Fire & Ice: Magma & Frostbite Hot Sauces Now Available!

Buy Magma Hot Sauce

Two of our newest hot sauces at the Carolina Sauces online store look really cool and burn really hot. I like to call this pair "Fire & Ice," and together they make a memorable gift for a fiery-foods fan, hot sauce collector, or anyone who claims they've never had a hot sauce that was too hot.

First, the "Fire," which is Magma Hot Sauce. Inspired by the Lava Lamp, this fascinating hot sauce consists of a clear base liquid on which is suspended a pool of pure, bright-orange capsaiacin extract, the oily substance that's responsible for the burning sensation produced by hot peppers. When the bottle sits undisturbed, this fiery oil floats at the top in a thin, barely visible layer. Tilt or turn over the bottle, however, and Magma comes to life as the extract floats up, down and through the clear base liquid, much like the colored "bubbles" that ooze in a lava lamp (see photo on left). As you can imagine, a bottle of Magma Hot Sauce can provide endless hours of amusement in the right person's hands, without even opening the bottle. But if you actually want to eat this hot sauce, make sure you shake it vigorously until the extract is fully blended into the base and the sauce becomes a uniform light orange color. You can then use it, a drop at a time (it is VERY hot, due to the pepper extract), to add fiery heat to any served food or recipe. The nice thing about using Magma as a hot sauce (rather than merely as a toy) is that it is flavor-neutral, adding only heat without altering or masking the natural flavors of your food.

Buy Frostbite Hot Sauce

The "Ice" in this diabolical duo is Frostbite Hot Sauce, billed as the world's first white hot sauce. Eerily milky-white and almost pearlescent, this hot sauce is aptly named as to its appearance. But just like its namesake, Frostbite Hot Sauce will produce a painful burn if you're not careful. In fact, its heat level has been rated in the 500,000 to 600,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Unit) range, putting it squarely in the "ultra-hot" or "extreme hot sauce" category. This should come as no surprise when you consider the ingredients: Nothing but vinegar, pepper extract and salt. In addition to its unique color (or lack thereof), Frostbite stands apart from other extracts or extract-spiked hot sauces in that it is water-soluble, meaning that it will incorporate completely into any food or beverage without leaving any oily residue that can separate or float to the top. This quality, along with its being flavorless and colorless, makes Frostbite ideal for blending into beverages like lemonade, sodas, cocktails, juices and other drinks. And of course you can also use it in recipes and at the table--just be sure to go gently at first so as to not experience a fiery "brain freeze."

These and other ultra-hot hot sauces are on sale now at the Carolina Sauce Company.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS: If you'd like to save some money and get BOTH Magma and Frostbite or send them to someone as a gift, then you'll want our Frostbite & Magma Hot Sauces Gift Set.

Curried Cauliflower with Onions & Almonds

Greg threw together this simple, Indian-inspired vegetarian dish the other night, using some of the marvelously fragrant and flavorful curry powder he had purchased in India and a gorgeous head of organic cauliflower I purchased at Whole Foods.

While it is true that many cooks in India grind and combine different spices each time they make a dish that we here would categorize as "curry," it's also not unusual for some to buy pre-mixed curry blends to save time and effort. The commercial curry powders we've gotten in India are far superior in freshness and flavor than the mass-produced, "dumbed-down" American supermarket versions.

If you live in a city which has an Indian grocery or market, you might be able to find a bottle of high-quality curry powder there along with some ghee (clarified butter)--but even if all you have is McCormick's and vegetable oil this cauliflower will still taste quite good. The dish will only be as spicy as the curry powder you use. If you want a hotter, spicier flavor, simply throw in some diced fresh jalapeno or other hot pepper of your choice when you add the garlic.

