What's in your arsenal???

[perc-o-prince]

Heat-wise, that is. Here's my current supply. A little something different depending on what's cookin'!!

Chuck

 

[maytagbear]

Tabasco original,

Tabasco Garlic, Tabasco Chipotle, Tabasco Habanero, Frank's RedHot.

I wasn't into heat until I hit 45 or so. Now I am a beginning pepperhead.

However, I still only buy the mild Ro*Tel!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[whirlcool]

We have Cayenne Pepper, Black Pepper, White Pepper, Tabasco, and Chinese Hot Oil. Since I went to school in Louisiana, I acquired the taste for hot back then. While not hot, I also enjoy Sesame Oil on things like Chicken.

 

[davek]

Regular Tabasco and Crystal. I use a lot of crushed red pepper instead of hot sauce to add texture and keep the amount of liquid down in some dishes. I often use pickled jalapeno slices, too. I need to track down some of that fire oil that Thai restaurants have. If Wendy's sold their chili sauce in a bottle, I would buy it, too. It's not really hot, but I like the taste.

 

[whirlcool]

I go to a Chinese Grocery market to buy our Chinese Hot Oil. There is nothing hotter than that!
Whenever we go to a Chinese Restaurant, I always ask for my food "Traditional Chinese Spicy", they know what I mean. It can be VERY hot.

 

[perc-o-prince]

I forgot to include the chili powder!

I like having different types around, though Frank's is ALWAY'S in good supply. Being from Buffalo, and enjoying my wings the original way, gotta have Frank's! Thank goodness BJ's has the "Jug-O-Frank's" so I can refill my bottle on the cheap!

The different types work differently with different dishes, and the heat level can be adjusted. I also use them for flavor and not just heat; something people sometimes forget about.

I love the garlic chili paste when I make Kung Pao, but it's way too hot for Rich so I mix it in at the end. I heartily endorse it to those who like the heat, but also good kick of flavor!

The Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sause was recommended by a couple that was shopping in the hots aisle in the Asian market when I was. It's definitely sweet, and doesn't have much heat at all. I mix a little of the garlic chili paste in when I use it for myself.

And, fresh jalepenos are in supply most of the time. I love 'em diced for salads, spaghetti, chicken, potato or mac salad... lots of things!

Chuck

 

[xraytech]

For me it would be:
-Franks Red Hot
_Franks Hot Wing Sauce
-Lousiana Hot Sauce
-Hot Mother Puckers Garlic Hot Sauce
-Black Pepper
-Red Pepper Flakes
-Pickled jalapenos that I canned last summer
- and my all time favorite, Hot Hungarian Paprika

 

[sudsmaster]

I grow my own hot peppers. So far my favorite all around hot pepper is the Serrano, which in this climate is usually very hot while having some interesting flavor. Even hotter is the Miura, the starter plants of which are sort of hard to find but not impossible. It's about twice as hot as the Serrano - almost as hot as the Habanero, but without the heavy somewhat bitter aftertaste of the Habanero. Also use Jalapeno but they tend to vary a lot in heat in this climate - although I found one corner of my garden where they seem to be hotter than usual.

Also like the asian hot pepper sauce called Sriracha, which is like Tabasco but with garlic and other flavors added.

For kimchee I use hot chili flakes I get by the bag at an asian market. It's not super hot so one can add enough to get the classic kimchee color without burning down the house. I've also made kimchee with serrano and miura peppers instead of the red chili flakes, and that has a cleaner but quite spicy flavor, without the color.

 

[jeffg]

If someone has or can get the *exact* recipe for Black Angus' cocktail sauce (they serve it with shrimp cocktails), my partner and I would be very grateful. For 20+ years we've tried duplicating it at home, but it never comes out as good, and their corporate office has never responded to our recipe requests.

It's not 'hot' in a pepper sense, but it has enough horseradish to knock a horse over. And yet it's not at all nasty, like horseradish usually is in large amounts.

 

[whitekingd]

I LOVE Sylvia's "Queen of Soul Food" hot sauce! Her gravy mixes, cornbread mix, and cans of greens are also really excellent.