This Opinion article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
From Canadian hot sauces that have been on Hot Ones to hot sauces you can get at Canada's grocery stores, it's safe to say I'm a fan of all things spicy.
Whether it's sriracha or spicy noodles, I love pitting my taste buds against heat, and after recently discovering that some of the popular store brands in the country make their own hot sauces, I knew I needed to get my hands on them.
During recent trips to Walmart, Loblaws and FreshCo around the West End of Toronto, I picked up Great Value Original Cayenne Hot Sauce, President's Choice Authentic Louisiana Hot Sauce and Compliments Oh Mama! Cayenne Pepper Sauce and put them against each other in a taste test.
I tried each sauce by itself on a spoon and then added a few drops to a bite of homemade mushroom risotto and I'll be giving them a rating out of 5 in terms of how much I enjoyed them. While there is one winner, they're all pretty darn good and I'll happily be using them all again.
Here's what I thought of the three sauces and what I'll do with them in the future.
Great Value Original Cayenne Hot Sauce, 354 mL
"Heat up your kitchen with the spicy taste of Great Value Original Cayenne Hot Sauce, perfect for every meal," says Walmart of their sauce. "Made with aged cayenne red peppers for a medium hotness, Great Value Original Cayenne Hot Sauce adds plenty of zing to your nachos, eggs and so much more."
While I did like this sauce, I found it to be quite vinegar and salt forward and almost tasted like a salt and vinegar chip with a kick from the cayenne and habanero red chilli peppers when tasted on its own.
After looking at the sodium levels, the Great Value brand did indeed have the highest sodium per one teaspoon, which works out to be 200 mg (President's Choice had 115 mg and Compliment's had 170 mg).
When added to my risotto, it didn't bring as much flavour as I anticipated, and while there was some heat, I found it to be very one-note.
Instead of using this as a sauce to add to a dish before serving, I could see myself using this more as a seasoning ingredient while I'm cooking something and looking to add some spiciness and vinegar, like in a chili or to cut through a rich dish, like poutine.
Rating: 3/5
Price: $3.77
Price per 100 mL: $1.06
Compliments Oh Mama! Cayenne Pepper Sauce, 354 mL
Unlike most of the other hot sauces I've tried, the Compliments Oh Mama! Cayenne Pepper Sauce has oil in it, which is quite unexpected.
You have to really give this a good shake to incorporate the oil into the other ingredients before serving as otherwise it'll stay separated (you can kind of see the film of oil at the top of the sauce in the picture I took), but it's worth the effort.
This sauce has a pleasant vinegar and spice kick like Tabasco but it tickles the back of your throat more and lingers in your mouth longer, which I assume is due to the oil coating the inside of your mouth and not dissipating as quickly as the other sauces do, much like Lao Gan Ma's chili crisp does.
While I enjoyed the fact that the heat stuck around, that's not what I'm always looking for when reaching for a hot sauce as it could overpower more delicate foods like shrimp.
That being said, this is perfect for wings or BBQ, and it's what I'll be reaching for the next time we do some chicken on the grill!
Rating: 4/5
Price: $4.19 for 354 mL
Price per 100 mL: $1.84
President's Choice Authentic Louisiana Hot Sauce, 177 mL
And my favourite hot sauce of the day goes to President's Choice.
"Authentic Louisiana Hot Sauce will add a maximum hot kick to any dish," says Loblaws of this product. "With a delicious flavour and hot taste, use as a dipping sauce or add to sandwiches."
Like the Compliments sauce, the PC option also reminds of Tabasco but gives some of the extra flavour that you get with Cholula.
It really, really brightened up my mushroom risotto and gave it an acidic kick that I hadn't realized it was lacking.
This sauce perked up the other foods I tried it on throughout the week in a way that the others didn't, and I can definitely see it being one of my go-to along with Grace, Tabasco, Habanero Heartbeat and Lao Gan ma.
For usage, it works with pretty much anything — as an ingredient in cooking, as a finish to eggs, as a component of a sauce or even as a way to spice up some popcorn.
Rating: 4.5/5
Price: $2.99 for 177 mL
Price per 100 mL: $1.69
Again, while I put President's Choice in first place because of taste and sheer variety of use, I did like all three of them and will incorporate them into my cooking and eating habits.
In terms of hot sauces, if you're interested in trying out some of the ones that have been on Hot Ones, I recently tried a few of them out and one was so spicy that I genuinely resented it, while a few others were so delicious I'm giving them as Christmas gifts.
Or, if you've been missing out on the iconic Huy Fong Foods' sriracha due to the global shortage, I also tested out some of the other sriracha you can find at Canadian grocery stores and there's one that's almost as good as the brand.
Happy eating, and remember to keep the milk close by just in case!
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.
I Tried 3 Store Brand Hot Sauces From Canada's Grocery Stores & One Of Them Is A Firey Delight
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