Ingredients

Buy curry powder

1 large head of cauliflower, rinsed, trimmed & broken into florets
2 Tbs ghee or vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs pureed ginger*
1 Tbs curry powder
1 Tbs sliced almonds
Salt to taste

Combine the ghee or oil, ginger and curry powder in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When the ghee has melted (or the oil is hot), stir in the onion & garlic and saute until just softened. Add the cauliflower and stir to coat all the florets. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook until the cauliflower is tender, stirring occasionally. As it cooks, the cauliflower will release a little liquid which should keep everything moist. If it starts getting too dry, add a tablespoon or so of water. When the cauliflower is tender, stir in the almonds, taste and season with salt as desired. Makes 4 to 6 servings as a side dish.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Want to Bottle & Sell Your Sauce? Read This.

Flickr photo by spin spin

We regularly receive emails from people asking how to go about bottling and selling their family BBQ sauce recipe, special seasoning blend or secret sauce that friends keep raving about. Because the Carolina Sauce Company is merely an online retailer and not a manufacturer or bottler, this isn't something we can do for folks. But we can point budding sauce entrepreneurs in the right direction by suggesting a few websites, organizations and resources that can be of help, especially if you live in North Carolina.

But first, a bit of a reality check: You're more likely to be struck by lightning than to strike it rich as a sauce mogul. In fact, most brand-new specialty-foods (including sauces) manufacturers get out of the business--voluntarily or involuntarily--within in two to three years of starting their business. Don't believe me?  Just read "So You Want to be a Sauce Mogul" and the two later posts under the "sauce mogul" label to get a feel for what a new sauce maker is up against. No, we're not trying to discourage anyone but rather to encourage you to keep expectations reasonable and to understand the challenges that will lie ahead.

If you're still reading, and still interested in making your dream of bottling and selling your own sauce a reality, here are some places where you'll find boatloads of practical, useful information.

First, NC State University's Entrepreneur Initiative for Food website discusses a variety of essential topics including the nuts and bolts of how to start your food business, nutritional testing and labeling of products, state and federal resources, workshops and events. Even if you're in another state, it's worth reading through these materials and then checking with your local state university or community college to see if they offer similar resources and programs near you.

Likewise, the NC Department of Agriculture's food business page covers the laws and regulations that may apply to your business, and provides links to additional government and private resources. If you are not based in NC, simply check with your own state's agriculture department to see what they offer. And don't forget your local cooperative extension office, too.

While some first-time specialty-foods manufacturers insist on handling the actual production and bottling themselves, it can be cumbersome and/or impractical to get your home kitchen inspected and properly certified (permitted) for commercial production, especially if you have small children or pets. Unless you have access to a restaurant kitchen or shared-use community kitchen (usually rented by the hour) and already know how to safely process your recipe so that the product is shelf-stable (won't spoil or get anyone sick), your best bet is to find a local contract bottler, i.e., a "co-packer." Many small manufacturers here in NC use Bobbees Bottling in Lousiburg, NC as their copacker. If you're not in NC, it's still worth looking through their website to give you an idea of what to expect from copackers in your area.

In terms of shared-use or community kitchens that you can rent by the hour or the day (you bring your own ingredients & packaging), the premier facility in NC is Blue Ridge Food Ventures, located just outside of Asheville. In the Piedmont or central NC region, there's the Piedmont Food & Ag Processing Center in Hillsborough and The Cookery in Durham. And just outside Wilmington in the eastern part of NC you'll find Eastern Carolina Food Ventures, which is part of James Sprunt Community College. There are several other similar facilities in North Carolina, and I bet your state will have some, too. Just do an internet search for "shared-use kitchen" or "incubator kitchen" and the name of your state.

Buy Jump Up & Kiss Me Hot Sauce

Finally, here is an excellent article by a successful sauce entrepreneur who launched Jump Up and Kiss Me Hot Sauce several years ago: "How to Bottle and Sell your Own Sauce." You may find her story inspirational and motivational.

I hope the information here helps you on your journey towards becoming a sauce entrepreneur. Please feel free to share this post with anyone who might find it useful, and leave a comment with any questions or to share your own personal experience as a specialty-foods small business.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Quick & Easy Confetti Quinoa

Quinoa is an easy to make, protein-packed, lower-carbohydrate alternative to rice. Quinoa is also gluten-free. Its mild, subtly nutty flavor readily complements virtually any savory dish, and also works nicely as a hot breakfast cereal--simply stir in some brown sugar honey or maple syrup, fresh or dried fruits, nuts, a splash of milk, or anything else you'd normally add to hot oatmeal.

