Q: Dave,Although I enjoy the burn, my family does not. My sauces sometimes end up too hot for everyone to enjoy, especially when made with home-grown chiles. Is there something that can lessen the burn without affecting the flavor?Thanks, Stewart A: Hello Stewart:It would be helpful to know precisely what you are cooking. Generally speaking, there are only three ways to …
Cooking with Alcoholic vs. Non-Alcoholic Beverages
Q: Hi Dave!I have a friend who cannot have any alcohol. What is a good substitution when a recipe calls for using wine, beer or sherry? Would non-alcoholic wines/beers work? Are there other suggestions in case they are not comfortable with non-alcoholic stuff?Thanks! –Cheryl A: Hello Cheryl:When cooking with alcoholic beverages, the alcohol evaporates very quickly, leaving only the flavor of …
Extract added to New Mexican Restaurant Sauces?
Dave,Both the green chile and red chile sauces in one of my favorite restaurants in Albuquerque have begun to convey an unusual and strangely hot quality not found heretofore. I wish I could be more specific, but the "bite" is unnatural, and I am quite familiar with hot chiles. Now, I have heard that some products are "spiked" and I …
Hot Sauces and Refrigeration
Dave:Do all hot sauces need to be refrigerated after opening? If not, how can you tell which need referigeration and which don’t?Thanks, RobertRobert:I am very cautious about food spoilage, so I recommend always refrigerating all liquid products after opening.–Dave
Improved Hot Sauce Flavor through Sunlight Exposure?
Aloha Dave:This may or may not sound a bit strange. I had a customer come in to the store today and commented."By leaving an unopened bottle of hot sauce in the sun for a week, you’ll have a better tasting product than when first purchased. This will give the hot sauce a more intense flavor." Now my question is this: …