Our Favorite Hot Sauces

We're hot sauce fiends here in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen. Not in the hotter-the-better sense - after all, we still need to be able to taste the recipes that we're featuring in the magazine. But we love the nuanced flavors that a good hot sauce can give to a dish, while adding, of course, some tongue-tingling spice.

In our opinion, you can't just go dousing your food willy-nilly. Certain sauces pair best with particular foods, and of course, we each have our favorites:

Tabasco

Susan

in particular is the Tabasco nut, with 3 or 4 varieties in rotation all the time. She uses the slightly milder jalapeño in her guacamole, and the smoky chipotle for bean dips and Bloody Marys. She's also a big fan of the newest flavor: raspberry chipotle (available at Tabasco.com), especially on cream cheese. Since my return from a wonderful (and sinus-clearing trip) to visit the home of Tabasco, courtesy of McIlhenny Company, I often find myself dosing my pizza with a hefty shot of the original red (comprised of only vinegar, peppers, and salt - aged for up to 3 years). It's also amazing in red beans and rice.

Related: Best Cookout Condiments

Marie Sharp's Hot Sauce

Despite habañeros being among the hotter chiles available to us, this habañero sauce from Belize is on the milder side of fiery and has an unusual carrot base. Jessica's brother Matt introduced her to it-he buys it by the case! Matt loves it on an egg-and-french-fry concoction he used to eat when he lived in Tanzania, while Jess splashes some on breakfast burritos.

Sriracha

Just the slightest bit sweet, this combination of red jalapeños, vinegar and garlic has become a chefs' obsession, but isn't rarefied in the least - the Huy Fong brand is even sold at Walmart! It's a favorite of Sherry's, our resident queen of heat, who can handle twice as much capsaicin (the compound in chiles that's responsible for the burn) as the rest of us. But don't let fear of fire deter you from trying sriracha stirred into mayo or hummus - it's flavorful enough that you'll soon be hooked and adding it to almost everything. Try it in our Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad.

Related: Dijon Mustard Taste Test

Chili Garlic Sauce & Hot Black Bean Sauce

These Chinese sauces are thicker than your typical hot sauce, often with the coarsely ground chiles more in evidence. They're great stirred into soups or stir-fries. Genevieve uses the black bean sauce in noodle dishes (her preferred brand's translated name: Sichuan Spicy Sauce Chongqing ShanCheng Hot Black Bean Sauce, but just look for the red and yellow jar with the chef on the label), while I love mixing Lan Chi's chili garlic sauce with soy and rice vinegar - it's phenomenal for dipping dumplings.

There's a whole wide world of flavorful hot sauces out there - if you're a newbie looking for something to pep up your meal, or a hot head who wants to branch out, there's no better way than to get out there and taste - but make sure to have some crackers on hand!

What are some of your favorite spicy condiments? Be sure to let me know in the comments!

-by Catherine Lo

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