If you can find pre-washed quinoa, it will save you the time and hassle of having to rinse the quinoa before cooking (quinoa has a natural "soapy" coating that's washed off by rinsing). Otherwise, you'll need a very fine strainer or a colander lined with a non-terry kitchen towel to rinse the quinoa under running water prior to use.

"confetti" (diced) veggies

I call this dish "confetti quinoa" because of the colorful, finely-diced vegetables. It is similar to rice pilaf and the recipe is more of a "guideline" than a formal recipe because you can use whatever diced, sauteed vegetables you prefer--I happened to use orange bell pepper, red onion, and zucchini. You could also substitute any type of broth or even plain water for the chicken stock, and season with your favorite herbs and spices. The entire recipe takes only 20 minutes using pre-rinsed quinoa.

Ingredients

Buy pre-washed quinoa

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and ready to cook
1 1/3 cup chicken or other broth
1/2 to 3/4 cup diced vegetables, e.g., onion, summer squash, pepper, celery, carrot, etc.
1 Tbs olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Opt: your choice of dried or chopped fresh herbs for garnish/seasoning

Combine the quinoa and broth in a small pot or saucepan and bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. While the quinoa is cooking, dice the vegetables and then saute the olive oil until softened. After the quinoa has cooked for 15 minutes, remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes. Uncover, stir in the sauteed vegetables, season to taste with salt, pepper and  any other desired seasonings. Serve hot.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Carolina Sauce Newsletter: Sizzling Summer Savings & Zesty Recipe

Sizzling New Sauces & July Coupon Sale!

The summer heat is sizzling, and so are some of the newest arrivals at the Carolina Sauce Company. Keep reading to find out what's new, then use coupon code Heatwave2012 at checkout to save 5% off your product total at the Carolina Sauces online store, good through July 31, 2012--and yes, these savings are in addition to our already-reduced sale prices! Whether you're searching for tongue-tingling hot sauces, or craving finger-lickin' good BBQ sauces, or stocking up on zesty condiments like mustard & ketchup or salsa & relish, we have what you need at rock-bottom prices. Our newest products include:

NEW Gift Boxes & Gift Packs:

* "Fiery Fruits" Gift Box with Maui Pepper Company Hot Sauces, which is sure to please fans of sweet & spicy tropical hot sauces. Comes with a full-size bottle each of Mango Meltdown Hot Sauce (medium-hot), Xtreme Heat Mango Meltdown (hot), Apple Sass Hot Sauce (medium), and Maui Pepper Berry Mangolo Mango Hot Sauce (hot).

* Melinda's Hot Sauce 3-Pack Gift Box, featuring three of Melinda's most popular classic Caribbean-style habanero hot sauces: The original Melinda's Habanero Pepper Sauce, her Extra Hot Habanero Sauce, and her scorching XXXtra Hot Habanero Hot Sauce, all made with 100% natural ingredients for pure habanero flavor and fire. This was one of our best-selling Father's Day gifts!

*Mad Dog .357 Hot Sauce Gift Box: This one's for serious fiery-foods fanatics who prefer extreme heat, and it's also a cool gift for for shooters and gun enthusiasts. Comes with a full-size bottle each of the following Mad Dog .357 ultra-hot sauces: The new Ghost Pepper (featuring the jolokia aka ghost pepper, rated the world's hottest); the original Mad Dog .357 (with 357,000 SHU of heat); the Collector's Edition with golden bullet keychain (rated at 600,000 SHU); and the Silver Collector's Edition with silver bullet keychain (750,000 SHU) with a mini tasting spoon hidden in a secret compartment inside the bullet.

NEW Hot Sauces

* Magma Hot Sauce: Looks like a lava lamp, and burns like lava from an active volcano! A generous dollop of pure pepper extract is suspended in the clear liquid sauce base for the lava-lamp effect. Shake well to blend, then enjoy by the drop on anything you want to ignite.

