I love cooking with hot peppers (cayennes and habaneros) and have been
wondering about the hot sauces.

I tried hot wings with a "kamikaze sauce" at one restaurant and after about
five, I could feel my stomach muscles violently churning and could eat no
more - I felt like I wanted to throw up. It wasn't the cayenne peppers in it
that bothered me, I've eaten much hotter (wings breaded and sprinkled very
generously with cayenne or habanero then baked), it was just the sauce had
so much vinegar in it that it was like drinking gasoline.

I have noticed that vinegar seems to be a staple in these sauces and what I
am wondering is, if I mix the hot sauce into my food (say ground beef) or
marinate the wings or steaks in it BEFORE I cook them rather than putting it
on after they are cooked, will the heat of cooking remove the vile vinegar
taste? To me, the food should produce a warming (or fire) in the mouth not
giving one the feeling one wants to vomit.

Alan

On Fri, 30 Jan 2004 13:48:19 -0500, "Alan" > wrote:

>I have noticed that vinegar seems to be a staple in these sauces and what I
>am wondering is, if I mix the hot sauce into my food (say ground beef) or
>marinate the wings or steaks in it BEFORE I cook them rather than putting it
>on after they are cooked, will the heat of cooking remove the vile vinegar
>taste? To me, the food should produce a warming (or fire) in the mouth not
>giving one the feeling one wants to vomit.

Some vinegar will evaporate, but if you don't like the taste of vinegar,
stop using sauces that have it as a primary ingredient. Use ground, dried
peppers. Penzey's has a wide variety and you can add them to dishes with
impunity. If you need it liquid, then make your own sauce out of it without
vinegar.

--
Siobhan Perricone
The actions taken by the New Hampshire Episcopalians are an affront to
Christians everywhere. I am just thankful that the church's founder, Henry
VIII, and his wife Catherine of Aragon, his wife Anne Boleyn, his wife Jane
Seymour, his wife Anne of Cleves, his wife Catherine Howard and his wife
Catherine Parr are no longer here to suffer through this assault on our
"traditional Christian marriage."
- Owen Keavney

On Fri, 30 Jan 2004 13:48:19 -0500, "Alan" > wrote:

>I have noticed that vinegar seems to be a staple in these sauces and what I
>am wondering is, if I mix the hot sauce into my food (say ground beef) or
>marinate the wings or steaks in it BEFORE I cook them rather than putting it
>on after they are cooked, will the heat of cooking remove the vile vinegar
>taste? To me, the food should produce a warming (or fire) in the mouth not
>giving one the feeling one wants to vomit.

Veinegar evaporates at at the same temperature as water,so yes -
cooking something in vinegar will remove much of it. The downside
being that marinating meat in vinegar will partially cook the
meat.

-sw

Siobhan Perricone wrote:
> On Fri, 30 Jan 2004 13:48:19 -0500, "Alan" > wrote:
>
>> I have noticed that vinegar seems to be a staple in these sauces and
>> what I am wondering is, if I mix the hot sauce into my food (say
>> ground beef) or marinate the wings or steaks in it BEFORE I cook
>> them rather than putting it on after they are cooked, will the heat
>> of cooking remove the vile vinegar taste? To me, the food should
>> produce a warming (or fire) in the mouth not giving one the feeling
>> one wants to vomit.
>
> Some vinegar will evaporate, but if you don't like the taste of
> vinegar, stop using sauces that have it as a primary ingredient. Use
> ground, dried peppers. Penzey's has a wide variety and you can add
> them to dishes with impunity. If you need it liquid, then make your
> own sauce out of it without vinegar.

Agreed! Doesn't sound like it's the taste of vinegar that is bothering him
but the acidity. If he must use the bottled stuff, then I'd suggest some
Pepcid AC first

Jill

On Fri, 30 Jan 2004 13:48:19 -0500, "Alan" > wrote:

>I love cooking with hot peppers (cayennes and habaneros) and have been
>wondering about the hot sauces.
>
>I tried hot wings with a "kamikaze sauce" at one restaurant and after about
>five, I could feel my stomach muscles violently churning and could eat no
>more - I felt like I wanted to throw up. It wasn't the cayenne peppers in it
>that bothered me, I've eaten much hotter (wings breaded and sprinkled very
>generously with cayenne or habanero then baked), it was just the sauce had
>so much vinegar in it that it was like drinking gasoline.
>
>I have noticed that vinegar seems to be a staple in these sauces and what I
>am wondering is, if I mix the hot sauce into my food (say ground beef) or
>marinate the wings or steaks in it BEFORE I cook them rather than putting it
>on after they are cooked, will the heat of cooking remove the vile vinegar
>taste? To me, the food should produce a warming (or fire) in the mouth not
>giving one the feeling one wants to vomit.
>
At this time of year we don't get locally harvested peppers, and I
often use some hot sauce if I want to warm up something I am cooking.
Some are better than others, but the hotter the sauce, the less
vinegar you will add.

Another possibility is make your own sauce when peppers are in season
near you. Then whatever happens you can't blame anyone else. :-)


Rodney Myrvaagnes J36 Gjo/a

The meme for blind faith secures its own perpetuation by the
simple unconscious expedient of discouraging rational inquiry.
- Richard Dawkins, "Viruses of the Mind"