Thursday, October 1, 2009

Frank's Red Hot -- Hot Pepper Sauce Review #4


Now for Frank’s Red Hot:

Aged Cayenne Red Peppers
Vinegar
Water
Salt
Garlic Powder


Frank’s is an orange red in the bottle but with a thicker, more viscous appearance compared to Crystal or Tabasco, but similar to Trappey’s in that respect..

The nose says Lemony Vinegar with something else, maybe Garlic?, a little Aged Pepper and some Brininess. Quite mild overall, the main effect is of sourness. No pepper sweetness to the nose.

On the tongue we have a thick sauce with Sour Lemon, some Bitterness, more than for the other 3 sauces, some Aged Pepper flavor, and mild saltiness. The finish is fairly rapid with heat falling off as well.. There is a background flavor, Garlic or Garlic Powder perhaps, and maybe that is where the bitterness comes in. This sauce has the least background Pepper sweetness.

Principal effect on food will be lemony acid and aged pepper, with a small amount of salt and a little heat. The thickness of the sauce will add some body to soups and stews especially if it is added in the larger amounts necessary to have real effect on flavor.

OK. There you have it. All four supermarket sauces tasted and critiqued.

Next time I will sum up what I've learned about America's most popular Hot Sauces -- as measured by bottles sold -- and what I think of them as a condiment for food.

Stay tuned.

Yours in heat and flavor,

~Ted

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