McIlhenny Co.

Contest entrants are being asked to create a "budget-friendly" entrée incorporating one of Tabasco's signature pepper sauces. The winning recipe is worth $10,000, which means this will likely be the last time the winning chef will have to resort to finding flavor in a $3.99 bottle.

For recession-struck eaters, however, hot sauces like Tabasco have become indispensable for enlivening otherwise dreary meals of Ramen noodles, beans and rice and boxed macaroni and cheese.
"I've definitely heard from friends that their food would get boring without hot sauce," confirms Brian Rush, owner of Austin, Texas' Tears of Joy Hot Sauce Shop.

The McIlhenny Company, which has been making Tabasco sauces since 1868, refused to reveal whether hot sauce sales are up since the economy's tanked (The tight-lipped firm also begged off answering the seemingly innocuous question "How can home cooks save money using Tabasco products?" -- suggesting the budget-minded use of hot sauce is a secret worth guarding.) But Rush reports his business has been humming, leading him to suspect folks are seeking a frugal way to excite their palates.

"That's what I surmise, because my sales haven't really slumped," Rush says. "There's a reason Tabasco goes in all the MREs."

Chili powder was a favorite condiment during the Depression, showing up in everything from omelets to gelatin salads. Cash-strapped eaters apparently perked up aging meats and shriveled vegetables with Tabasco. Rush says he can't think of too many foods that wouldn't benefit from a splash of hot sauce. He draws the line at ice cream and beer, though he muses, "some people really like that."

The Hottest Chef contest ends on July 17, but -- depending on the economic forecast -- hot sauce-fueled kitchen creativity may be just warming up.