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cooking Cooking Fruits and Vegetables Before Making Hot Sauce a Health Hazard?

Hello! I will get straight to it, I like to roast the fruits and veggies before blending into my final hot sauce. I have done it this way for some time and never had any issues. I have had very good shelf life with my sauces and never once has anybody who tried one of my sauces gotten sick. That said, somebody just told me adamantly that cooking the vegetables before making the sauce significantly increases the chances of food borne toxins. I never use oil in cooking the veggies, I sterilize everything, maintain a PH well under 4.0, and use the hot fill technique. With these precautions in mind, I thought that roasting the ingredients ahead of time would be harmless? Have I just been mistaken for this long?? Thanks for any insight!
 
I do not see what the problem could be with roasting fruit and veg before you put it in the sauce.
 
I guess it is all about how you store it after roasting until you cook it in the sauce. If you use it the same day , no problem . If you store it correctly, no problem.
 
Just remember , sterilization , hot fill and low ph will only destroy Bacteria , but will not eliminate toxins secreted by Bacteria that grew in poorly stored food.
 
Cooking ahead is not a problem.  Grilled, charred, roasted, smoked...it's all OK as long as (like Karoo said) they are used promptly or stored properly.  I've smoked chiles, ground them up and frozen for later use.  Works great.  
 
One big caution is to NOT use oil!  You said you didn't use oil, I'm stating this for others who may read this thread.
 
SL
 
salsalady said:
Cooking ahead is not a problem.  Grilled, charred, roasted, smoked...it's all OK as long as (like Karoo said) they are used promptly or stored properly.  I've smoked chiles, ground them up and frozen for later use.  Works great.  
 
One big caution is to NOT use oil!  You said you didn't use oil, I'm stating this for others who may read this thread.
 
SL
 
Could you say why to NOT use oil?  I don't have a clue so I'm sure there are others.
 
When done right you can use oil. Lots of hot sauces have oil. Pasta sauce, chili oil etc. No prob at all. If oil was a no-no you wouldn't be able to buy Italian dressing . ;)
 
Oil is what process authorities call a 'critical factor'. Like dairy or meat. Lots of commercial sauces (of all types) have oil dairy or meat. But to safely make and sell those items requires a whole other level of education and licensing. Way more than what basic vegetable and fruit and vinegar hot sauces require.

I made and sold a lot of approved sauces for years. When getting approved to sell bbq sauce containing butter I had to take the better process control school, 5 days and $500.

Which is why I suggest home sauce makers not use oil or follow an approved recipe from an extension service or one of the canning manufacturers websites.
 
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