For this two-part review, I’ll take a dip into a couple of Dean & Deluca’s fine marinades – the flavorful Vietnamese Marinade, which contains a mix of chilies, lime juice, mint and cilantro, and the scrumptious-smelling Moroccan Marinade, which has
Review – Boar’s Head Jalapeno Pepper Sauce
Boar’s Head Hot & Spicy Jalapeño Pepper Sauce is among the most lackluster attempts at a hot sauce I’ve ever tasted. There’s always a much horrible-tasting novelty sauce that exists as being nothing but a pure gimmick, but for a
Review – Pringles Extreme Flavors Kickin’ Cheddar Potato Chips
Listen to how Pringles advertises these products: “Pringles Extreme Flavors aren’t for the faint of heart. Brave one bite, and you’ll be hooked on the aggressive taste that just won’t quit.” “Kickin’ Cheddar – This cheddar’s got attitude, and it
Recipe: All-Purpose Mexican Salsa AKA Pico De Gallo
It’s recipe time again! This time, we’ll make one of the versatile of all condiments – Mexican Salsa. Sometimes this super-chunky salsa is known as pic de gallo, which is Spaninsh for “rooster’s peak.” Trust me; just follow the salsa
Review – Trader Joe’s Habanero Pistachios
After eating a few Trader Joe’s Habanero Pistachios, they rapidly became an addictive snack. I am definitely not a nut fan (with a few rare exceptions), but these babies are so good they just might change my mind…
Here’s the lowdown on these delectable little spiced nuts…
Review – Benito’s Naranja Organic Hot Sauce
Benito’s Naranja Organic Hot Sauce
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m a sucker for vegetable and carrot-based hot sauces. You give me a good one and I’ll keep coming back like a sad little puppy dog begging for more. Now up at bat is Benito’s Naranja Organic Hot Sauce, a tasty-looking concoction that uses fresh organic and all-natural ingredients.
Ingredients: Onions, Tomatoes, Carrots, Garlic, Vinegar, Lime Juice, Cayenne, Jalapeno, Habanero, Serrano, and Thai Peppers
Aroma: 4.5 out of 5. Very fresh and light. I sensed hints of vinegar and garlic, blending in with a pleasing vegetable aroma. I’m not joking; after a few sniffs of Naranja, my mouth started to water.
Texture and Appearance: 4 out of 5. Naranja is a bright orange (of course, naranja is Spanish for the color orange), probably due to the presence of carrots. The sauce in my bottle contained very, very few minuscule dark specs amongst the pure orange mix. It’s consistency is…
Review: Murder Mustard and Honey Fire Mustard
Hungry for a hearty, all-purpose condiment with bucketloads personality? Dr. E. Lee Spence has concocted not just one but a duo of spicy mustards that are among the best of their type that I’ve ever had.
Ingredients – Murder Mustard: Prepared mustard (distilled vinegar & water, mustard seed, salt, turmeric, spices), peppers (jalapeno peppers, water, vinegar, iodized salt, spices & soybean oil), vinegar, spices, onion, salt, and garlic.
Ingredients – Honey Fire Mustard: Prepared mustard (distilled vinegar & water, mustard seed, salt, turmeric, spices), peppers (jalapeno peppers, water, vinegar, iodized salt, spices & soybean oil), honey, spices, and onion.
Aroma: Each one has a satisfying…
Review – Smokin’ Mojo Rib Rub
If you’re ever dined at one of the fun-for-kids Rainforest Cafe locations, you may or may not have been blown away by the food depending on the fare you order. Anything with the Smokin’ Mojo BBQ sauce gets a thumbs up from me. Curious as to see if the Smokin’ Mojo Rib Rub (A Spice Island Adventure) stacks up to the finger lickin’ sauce, I purchased a bottle of the seasoning from the Rainforest Cafe naggingly persistent gift shop to try at home…
Review: Blair’s Jersey Death Sauce
For my latest review, it’s time to bring out the big guns: Blair’s Jersey Death Sauce. When it debuted a few years back, it was the hottest “regular” sauce in Blair offered, not including reserves and specialty items, and the “king” of the Death Sauce lineup. How hot is it? Well, right on the bottle’s label, it reads this:
“Be warned: this sauce contains ingredients 750 times hotter than a jalapeno chile. Use sparingly. Jersey Death should not be consumed without dilution.”
