Q: Hi Dave,My recipe for a pepper paste contains scotch bonnet, ginger, garlic, salt and vinegar. I want to bottle it for sale here in Tanzania. To preserve it, could I hot water bathe it or do I need to pressure-cook it to prolong shelf life?Thanks and good luck, Judy McIntosh A: Hello Judy:Since vinegar is a preservative, a boiling …
Where to Get a Scoville Rating for Your Hot Sauce
Q: Dear Dave,Where or how can I get a Scoville rating number for my hot sauce? It is a bottled chipotle hot sauce and I am a part-time state licensed processor. Thanks, Ann A: Hello Ann:You must have the sauce tested by a laboratory that does High Performance Liquid Chromatography Testing, such as Analytical Food Laboratories, 972-336-0336.–Dave
Source of Ripe Jalapenos
Q: Dave,Several years ago at the Fiery-Foods Show in Albuquerque, during the "Short Cut to Making Hot Sauces" seminar, you suggested that I should find a recipe that utilizes ripe jalapenos. Do you have a year-round source? Any source? Regards, Fred GraySparkling River Pepper Company, LLC A: Hello Fred:I don’t think that there is a domestic source of ripe jalapenos year-round, …
Hot Sauce Recipe Theft
Q: Dave,Great website! It has become my main resource of information in this industry. We have established a hot sauce that has become very popular. Besides registering/trademarking company/product names, logos, and slogans, is there a way we can protect our recipe before making the move to working with a co-packer? Or is this part of the process and, within that, …
Barcode for New Hot Sauce?
Q: Dave,We are just starting out with a hot sauce we have developed. Many retailers require a barcode in order to stock our product. Is this an industry standard requirement, or is it ok to start out without a barcode?–Dtrain A: Hello Dtrain:Generally speaking, you only need a bar code if your sauce will be sold in supermarkets, where the …