If you’re looking to add a little zip to your next meal, there’s nothing quite like hot sauce.
From milder hot sauce to earth scorching super hot flavors, there’s something for just about everyone. Just like a fine wine, though, some foods taste better with certain flavors. The key to finding the right match may be up to your own individual taste. If you’re not quite sure, there’s plenty of time to start on the tamer end of the scale and work your way up. Still, though, there are certainly some tried and true favorites of hot sauce enthusiasts who’ve already done some of the experimenting for you.
Think about the texture and flavor of the food you’re about to eat, plus the level of heat packed into that bottle of hot sauce.
First thing in the morning you probably want a punch of heat, but nothing completely over the top. Start off the day with breakfast foods like eggs and sausage topped off by milder peppers. You can’t go wrong with pizza, but don’t be fooled by a generic hot sauce. If you’re topping the cheesy goodness of a slice of pizza with hot sauce, look for one that brings out the flavor of the cheese and dough. A hot sauce containing habanero peppers may add just the right amount of kick.
Foods such as mac ‘n cheese can handle a varying amount of heat, so choose the flavor that best appeals to your own taste and don’t be afraid to kick it up a notch. As for steak, look for a hot sauce with a lot of flavor. You can even change up the flavor bite by bite. Not to be outdone, a dish containing a lot of liquid can handle an even hotter sauce, because it dilutes some of the spicy flavor. That’s why a super hot Sriracha works so well with soup and noodles.
