What’s The Best Louisiana-Style Hot Sauce? | America’s Test Kitchen
What actually makes a hot sauce “Louisiana-style”, and which bottle deserves a spot in your pantry? Jack Bishop and Julia Collin Davison taste their way through leading Louisiana-style hot sauce to break down the science of pepper mash fermentation, chili varieties, and vinegar levels to see which sauces take the crown, and why.
Louisiana-Style Hot Sauce:
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Surprised they didn’t have Cholula
Traitor
Hot saucesss. Are a truly regional item. That being said a hot sauce should be only 3 ingredients, salt vinegar peppers , nothing else. The differences arise when you use different pepper types and the fermentation process and time of fermentation. In typical ATL fashion they pick a sauce with non- traditional ingredients so its basically a condiment blend that has some heat (scovell units) in it. Also be warned HOT SAUCE brands are getting bought out, the most recent was Choula. Purchased by McCormick, they allready changed the formula.
Marie Sharp's has all these second raters beat.
Honestly I have always liked Tabasco. I have tasted a few other brands and enjoyed those too.
Crystal is my fave. Glad it’s in the mix!
Crystals Garlic is my usual go to
New Orleanian here too. Crystal for my beans and rice (red beans / white beans) … Tobasco for cooking and fried fish/shrimp poboys and raw oysters
Tobasco is garbage. They use old whiskey barrels. The point of whiskey barrels is literally to remove impurities.
Franks extra hot is my number 1.
I'll choose tabasco every time.
Tabasco has been my go to for 40+ years for eggs, stuff like that. For Gumbo, Jambalaya, etc., its only Louisiana hot sauce. Wings it's Frank's Red Hot. I do like Texas Pete, too for breakfast foods.
Crystal. There is no other.
Crystal. The low price is a bonus.
I have eight hot sauces in my fridge. My personal favorite Louisiana style hot sauce is Crystal. I do also like Frank's on Buffalo Wings, but never thought of it as a Louisiana style sauce (I grew up in cajun country).
Tabasco would be my last choice.
Frank's…duh
No Louisiana people were asked their input…like me! I actually have been to the studio!
It depends on what you are trying to do. I have Crystal, Tabasco, Frank's, Siracha
Tabasco just taste like straight vinegar to me. I like Franks too because it’s very cayenne forward
I use Tabasco for only two things, scrambled eggs, and tomato juice. other wise I'm a Frank's guy
As a New Orleanian, I only keep Crystal on the table. Tabasco is in the pantry for when it’s needed or if my dad is over.
Franks has an off aftertaste.
I wouldn’t consider “Tabasco” a “Louisiana” type hot sauce.
It’s in a CLASS of its own, contributing heat, more than anything, in a rather THIN “sauce” (vs. your typical thicker “Louisiana” type sauces)
I prefer Louisiana hot Sauce over the others, and Frank's Red Hot tastes like gasoline to me
Tabasco ! The first ! The original !
LOL a couple of Yankees trying to tell Cajuns what hot sauce they should like!!!!!!!!!! As to what makes a good hot sauce, cayenne peppers! Even though Tabascos have been promoted here in Louisiana by some, they are the worst peppers for a Louisiana hot sauce!
Crystal and Trappy’s for flavor, Tabasco for heat
Nobody can tell me which is the best hot sauce. Each individual has to determine that? Ludacris
Tabasco Scorpion is fantastic and by far my favorite Tabasco variant.
I am a Crystal fan for the longest time, but Tobasco has it place when eating oysters or on eggs.
Poiriers hot sauce is fantastic especially the KO version.
Zab’s
Cajun chef end of contest
Tabasco for me. Their Reserve sauce is even better.
Tabasco for me on eggs etc, Frank's Red Hot not so much, too mild. Don't know about the others. We eat quit bit of Mexican style food here and use Mexican hot sauces.
I've tried many hot sauces, and Frank's, to me, is the best.
I've tried many hot sauces, and Frank's, to me, is the best.
Junk
What about the other 10 sitting there?!?!!!
Slap Ya Mama is my go to
I’ve had a Texas Pete tattoo since 1987. The regional sales representative saw it and then gave me a case of Texas Pete
Frank's has the best taste with the right amount of heat.
They couldn't have had a worse person testing hot sauces. A 50 year old white lady who dosn't like spice. Utter incompetence.
Louisiana hot sauce is the best hot sauce in that group of hot sauces and they didn’t even talk about it. I don’t like this.
Seriously, you have a Louisiana style hot sauce taste test and you didnt use the actual Louisiana hot sauce. 🤦♂️
It’s Crystal. Period.
Tabasco, always my go-to with eggs, grits, fried taters, pinto beans & salads, while loving Franks on chicken, tofu, burgers & french fries; I’m new to Crystal, as it isn’t always available in our rural NM Grocery stores, but is good with chicken & tofu, and have also added it to Posole which was good with the lime and cabbage. Louisiana brand has also been on our kitchen table for decades, equally with the red & green Tabascos, and their newer Chipotle-style. All of these are just good hot sauces for families that enjoy some heat on almost EVERYTHING – Just a Native New Mexican thing, I guess… 🌶️ PS Go team USA of the WNBA 🏀