* Frostbite Hot Sauce is the world's first white hot sauce and delivers an icy-hot burn. Because it dissolves colorlessly in water, it's ideal for spicing up cocktails, lemonade, soda and other beverages, as well as clear broths, soups, and more.

* Ghost Pepper Hot Sauces: We have several new ones, including The Ghost (a Caribbean style hot sauce that blends jolokia peppers with papaya and passionfruit in a traditional savory carrot-lime juice base with a dash of garlic & onion); Green Ghost Hot Sauce (jalapenos provide the eerie green color plus their own distinctive heat when blended with jolokias, habaneros and a splash of pepper extract); Da Bomb Ghost Pepper (a surprisingly edible ultra-hot blend of ghost peppers, habanero & mango without the addition of extract so there's no odd aftertaste); and Lethal Ingestion Jolokia Hot Sauce (bottled to look like a hazardous industrial chemical, this unique combination of fatalii peppers, red savina chiles and ghost peppers delivers intriguing peppery flavor and a spectrum of heat levels).

* Pure Poison is only for those who've built up a tolerance to extreme hot sauces, or have on hand an antidote (I recommend a glass of cold milk). If habanero hot sauces usually aren't hot enough for you, this habanero sauce will change your mind thanks to the addition of capsaicin extract to magnify and prolong the burn but without masking that trademark habanero flavor.

* Spontaneous Combustion Hot Sauce comes in an eye-catching box and will have you bursting into flames if you use too much. Similar in heat to the original Dave's Insanity Sauce, the difference is that this one tastes like a traditional Caribbean habanero hot sauce (unlike Dave's Insanity) but with FAR more heat than a traditional sauce.

* Z Nothing Beyond Hot Sauce: Don't be intimidated by the name--while Z is indeed supremely hot, it rewards your courage with an enticing tropical flavor from guava, passion fruit, banana, papaya and pineapple in a savory West Indian-style mustard-vinegar-habanero-tomato base.

* New Mad Dog Hot Sauces: All of the hot sauces featured in our new Mad Dog .357 Gift Box are also available individually, namely Mad Dog Ghost Pepper Sauce (a unique blend of jolokias with peri peri peppers & habaneros), Collector's Edition .357 packing 600,000 SHUs of fiery heat and available with a golden bullet keychain or, if you prefer, with a miniature gun keychain; and the hottest of the bunch, the Silver Collector's Edition which a blistering 750,000 SHU of heat and a bullet keychain that hides a tasting spoon in a secret compartment.

BACK IN STOCK: Il Primo Peppers!

After being MIA due to manufacturing difficulties, we're pleased to announce that Il Primo Giardiniera (a mix of hot & mild peppers and other marinated vegetables) and Il Primo Sport Peppers are both back in stock! These famous Italian condiments from Chicago are the perfect complement to everything from hamburgers to subs (aka heroes, grinders, hoagies) and other sandwiches, sausages to salads, scrambled eggs to relish trays... and don't even think of serving a Chicago hot dog without heaping on the Sport Peppers! Both are on sale, too--and don't forget to use our Heatwave2012 coupon to save an extra 5% off!

You can see ALL our newest products on our New Products Page.

July Recipe: Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Roasting peppers, Flickr photo by Tropic~7

Here's our take on a recipe from the folks at Maui Pepper Company. You can roast the peppers on your grill or under the broiler, or quickly cook them in your microwave oven. Substitute orange bell peppers and toss in a minced scotch bonnet pepper or orange habanero for a fiery-hot, bright-orange dip. It's devilishly delicious with raw veggies, crackers, chips or pita wedges!

Ingredients
2 red bell peppers
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
8oz package of Neufchatel or lite cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup lowfat or fat-free plain Greek yogurt
1/2 to 1 Tbs (to taste) Maui Pepper Mango Meltdown or other similar hot sauce

Halve peppers lengthwise, remove core & seeds, then roast/cook on grill (cut side up), under broiler (cut side down), or in the microwave (cut side down in shallow dish with 1 Tbs water, cover with plastic wrap leaving 1 vented corner, microwave until tender: 8-10 mins). When peppers are cool enough to handle, remove as much skin as you can (rub off if grilled/broiled, or use a spoon to scoop out the flesh if microwaved). Place pepper flesh in blender or food processor with remaining ingredients, process until smooth. Transfer to serving bowl and refrigerate at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.

