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The does and donts of sauce making

CAPCOM

CAPCOM

I am not a sauce maker yet. But I do enjoy a good sauce or two now and then.
I just recently bought a sauce and was taken surprise by when I began to inspect it and discovered it contains a large amount of seeds.
In sauce making has anyone found that seeds impart bitterness or any other unfavorable flavors? I am just curious because when I use a sauce, that is all I want to be using. seeds are for growing.
 
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Seeds are left in to prove that the sauce is using the whole pepper. Certainly in the hotter ones, that sell largely on their heat a lot of the time, knowing that the placenta was left in is actually a selling point.
I've not found seeds to impart much flavour to a sauce myself but, if all they add is texture, I don't particularly care for them.
 
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I've never heard of sauce makers leaving the seeds in as proof they used the whole pepper, but I guess... 
I use whole superhots and a good quality BlendTec blender for a supersmooth sauce.  If a person doesn't have a blender capable of getting a really smooth consistency, the sauce can be run through a food mill to remove the seeds while keeping the rest of the cooked flesh and placenta.  I personally don't care for a bunch of seeds in a sauce, don't care for the texture.  They can impart some bitterness if there is a whole bunch.  The placenta can also. 
 
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I usually include a few peppers with seeds and placenta per batch to make sure it has the kick....It is nothing more than a cosmetic issue for me, I like seeing the seeds.
 
Sacrificing 2 pods out of 10-20 per batch won't harm any ones seed collection depending on the variety and seed production.
 
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Interesting. The sauce I have is just this side of a puree consistency. And except for the seeds looks fabulous. I guess I just expected more from this sauce. I will still use it and it will probably be so hot it will possibly mask any bitterness. But as for esthetics, it would be much more appealing if seedless.
 
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I guess unless you have the palette of Niger Carter, you wont detect any bitterness the seeds may contribute to super hot sauces. I have to admit my prior concerns were laid to rest when I tasted the sauce in question. A good up front taste followed by a smokey after thought and a gripping burn that will satisfy any chili head. I did however detect what I perceive as the burn from a red pepper of the same variety. I have tasted many varieties of peppers and favor the brown pods as the reds, both taste and burn are not to my liking. This chocolate pepper sauce seemed to have the burn and tastes of both colored pods.
 
A sauce maker wouldn't do that would they?
 
Oh, the sauce?  Chocolate Reaper
 
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Afaik...reapers are red so would have the tones you do not like. And yes, a sauce maker would use both a chocolate and a reaper and call it such.
 
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salsalady said:
Afaik...reapers are red so would have the tones you do not like. And yes, a sauce maker would use both a chocolate and a reaper and call it such.
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There are chocolate reapers as well.
http://store.myorganicseeds.com/Chocolate-Reaper-Pepper-Seeds-P5648304.aspx
http://store.puckerbuttpeppercompany.com/products/chocolate-smokin-eds-carolina-reaper-seeds
 
My thought is that reds may be added to increase the total volume. I have been using the sauce regularly and do taste the fruity almost bitter acidic taste I detect from red chinense pods.
I guess I will have to make a chocolate reaper sauce if and when my CR seeds ever germinate, and compare the flavors.
 
 
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spicefreak said:
Seeds are left in to prove that the sauce is using the whole pepper. Certainly in the hotter ones, that sell largely on their heat a lot of the time, knowing that the placenta was left in is actually a selling point.
I've not found seeds to impart much flavour to a sauce myself but, if all they add is texture, I don't particularly care for them.
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LOL interesting take but wromg.
 
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SmokenFire said:
I use whole peppers for all of my sauces, though I cut each pepper in half to check for mold prior to throwing them in the pot.
 
A stray seed or two will make it through the food mill and into my sauces from time to time, though not on purpose.  
 
 
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+1 Exactly this when I try to make sauce. Cook it down for awhile, run through food mill, cook again before bottling. Most seeds and skin bits are gone.
 
Not sure if you could say it is sauce but my uncooked batches, either pre- or post- ferments are not milled or filtered in any way so has all the seeds. I keep some in a wide-mouthed jar in the fridge and spoon out as needed.
 
 
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SmokenFire said:
I use whole peppers for all of my sauces, though I cut each pepper in half to check for mold prior to throwing them in the pot.
 
 
 
 
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Me Too!  I guess I do have some OCD after all.  :lol:  Seen too many yucky peppers to not cut each one in half. 
 
CAPCOM said:
 
There are chocolate reapers as well.
http://store.myorganicseeds.com/Chocolate-Reaper-Pepper-Seeds-P5648304.aspx
http://store.puckerbuttpeppercompany.com/products/chocolate-smokin-eds-carolina-reaper-seeds
 
My thought is that reds may be added to increase the total volume. I have been using the sauce regularly and do taste the fruity almost bitter acidic taste I detect from red chinense pods.
I guess I will have to make a chocolate reaper sauce if and when my CR seeds ever germinate, and compare the flavors.
 
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Good to know!  I don't keep up on all the latest greatest pepper varieties....probably should, though, huh~
 
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salsalady said:
 
Me Too!  I guess I do have some OCD after all.  :lol:  Seen too many yucky peppers to not cut each one in half. 
 
 
Good to know!  I don't keep up on all the latest greatest pepper varieties....probably should, though, huh~
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Keeping up with every cross, mutation or even just color availability these days would be a daunting task, at least.
 
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ProhibitionHotSauce said:
I have never heard of seeds adding bitterness unless it makes up some crazy percentage of the bottle like anything over 1% overall volume.  But at that point its more of a seed sauce than a hot sauce HAHA
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When it comes to sauces and /or peppers in the subjects sauces heat range, I am not certain of the bitterness issue as I cant detect the subtleties. But I have watched a lot of reviews that Nigel Carter does and many times when referring to bitterness of a particular pod, he has mentioned that the seeds may be the culprit.
I do also know that when the time comes for me to finally make a sauce, it will definitely be SEEDLESS.
 
 
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I made a small batch of sauce out of de-seeded pods once.  Man, that was a hassle for sure.  I could probably be more motivated if i were saving the seeds, but in terms of just scooping seeds out of pods for sauce, that's a lot of work.
 
I'm thinking a food mill would help, of course.  But I think I'm just gonna let the seeds rip from now on.
 
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