Matt Bray, Author at PepperScale

Aji Amarillo Aioli

Delicious with fried food…

We love the aji amarillo for its sunny, bright flavor and its unexpected heat. It’s a flavor that goes far. In fact, adding just a touch of aji amarillo paste (or aji amarillo powder if you prefer) to a little mayonnaise creates a delicious dipping sauce that’s perfect as an alternative to tomato-based cocktail sauces for fried foods. Try it with fried shrimp or simply with fries – really anything in-between. Looking for an aji amarillo sauce that’s a little less full-on “mayo’y”? Take a look at this recipe.

Siling Labuyo: The Filipino Bird’s Eye

by Matt Bray

Small, but fiery….

Scoville heat units (SHU): 80,000 – 100,000
Jalapeño reference point: 10 to 40 times hotter
Origin: Phillipines
Products and seeds: Siling Labuyo on Amazon

The “wild chili” of the Philippines may be tiny, but – like the Thai chilies they are often mistaken for – they pack a punch well beyond their size. Their heat borders that of habanero peppers, but without the complexity of flavor. Siling Labuyo are popular in Filipino cuisine to bring a big spiciness to a meal, though they are becoming increasingly harder to source – they have been marked as an endangered heritage food by the Slow Food Ark of Taste.

Frank’s RedHot Nutrition: Is Frank’s RedHot Healthy?

by Matt Bray

The recipe used to make Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce dates back to the late 19th century and the company started making its signature sauce in 1920. It has acquired a strong following among people who enjoy its milder heat and strong acidity in the years since. Frank’s RedHot famous for being the sauce used to make the original Buffalo wings in Buffalo, New York.

Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Sauce is popular among those who prefer hot sauces with a gentler heat, but how healthy is it? Does using it provide any health benefits?

Jalapeño Salsa Verde

by Matt Bray

Bring a little go to your tomatillo salsa… Salsa verde is typically known more for its tang more than its heat, but we sure do love adding a little oomph to this popular salsa. Jalapeño peppers add just enough spiciness to bring a little go to …

Ancho BBQ Sauce

by Matt Bray

A little sweet, a little smoky… Ancho BBQ sauce provides just a little simmering heat, but really that’s not what makes the sauce. Ancho peppers, while not the spiciest chili around, pack a lot of flavor – a little sweet, a little smoky, and most definitely earthy. …

Sriracha Nutrition: Is Sriracha Healthy?

by Matt Bray

Behind the label of the popular Rooster Sauce… Over 10 million bottles of Huy Fong Foods Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce are sold each year. While there are quite a few versions of Sriracha sauce from many different manufacturers, the one from Huy Fong is by far …

Using Capsaicin To Lose Weight: How It Works

by Matt Bray

Capsaicin is best known for being the source of heat behind hot peppers, but it has many health benefits as well. In fact, many scientists believe that you can use capsaicin to lose weight. While the compound was first identified and extracted all the way …

Growing Hot Peppers Indoors: The Basics

by Matt Bray

If you are a fan of chili peppers and lack the sunny outdoor space to grow your own, you should know that pepper plants can be grown indoors. In addition to providing you with their delicious fruit, pepper plants are attractive enough to serve as decorative plants as well.

Indoor pepper plants may actually be easier for novice gardeners to maintain when compared to outdoor ones. You will have greater control over a number of factors that influence your plant’s health including heat, light and moisture. You will need to balance these effectively for a successful harvest.

Poblano Pepper Nutrition: How Healthy Are They?

by Matt Bray

Commonly used for dishes like rajas con crema and chiles relleno, Poblano peppers are large and heart-shaped. Many cooks see them as ideal for stuffing because of the sturdiness of their walls and the mildness of their flavor. Most poblanos clock in at about 2,000 on the Scoville scale, which makes them a little milder than the jalapeño. When dried, poblanos are called ancho chilies. Uses for ancho chilies include as the main ingredient in sauces for enchiladas and in some moles. Like most other chili peppers, poblanos are considered highly nutritious and contain many compounds that support health.

Who Invented Hot Sauce? A History In Brief

by Matt Bray

Chili peppers are believed to be among the earliest plants cultivated by humans. Their use goes all the way back to the beginning of civilization. Archeological digs have found evidence of chili peppers being eaten as far back as 7,000 BC. Several millennia later, chili peppers would be domesticated. It was around this time that the earliest hot sauces were invented; this shows that humans have a long history of using them as condiments to enhance the flavor and nutritional value of foods. Early hot sauces would have been consumed on early versions of the corn tortilla. They consisted of the peppers along with water and perhaps herbs. In short, the Aztecs are who invented hot sauce.