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Sriracha Lovers Feel The Heat As Hot Sauce Shortage Continues
Sriracha lovers everywhere are feeling the not so pleasant sting of the beloved hot sauce shortage, now in its second year. Drought in Mexico has resulted in a scarcity of chilli peppers – in particular, red jalapeños, the raw material of sriracha – leading Huy Fong Foods, the California-based maker of the iconic condiment, to scale back production.
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"It is a challenging crop to grow," said Stephanie Walker, a plant scientist at the New Mexico State University, who serves on the advisory board of the Chile Pepper Institute. "Jalapeños are really labor intensive, requiring people to de-stem them by hand before they go for processing."
The special care the chilis require renders them that much more vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, such as the persisting drought in northern Mexico, fueled by the depleted water supply in the Colorado River.
"Normally the pepper is grown by irrigation," said Paul Gepts, a crop researcher at the University of California, Davis. "But the supply of water has been decreasing and if you don't have a certain minimum amount of water to irrigate your crops, unless there is rain, there won't be a crop."
There are five species of the chilli pepper, spread over the Americas, from Mexico to Bolivia, that have the hotness required for the Sriracha sauce. Some of these varieties are used for other hot sauces and Sriracha dupes.
But the fans of unmistakable green-capped sauce can spot the difference and are staying loyal to the original.
"For Sriracha, its particular flavor and quality really dictates how you have to have jalapeños, because of the unique flavor profile that consumers love," Walker said. "Those very pungent, kind of tangy, almost citrus notes of the chili."
Phans 55, a Vietnamese restaurant in Orange county, California, has been running low on the limited Sriracha supply for the past three months.
"Now it's all gone," said Andre Nguyen, who works as a server, adding that the sauce is essential for a variety of dishes, from pho to rice.
"The taste of Sriracha is so unique, it's hard to mimic," Nguyen said. "Everyone would prefer to have Sriracha over another off brand trying to copy it."
Resellers on Amazon, eBay and Craigslist are pricing bottles of hot sauce for as high as $120. A representative for Huy Fong Foods said in a statement to the Guardian that while "limited production has recently resumed", the company has "no estimations of when supply will increase", or when it will again hit supermarket shelves.
Moving the crop to an area that is less affected by extreme weather and breeding new varieties of the chilli that is tolerant to heat and drought could help avoid future shortages. Still, that is a longer term solution to the problem hitting American shelves imminently.
"We're going to see these disruptions more often because of climate change," Gepts said.
Turn That Empty Sriracha Bottle Into A Cooking Oil Dispenser
Hand holding empty sriracha bottle - paulaah293/Shutterstock
Whoever designed the bottles that most cooking oils come in has some explaining to do. The wide openings on most of those bottles work just fine when you're pouring a significant amount of oil into a measuring cup to mix into a sauce or batter. But for those times when you just want to lightly oil a pan or drizzle a little bit of oil atop a salad or pasta dish, those big bottle openings make it far too easy to accidentally dump out way more oil than you meant to. Of course, you could always buy oil dispensers with smaller spouts, but those can be pricey. Why spend the money when there's another option that costs nothing and might already be in your kitchen?
The next time you finish a bottle of sriracha sauce, don't just rinse out the empty container and then throw it into your recycling bin. That sriracha bottle's twist-top spout makes it a perfect dispenser for cooking oils, condiments, and virtually any other liquid ingredient you want to be able to pour in controlled quantities. Be sure to store the repurposed container in a dark, cool place; sriracha bottles are usually clear, and exposure to light, heat, and oxygen can cause perishable goods like olive oil to spoil more quickly.
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Airtight? AlrightClose up of empty sriracha bottle nozzle - Reptile8488/Getty Images
Those pour-spout bottles you often see pro chefs use may look like a more sophisticated vessel than a repurposed sriracha bottle, but they're not necessarily the best idea for home cooks. The spout top is perpetually open, which leaves the oil in constant contact with oxygen. Restaurants and television chefs can go through a lot of olive and other cooking oils like it's their job (because it is), but a sizable bottle of oil could last the average household for months. Because oils can start going rancid in a matter of months, this gives unused oils more than enough time to start to degrade, worsening the taste. This goes for high-end olive oil as well as the cheapest canola oil you can find.
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On the other hand, empty sriracha bottles have a sealable twist-top, so you get the benefit of a small, closeable nozzle for careful pouring without leaving the oil in prolonged contact with oxygen. This way, you can avoid waste (and unpleasant messes) from accidental oil overpours while also preserving an oil's optimal taste and smell for as long as possible.
It Was A Dark And Chilly CabinetPerson with long brown hair looks into wooden cabinet - Prostock-studio/Shutterstock
There's a reason that many higher-end cooking oils, including olive and avocado, are packaged in dark green bottles: The darker glass helps to filter out light, one of the factors that cause cooking oils to degrade. Chances are, though, your sriracha bottle is made of clear plastic. This can be less of an issue as long as you keep it somewhere protected from light and heat, such as in a dark cupboard or pantry, preferably one that isn't immediately adjacent to your oven or anything else that gets hot. If you don't have room in your cabinet or just really want to keep it out on the counter for easy access, you should consider covering the outside of the bottle with a dark covering, such as a dark-colored label, fabric, or something similar to block out light. If you're a talented crafter, you can make it look a little more chic that way, too.
And of course, you're not limited to cooking oil when it comes to ways to upcycle empty sriracha bottles. Repurpose them as dispensers for flavored mayonnaises, a variety of homemade salad dressings, and all kinds of kinds of vinegar -- basically, any liquid ingredient you want to drizzle rather than glug. Just be sure to follow proper storage guidelines for whatever the ingredient may be.
Read the original article on Daily Meal.
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