Matt Bray, Author at PepperScale

Spicy Southwest Salad Dressing

Add a little Tex-Mex flavor to your greens… If you have Ranch dressing at the ready, a decently stocked spice rack, and a few common kitchen ingredients, you’re ready to make a delicious spicy Southwest salad dressing. This is a 5-minute “whip it up” recipe that’s still …

Louisiana Hot Sauce Ingredients: What Makes This Hot Sauce Tick?

by Matt Bray

The makers of Louisiana Hot Sauce market it as one of the first Cajun food products to become commercially available. The sauce was first made and sold in 1928 by Bruce Foods, about five years after Baumer Foods (another Louisiana-based company) began producing Crystal Hot …

Santa Fe Grande Pepper: Southwest Sweet

by Matt Bray

Sweet, slightly smoky, and mild… Scoville heat units (SHU): 500 – 700 Jalapeño reference point: 3 to 16 times milder Origin: United States Seeds: Santa Fe Grande pepper on Amazon With their sweet flavor, mild heat, and vibrant color, the Santa Fe Grande pepper (a.k.a. the guero …

Cholula Ingredients: What Makes This Hot Sauce Tick?

by Matt Bray

Cholula Hot Sauce (Original) is one of the few truly Mexican hot sauces to achieve true cult status in the US. Famous for the wooden cap on its bottles, Cholula Hot Sauce offers a light flavor along with a mild but long-lasting heat. The makers …

Habanero Nutrition: How Healthy Are They?

by Matt Bray

Habaneros are small Mexican chilies that are best known for their extra-hot spiciness. They are most often used in salsas and as a source of heat for hot sauces. Along with their heat, the flavor profile of these peppers includes fruitiness and mild floral notes. …

Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce

by Matt Bray

Smoky and sweet… If you like your barbecue on the sweeter side, yet still with plenty of smoky flavor and spiciness, honey chipotle BBQ sauce is right up your alley. Chipotle peppers have a very eatable medium heat to go along with their natural smokiness. We pair these …

Tapatio Ingredients: What Makes This Hot Sauce Tick?

by Matt Bray

A staple of Mexican restaurants in the US, Tapatio Hot Sauce has been around since 1971. Tapatio’s reputation has grown over the years to the point where it is now considered one of the great American hot sauces alongside Tabasco Original Red Sauce and Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce. Its relatively mild heat along with its piquant flavor makes it a tasty addition to food, both for chile pepper novices and for long-time lovers of spicy food.

Trinidad 7 Pot Pepper: Caribbean Fire

by Matt Bray

A rare super-hot, wicked habanero-like flavor… Scoville heat units (SHU): 1,000,000 – 1,200,000Jalapeño reference point: 125 to 480 times hotterOrigin: TrinidadProducts and seeds: Trinidad 7 Pot on Amazon With its rounded shape, the Trinidad 7 Pot pepper (a.k.a. the 7 Pod pepper) may often look …

Frank’s RedHot Ingredients: What’s In This Popular Hot Sauce?

by Matt Bray

Frank’s RedHot has been making hot sauce since 1964. While the company now has a sizable line that includes a variety of hot sauces, the best-known one is still their Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce. Not only is it a versatile flavoring for a vast range …

Spicy Food For Colds: Fact Or Fiction?

by Matt Bray

Many people believe that spicy foods such as those containing hot peppers are effective treatments for colds and flu. The thought behind this is that the compounds in chili peppers, black pepper, and other spicy foods can help your body overcome cold and flu symptoms thus easing your pain and discomfort. But do they really work? Let’s break down this common home remedy.