• If you can't find a "Hot" category that fits, post it here!

Water As An Ingredient In Hot Sauce

Crispee-FL said:
Welcome Captain...
As to your original statement regarding water hot sauces sometimes it is a necessity for consistency. Especially in long stewed sauces where concentrated ingredients such as tomato paste that cook down and further thicken a sauce, water is essential to relax the sauce.
 

That is a very good point. My technique is different. Hand't thought of this. Thank you.
 
I don't think he understands that some people do not enjoy vinegar forward sauces. Sometimes the vinegar actually overpowers the flavor of the peppers. I've made some great hotsauce using a combination of water, vinegar, and citric acid to allow the straight pepper flavor to be less diluted. You can achieve a safe ph with a mixture of vinegar and water.

I'm really just appalled at this guy's ignorance...
 
Jubnat said:
I'm really just appalled at this guy's ignorance...
Ditto. You can learn a lot more with your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut, than you can the other way around ;)

Captain Caliente said:
You do not know me or my hot sauce skill level
Captain Caliente said:
Based on your responses, there is no question that my sauce would beat anything you are putting out there in a taste test. I have no doubt.
:rolleyes: Well then. Here you go!
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/69739-the-12th-annual-hot-pepper-awards-call-for-entries/
Can't wait to see you "sweep" every category, "Wizard" :cheers:
 
I recently made some batches of sauce based on fresh pods (among other things) and cut out the water. Worked out really well. But, in the past, I've made similar recipes with some water in the mix and had good results with that, too.

I make some other sauces with smoked and/or dried chiles. It would be impossible for me to make those how i want'm without h2o.

I've never made a fermented sauce, but i suspect that h2o is similarly necessary for making fermented sauce properly.

I buy hot sauce too. I don't care of water is in the ingredients, even if it's among the too ingredients. I care more about the flavor, consistency, and heat of the sauce. While there are ingredients that i prefer to avoid, water is not one of them. I'm mostly just looking to get some delicious sauce.

There's a million ways to make sauce. So long as the methods produce a sauce that is safe to consume and is enjoyed by some, the mission is accomplished.

I've been around THP long enough to know that there are a lot of ppl here who possess an unbelievable amount of knowledge about peppers and foodstuffs derived from peppers. While i don't doubt that some commercial sauce makers use water to dilute sauce and increase profits, i would definitely believe the folks on this forum when they say there are other reasons to use water in a recipe.
 
I will give him the benefit of doubt. When I stumbled onto this place it was as though a whole new world opened up for me. It has been beneficial in more ways than I can count. Actually, I have a few here I would in open forum call "friends" with the sincerest respect in doing so.
 
Captain Caliente,
 
Have fun here, look, listen, learn and offer up what you can. When it comes to hot sauces, no greater collaboration of peers are to be found elsewhere. Want honest feedback on your stuff from true connoisseurs? Send some sauces about. People here will be "brutally" honest. I'm a relatively novice sauce businessman and have spent a considerable sum to get honest feedback. But, I will say that it has been a worthwhile investment and pales in comparison to the rewards.....
 
There are a very diverse group of folks here from every lot in life imaginable. When you post "anything" here it will be viewed and digested by scores of folks around the world. You will get comments - some maybe in agreement some maybe directly in opposition. Doesn't really matter the topic as I have discovered. Take from it what you will. In saying so, I've found that most will offer honest heartfelt good critique and suggestions, the "rule" and not the exception. There are a "few" that thrive on controversy and you will figure that out in short order, they usually get weeded out quickly ergo the earlier "salty" references. Poke around long enough and you will figure that one out...
 
The "water" thing, well I recently had some sauce brought to me by a female coworker who visited Puerto Rico that I later discovered (again thanks to those folks here THP in particular) was basically the "traditional" sauce of the land which is packed in water primarily. I found it very "odd" but yet enjoyable.. the link http://thehotpepper.com/topic/69759-curious-oddity-help-identify/ 
 
Welcome aboard, have fun but do expect some challenge... all part of the deal.
 
Reggie
 
The Hot Pepper said:
PS. There was some troll that made a serious statement about how salt makes sauces hotter, and serious Cajun chefs know this, and add it last... so you have to understand we were a bit on guard lol!
I missed this one, where was that thread?
 
A substance disovled in a liquid is known as a solution.

As everyone knows hot sauce is the ultimate solution.

Water is known as the "universal solvent" because it can dissolve more substances than any other liquid

Therefore; a Hot sauce with water is the ultimate universal solution.

Check & MATE!
 
Thanks for the comments and snide remarks. I would absolutely love to share some sauce with y'all. My current 3 sauces are all basically the same exact thing but in different variations. The Original is a very hot sauce. You may not like vinegar forward sauces. Fine. This sauce is not such a sauce. Sure it's tangy. But the mixture of peppers offer a fairly bold flavor combination. The Green-Go is the same exact sauce except all the peppers are immature, the Jalepeno to super hot pepper ratio is more and the final product gets more honey.
 