750 times a jalapeno’s heat? Could this be correct? In terms of Scoville Heat Units, jalapenos can range from 2,500 to 8,000 SHU. If you take the low-end number (2,500) and multiply it by 750, you come up with 1,875,000 SHU. Can this be right?
Review: Snyder’s of Hanover Hot Buffalo Wing Pieces
I’m not a fan of hard pretzels by any stretch of the imagination. Soft ones I can handle, but to me regular hard pretzel twists and sticks are akin to gnawing on salty, overly dry tree branches. The really big hard ones are absolutely horrible – why someone would chew on burnt-bread-flavored rocks that suck all moisture out of your mouth is beyond my comprehension.
Surprisingly, though, Snyder’s of Hanover Hot Buffalo Wing Pieces are these such hard pretzel bites and actually appeal to me. Read on to find out why…
Review: Devil Dust Crushed Chile Pepper Seasoning
Looking for something that adds a quick kick to just about everything you eat? A little 1.5 oz bottle of Darst Devil Dust, produced by Waddy Spice Traders LLC, may be the answer you’ve been looking for.
Ingredients:
The label reads non-specifically “a blend of selected hot and mild peppers. NO SALT ADDED”. Honestly, what more do you need than that?
Aroma:
4 out of 5. Already being familiar with the scent of my own dried habaneros, jamaicans, and cayennes…
The Most Amazing Landing Ever
An airplane loses it’s right wing and makes an incredible one-winged landing. Is this a real plane, a RC plane, or CGI? You be the judge:
What is The Scoville Scale?
The Scoville Scale is used to measure the pungency or hotness of a chile pepper. The chemical compound found in chile peppers (from the genus capsicum) that gives this piquant heat is called capsaicin (the molecular formula is (CH3)2CHCH=CH(CH2)4
CONHCH2C6H3-4-(OH)-3-(OCH3) or simply C18H27NO3), and stimulates chemoreceptor nerve endings, especially in the mucous membranes. The number of Scoville Heat Units (SHU) in a pepper or hot sauce indicates the amount of capsaicin present.
Wilbur Scoville and the Scoville Organoleptic Test
While working for the Parke Davis Pharmaceutical Company in 1912, American chemist Wilbur Scoville devised a test for rating the pungency of chile peppers. His method is known as the Scoville Organoleptic Test.
In the Scoville Organoleptic Test…
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians: A Cinematic Titanic Live Show Review
Former Mystery Science Theater 3000 writers and performers began the Cinematic Titanic video project late last year, picking up where they left off by poking fun of terrible B-movies as they watch them. They’ve been performing this show in person at select locations around the country. I caught Cinematic Titanic Live! on Saturday, November 1st at the Family Arena in the St. Louis suburb of St. Charles, Missouri…
Blair Happenings: New Site Design, New 2008 Halloween Reserve, and More
From Blair Lazar:
Dear Chilipal,
With Halloween just days away, it also marks the opening of the all new extremefood.com. Here is a chance for you to have some fun and best of all its free. Here’s How: Send us you and your ride. Or if you’re the shy type, just send you. This is one of the many New Fun sections on the All new from the ground up Extremefood.com. Over the last 20 years, I have learned that I share much more in common with my Chilipals than Hot Sauce. Just to name a few, Great Food, Micro Beers, and Cars. And while we’re on the topic of cars, I love um, All of um, and whatever your ride is, I would be honored to have you share it, Even if you walk to work you can just show us your sneakers. I don’t care if it’s your skateboard, tricycle, Chevy, maybe the highline collector hotrod you just bought at Barret-Jackson, or your rusty hunker. Share, See it, and send it quick, I will guarantee all “legal” lol pictures will be posted on the New extremefood.com and shared around the world to my Awesome Chilipals. Thank you for sharing in my passion for the World of Spice. My Best to you. Feel Alive!
Your Chilipal,
Blair
blair@extremefood.com
P.S. Tomorrow Night I will put my limited 89 Bottle production of 2008 Halloween available for Pre-Order. They are Special and the #89 represents my 20 years of having the pleasure of getting to know the most amazing group of people I could ever hoped to have met in the Chilihead Community that have become such a part of my life. Thank you.