are doing:

https://pepperscale.com/gringo-bandito-original-hot-sauce/

I also saw a green Sriracha and was sorely tempted, but I still haven't used up the Tabasco tapatio. Gringo bandito has been on my must try list for a while, so I made an exception.

Offline 6pairsofshoes

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Re: Condiments.
« Reply #3 on: August 24, 2023, 11:05:41 AM »
I like Tapatio.  I also like McIhenny's green hot Tabasco sauce.  I had some green Slap Yo Mama brand a couple weeks ago at a restaurant and it was pretty good.  I'll keep an eye out for gringo bandito.  I have shopped and picked up inexpensive unknown brands at Grocery Outlet and they tend to languish in my pantry, unused as I forget they're there.  We should have more quesadillas so we can use more.  Maybe this week!

Online 8ullfrog

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Re: Condiments.
« Reply #4 on: August 24, 2023, 04:46:24 PM »
Green Tabasco is Jalapeño, so it is significantly more mild than mainline Tabasco. The chipotle one is also significantly less spicy, but has the smokiness of chipotle, which I've noticed some people don't like. I love it!

I really like the green El Pato sauce that Grocery outlet sells. I liked Louisiana Gem green jalapeño sauce better, because it matched green Tabasco almost exactly, but I don't have the purple 99 cent store anywhere near here.

Offline 6pairsofshoes

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Re: Condiments.
« Reply #5 on: August 25, 2023, 10:22:59 AM »
99 only closed a bunch of stores and jacked up their prices.  Now it's a turkey shoot as to whether an item will be .99 or not.  Most items cost more.  The quality of their stock has declined.  I rarely shop there any longer.  So you're not missing much.

Online 8ullfrog

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Re: Condiments.
« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2023, 02:32:30 AM »
Thank you for the warning.

I had a bottle of Heinz Chili sauce. No clue where it came from, exp was 2025.

It's spicy ketchup. There isn't a single chili in the recipe. Essentially, it's ketchup with onion and garlic powder.

It's got some zing, I'll give it that, but it's nothing fancy.
Quote
TOMATO PUREE (WATER, TOMATO PASTE), DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SALT, CORN SYRUP, DEHYDRATED ONION, SPICE, GARLIC POWDER, NATURAL FLAVORING.

One wonders where chili comes in.

Offline 6pairsofshoes

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Re: Condiments.
« Reply #7 on: October 06, 2023, 06:50:22 AM »
A few years ago, .99 only had Heinz Spicy Ketchup from a 19th c. recipe in honor of their centenarary.  That stuff was the bomb.  I didn't open it until it was no longer in stock there.  It was so good and I found people selling bottles on ebay for upwards of $50.  Nuts.  For that price, I'd make my own.  I certainly regretted not buying more, since after a while they had it 2/$1.00 and I could have stocked up. 

Online 8ullfrog

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Re: Condiments.
« Reply #8 on: October 06, 2023, 09:27:29 PM »
Apparently, the return of Huy Fong Sriracha is a controversial one, people are saying it's orange, chunky, and doesn't taste right.
So, they've slipped to knocking off their own sauce! (They previously tried to F over their pepper supplier, who now bottle their own.)
I can't get it down here, but people in Northern and Central California can, it's called Underwood Ranches, and apparently it tastes exactly what it's supposed to taste like. No controversy, but I think they could have gone with a less ugly label. Huy Fong hit that out of the park, with their simple yet instantly recognizable bottle.

I do find the variants of ketchup you occasionally find at the dollar stores interesting, because they try new stuff, and apparently the focus groups don't like it.

During the Komen foundation controversy, a lot of pink branded stuff got dumped at dollar stores. I ate well, but all the packaging was pink!

I had some boar's head Horseradish that was edging towards it's throw out date, so I picked up some tomato concentrate juice, and have been mixing up some horseradish heavy beverages. I like it, but it's weirdly hard to find in my area.

Offline 6pairsofshoes

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Re: Condiments.
« Reply #9 on: October 19, 2023, 04:18:01 PM »
I had smoked fish crepes with horseradish sauce at a fancy museum cafe in Manhattan this past week.  It was delicious.  Lovely dessert after including a rich chocolate cake.  It was almost as good as the art.

Online 8ullfrog

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Re: Condiments.
« Reply #10 on: October 19, 2023, 04:58:24 PM »
I ruined a perfectly good project with manwich.

Specifically, I was following the directions to make hot dog chili sauce, using that heinz chili sauce I talked about before, worchestershire sauce, chili powder, and yellow mustard.

The mix tasted fantastic, and then I decided to add a can of manwich instead of straight tomato sauce.

Big mistake. All I can taste is the manwich. I tried simmering it down and it just... ignored that. Simmered it for 20 friggin minutes, and it was still soup.

Guess they can't all be winners. Might take another shot at that chili sauce recipe soonish.

Offline 6pairsofshoes

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Re: Condiments.
« Reply #11 on: October 20, 2023, 09:52:40 AM »
Quote
I ruined a perfectly good project with manwich.
This sounds like a good title for a short story in a book called "Culinary Confessions."