Perpetual Ruminations

Frank's & TJ's Sriracha Sauce

Well, last night I was going to blog about something but ended up interrupted. I put the topic off for tonight, but guess what? That's right, I forgot what I was going to blog about. That's alright, however, because I have something else that I think is bloggable and worthy of my time tonight.

I'm talking about Sriracha Sauce! Perhaps you've heard of it? I'm sure you have at one point or another, and it's pretty likely that you've tried it. From what I hear from most people, you may have even liked it.

I have heard of it, and I tasted it once, on some chicken fingers. I know, chickens don't have fingers, and I really don't want to know what the fingers are. These weren't actually chicken fingers, they were chicken McNuggets. Again, I don't think I want to know what part of the chicken his McNuggets are, but it sounds worse than they taste. And, speaking of taste, the McSriracha Sauce wasn't very appealing, but it could have something to do with that clown's McRecipe.

Just a side note, I have not heard anything about anyone feeling upset over Ronald's statue and I haven't heard anything about anyone knocking over or defacing ole Ronald. If there were still Big Boy joints you can bet someone would have been offended by both the name and the statue!

But I digress. I do quite often, but then that's why I like to get into my blogging and let my mind wander; as long as it doesn't wander too far or fails to return, I figure it's all good.

So, tonight's topic is Sriracha Sauce. I"m a member of a health site and am trying to lose weight, and it was there that I saw someone bragging this sauce up. It had my curiosity, so I researched it a bit and found myself even more confused. At its basics, the base is just hot sauce! So, why all the hype about it being some kind of wonder sauce that has all these wonderful benefits? Sure, most of what I read about the health benefits are true, but that's the case with just about any hot sauce, especially red pepper hot sauce.

I  personally like Frank's Hot Sauce, I think it has a better taste than a lot of other hot sauces. As far as what sets Sriracha Sauce apart from the others is it's supposed to have a tangy, sweetness to it. But, what really sets it apart and adds a bit more health benefit is the garlic. Yes, garlic is a very healthy food, and Sriracha Sauce has garlic while Frank's does not.

But, any added health benefits seem to be wasted on the other two ingredients, salt, and sugar. And not just a little bit, either.  I looked at a few different recipes and they all average about the same, some even higher by substituting honey in place of the sugar. Let me show you:

To make a basic Sriracha Sauce, you will need about a half-pound of chopped up Red peppers or chilis, four cloves of garlic, one teaspoon of salt, a cup of vinegar, and two tablespoons of sugar. Once finished, this recipe makes one and a half cups of sauce. Yes, 6 ounces!  Let that sink in for a minute, 6 ounces of sauce contains one teaspoon of salt and two tablespoons of sugar!

Now, don't' get me wrong, I'm not saying the sauce is not good, I'm not saying it's all that bad for you, all I'm saying is the amount of sodium and sugar kind of counterbalance the healthy benefits of the garlic and red pepper. No, it's not going to hurt you, not unless you start drinking this sauce as I drink coffee. And, I'm not saying that it doesn't have some health benefits, either. I'm just saying that once again a food has been taken out of context and placed on a pedestal that so many people gather around and do not even question or research.

That's all I'm saying, quit being like Lemmings and following blindly everything your shown and told; Check things out, think, and make rational choices based on what you learn. I know, some of you do, but there are a lot of people who don't.

As for Sriracha Sauce, yeah, I'll try it again. Not from some fast food place, but a Sriracha Sauce I know will be good; Homemade. Just a quarter batch, it should be easy to divide out, and then I can decide if I like it or not. If I do like it and it will get used, I'll check around and purchase a good brand and compare it to my homemade. Sure, homemade is always going to be better, but I like to do things the easy way sometimes. Oh, and speaking of the easy way, I won't be chopping up red peppers and having the house smell of vinegar, I'll just add the garlic, salt, and sugar to Frank's and have about a quarter cup of Frank and TJ's Sriracha Sauce.