The Vinegar is magnificent and the main reason why water would not work in my technique. All the leftover vinegar that the peppers were soaking in gets strained. Then it too is made into a sauce. It is phenomenal. I am not ignorant, nor arrogant about what I'm doing. The sauces are delicious. I've had my fair share of hot sauce. And the peppers I'm growing are extraordinary. In one season I'll get a hundred pounds of peppers off of just one plant, maybe more. I haven't tested the limits yet. When I say season, I mean year. As we have fairly tropical weather in Florida all year.
 
Anyway, it's good to be here. I never intended on ruffling feathers. If anyone wants to try some of the sauce, PM me. Thanks again.
 
Captain Caliente said:
Thanks for the comments and snide remarks. I would absolutely love to share some sauce with y'all. My current 3 sauces are all basically the same exact thing but in different variations. The Original is a very hot sauce. You may not like vinegar forward sauces. Fine. This sauce is not such a sauce. Sure it's tangy. But the mixture of peppers offer a fairly bold flavor combination. The Green-Go is the same exact sauce except all the peppers are immature, the Jalepeno to super hot pepper ratio is more and the final product gets more honey.
 
The Vinegar is magnificent and the main reason why water would not work in my technique. All the leftover vinegar that the peppers were soaking in gets strained. Then it too is made into a sauce. It is phenomenal. I am not ignorant, nor arrogant about what I'm doing. The sauces are delicious. I've had my fair share of hot sauce. And the peppers I'm growing are extraordinary. In one season I'll get a hundred pounds of peppers off of just one plant, maybe more. I haven't tested the limits yet. When I say season, I mean year. As we have fairly tropical weather in Florida all year.
 
Anyway, it's good to be here. I never intended on ruffling feathers. If anyone wants to try some of the sauce, PM me. Thanks again.
 

Good morning Captain Caliente
 
I do not think it was the OP where it all went wrong....you gave an opinion and received some back which is normal on any discussion board. I think it kinda went bad when the "Wizard" and "I am better then you " type stuff bomb was dropped. To me it seemed alittle arrogant and maybe this was not your intention bad sadly it happened.  I believe everyone that is here can learn something no matter the expertise they have but a me against the world attitude is a loss for all.
 
Take it all in..have an opinion but be prepared for others in return. Anyways enjoy your day good sir.
 
Matt
 
Captain Caliente said:
Wow, listen folks. I had no intention of getting into a debate with the moderators or administrators of this forum. I tell you, my heart is all about the heat. All about the flavor behind the heat. I love hot peppers. I've grown and am growing some of the most incredible peppers in the world. I only intended to get involved with the community and start to bond with my fellow Chileheads. But you are taking this on a sour road. Based on your responses, there is no question that my sauce would beat anything you are putting out there in a taste test. I have no doubt. Your logic is delusional. You are making the case that water does not cut the flavor of...anything. It's just ridiculous. Take a gallon of fresh squeezed orange juice. Oranges you've picked right off of the tree. Then add a gallon of water to the orange juice. Tell me the flavor does not change. It does. And only a con artist would tell you it doesn't. I'm sure all of you make delicious hot sauces. And I'm sure you all are happy with your end product. But don't tell me that I have no idea what I'm talking about. I do.

In the end, I'm just a fellow hot pepper nut. We should not be at odds my friends. We should be celebrating together the beauty of these incredible gifts that God has bestowed upon us in regard to chile peppers. So we have different philosophies. Please do not disparage me for mine. I will not disparage you for yours. We just see things differently.
Logical fallacy as the correct comparison would be to extract the juice from peppers so its 100% pepper juice like the orange juice. 
 
Hot sauce is not a comparison to orange juice. Pepper extract is the correct comparison to 100% orange juice. :)
 
FYI many who have posted here are in the hot Sauce business and experts in their field and recipe's and the manufacturing process of hot sauce from growing peppers to its final product bottled.
 
hope this helps !!!
 
Fyi...The hot pepper awards and all the other major competitions are open to commercially processed and licensed sauces. No hobby sauces. But there are tons of folks around here that would trade or work out a private deal with you. If it is as great as you claim, I'd like to try it. I need some new sauces to take and share at my community making hot sauce class this winter. Send me a pm. I'll trade for a sriracha sauce (which does contain water as it was fermented) a spicy steak sauce, maybe something else depending on how many you want to trade.

PS...My ghost fire hot sauce has won first place and second place in all the major competition and it contains water. It is in no way watered down.
 
D3monic said:
Only time I dont like water in a sauce is when it separates in the bottle. Thats my only turn off.. well that and septum piercings.
But all other piercings are OK? :Lol:
 
salsalady said:
But all other piercings are OK? :lol:
 
Pretty much, just anything in the nose for some reason bothers me. Like you got a boogie hanging there. 
 
My favorites are small hoops in side of lip and dimple piercings. Not a fan of tongue piercings just because the sound they make clacking on teeth but they aren't a solid no unlike septum. 
 
I'm indifferent to piercings in other places. 
 
Back
Top