"Like" Us on Facebook & You Could Win FREE Sauce!

Want to win FREE sauces and seasonings? Then play the Crock Pot Game on August 1st on the Carolina Sauce Company Facebook page!  We post a new game on our Facebook page on the 1st of each month. Simply follow the rules and post your answer on our page, and we'll select a winner each month to receive a free product, gift certificate, or other zesty prize. The next Crock Pot Game will be posted on August 1st, so make sure to "Like" us on Facebook in order to play.  Our Facebook page is also the place to find additional coupons, special offers and private sales--simply click on the "Coupons" tab (with the green dollar sign) to access the current offers.  We want to hear from you, too, so please leave us a comment on our Facebook page, and feel free to share your food photos, recipes, BBQ/food blog, and other zesty stuff.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Heartbreaking Dawns Mango-Habanero Hot Sauce

Voluptuously juicy, sweet mangoes and vibrantly fiery-hot habanero peppers are a powerful, passionate pairing of tropical flavor and heat. Heartbreaking Dawn's Habanero-Mango Hot Sauce brings together this dynamic duo in a classic Caribbean-style hot sauce that will please chileheads and gourmands alike.

Made using the finest all-natural ingredients, Heartbreaking Dawn's Mango-Habanero Sauce relies solely on the natural sweetness of mangoes instead of sugar or syrup to smooth out any harsh tartness from the vinegar and lime juice. In addition to supplying plenty of peppery heat, the ripe red habanero peppers bring their own unique bright flavor notes while savory ingredients like carrots, garlic and celery provide a sturdy food-friendly base that keeps this sauce from being too fruity or sweet. And because the heat level is a tolerable medium-hot, you'll be able to enjoy the flavors in this sauce and of your food without risking your taste-buds from too much heat.

Enjoy this versatile habanero-mango hot sauce at the table on any food that would benefit from a splash of tropical heat, including grilled or roast meats, poultry or seafood, savory vegetable or rice dishes, and even stir-fry recipes and Caribbean beans. It's also excellent in recipes for stews and even chili.

Heartbreaking Dawns Mango Habanero Hot Sauce is on sale now at the Carolina Sauces website.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS:  Make sure to check out the other fabulously flavorful, fiercely fiery and fancifully-labeled hot sauces from Heartbreaking Dawn.

Savory Garlic-Pepper Greens

Whether you use spinach, collard greens, kale, chard, turnip greens, beet greens, mustard greens or any other greens or mixture of them, this healthy recipe will add zesty flavor without the fat of traditional recipes that call for fatback, ham, oil or other such ingredients. The photo shows beet greens that have been cooked according to this recipe. The amounts listed below are very flexible and can be adjusted as needed or desired based on what you have on hand and your taste preferences.

Ingredients
Approx. 1 lb dark leafy greens of your choice, washed and trimmed of tough stems
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock (not broth), preferably homemade
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Salt to taste
Cider vinegar, lemon juice or hot sauce, to taste (I recommend a basic vinegar pepper sauce like Tabasco, Texas Pete, or Gator Hammock Gator Sauce. If you want a splash of bacon flavor without the fat or calories of bacon, then use Bacon Hot Sauce.)

Buy Bacon Hot Sauce

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the greens and cook until they begin to soften and turn bright green (about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on type and quantity of greens). Drain the greens into a colander and rinse with very cold water until cool to the touch. Set aside to drain off as much water as possible.

While the greens drain, combine the stock and garlic in a large, deep saute pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until the stock is reduced by half.  While the stock and garlic simmer, squeeze out any excess water from the greens and coarsely chop. Once the stock mixture is reduced, add the greens and red pepper, stir well to combine, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Let the greens cook to desired tenderness, stirring occasionally (this could take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on type and quantity of greens). Uncover, taste for balance, and season to taste with salt and your choice of vinegar, lemon juice or hot sauce.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Z Nothing Beyond Hot Sauce

Buy Z Nothing Beyond Hot Sauce

Are you tired of the same old one-trick-pony of a habanero hot sauce? Are you ready to wake up your taste buds and fire up your mouth with a remarkably hot AND memorably flavorful habanero hot sauce? Then try Z Nothing Beyond Hot Sauce, one of our newest products at the Carolina Sauces online store!

Sure, there may be hotter sauces on the market, but if flavor matters to you as much as a searing burn, then Z is for you. As far as extract-enhanced super-hot hot sauces go, this is one of the best-tasting ones you can buy. It's made using a traditional Caribbean style vinegar-mustard base, and there's a good amount of pepper extract added to intensify and prolong the habanero heat, but the bothersome "chemical" aftertaste found in many ultra-hots is absent. Instead, this sauce delivers a savory-fruity tropical flavor thanks to its inspired blend of papaya, guava, banana, pineapple and passion fruit.

Splash Z Nothing Beyond on any savory dish that needs a burst of sunny flavor and a wallop of peppery fire.  Your mouth will sing with joy, and this might very well become your new favorite super-hot habanero hot sauce.

Z Nothing Beyond Hot Sauce is currently on sale at the Carolina Sauce Company.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

New Hot Sauces with Deadly Names

Spontaneous Combustion Hot Sauce

Here at the Carolina Sauce Company, we're not really into "gimmicky" products (and as a matter of principle we don't offer any "adults only" sauces with obscene names or labels).

But once in a while a hot sauce comes along with the sort of name or label that leaps out at us as a no-brainer to add as a new product at the Carolina Sauces store.  Other times, we get requests from customers and hot sauce fans regarding bizarre or outlandish products, and after some research we add them to our online offerings.

The following new extreme hot sauces fall under those descriptions, and all but the most hardened chiliheads will agree that their deadly heat levels live up to their frightening names.

Spontaneous Combustion Hot Sauce is a shockingly hot habanero hot sauce that will burn you to a crisp if you're not careful.  As if fresh habanero peppers weren't hot enough by themselves, the makers of this hot sauce ratchet up the heat by adding a good amount of capsicum extract. The extract also ensures that the relentless burn will linger on and on and on, and actually grow in perceived intensity with every additional bite. The attention-grabbing packaging and name make this hot sauce a logical gift choice for the person who swears that habaneros aren't hot enough. And the classic straightforward hot sauce base ensures that every drop will deliver fire-breathing habanero flavor and heat.

Lethal Ingestion Hot Sauce

We recently featured Lethal Ingestion Hot Sauce in a previous post describing several new ghost pepper hot sauces now available from our website. Rather than repeating my description of this surprisingly edible ultra-hot sauce that's made from Fatalii peppers, red savina habanero peppers and ghost peppers (also called naga or bhut jolokia chiles), I'll simply mention it here for its rather clever name and design. The label and packaging connote toxic industrial chemicals or dangerous laboratory substances, neither of which should ever be ingest, and thus add to the attractiveness of this ultra-hot sauce to collectors and fiery-foods enthusiasts (and possibly also to mad scientists).

Pure Poison Hot Sauce

Finally, Pure Poison Hot Sauce forgoes subtlety in its name and label, instead appealing to the daredevil diner and others with cast-iron stomachs and intestinal fortitude. But this extreme habanero hot sauce is not merely a gimmick to be dismissed offhand. Instead of using the cheapest and least interesting ingredients, the makers of Pure Poison thoughtfully chose to use red wine vinegar, orange juice and garlic as the other primary ingredients (habanero peppers are the main ingredient, and a dash of pepper extract was added to magnify the heat). As a result, both the name AND the flavor of this hot sauce will have you doing a double-take.

Do you have a favorite hot sauce with an outrageous (but not x-rated!) name or label? Or is there a crazy or lethal-sounding sauce you'd like to see us carry? If so, please leave a comment to let us know--and remember, only "family friendly" products, please (if you wouldn't want your kids to see it, we're not interested).

Zestfully yours,
Gloria