"condiments" news and stories

Ketchup may still be king of the condiments, but these days, hot sauce is what's really hot. According to a report by market-research firm Mintel International, sales of ethnic condiments in the U.S. had been chugging along since 2005, but beginning in 2008, when the recession hit and folks started eating at home more, they've been hot as a habanero, increasing 4.8 percent in 2009, with $1.3 billion in sales. Mexican condiments are leading the way in this salsa-powered surge.

That's no surprise to Gloria Cabada-Leman, owner with her husband of the Carolina Sauce Company, in Durham, N.C. Started in 2003, Carolina Sauce is an Internet food retailer specializing in condiments and sauces. She said hot and spicy is a predominant theme these days even in places like New England and the Midwest -- normally bastions of hot-pepper wimipiness.

The most recent trend, Cabada-Leman said, is adding jalapeños (the gateway pepper, she called them) or even habaneros to items that normally don't have them – like ketchup. "In just the past 12 months or so, it has had the greatest increase in sales," she said. "Customers trying it and then coming back as repeat customers."

Hot dog fans, take this out to the ball game. Next time you're about to slather pickle relish on a perfectly grilled burger or frank, switch it up and top it with this relish of corn, onions, and roasted jalapeños and sweet peppers. It's a fairly simple canning project, as you can simply make the relish and pop it in the refrigerator for up to three months. And when you make a pot of chowder this fall, a dose of this stuff will give it some heft.

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Celebrity chefs -- they're just like us. Only with mega book deals, product lines, contracts with mayonnaise companies, a slew of sous chefs and a staff to clean up after them. Still, when it comes to food, most of 'em have a down-home and humble favorite that defines the holiday. Over the next few weeks, we'll share must-have festive fare from Rachael Ray, John Besh, Michael Symon and many more.

In this Slashfood exclusive, Chef Bobby Flay disses his mother's stuffing, goofs on his canned-cranberry-loving cousin and plays with a whole lotta mayo.

Buy Bobby Flay's books and read more about Bobby Flay on Slashfood.

Previously -- Marcus Samuelsson's must-have holiday dish -- which also involves vodka and red wine. Sensing a trend here...

Happy National Pickle Day! Though most commonly perceived and popularized as a brined cucumber, the "Food Lover's Companion" defines the pickle as any "food that has been preserved in a seasoned brine or vinegar mixture." According to the guide, the most popular pickling subjects beyond the cucumber typically include pearl onions, cauliflower, watermelon rind, baby corn, herring and pig's feet -- though most any vegetable can be pickled, it need only be firm enough to not dissolve in brine.

Brines range from sweet (Bread-and-Butter Pickles), to sour or hot (Spicy Dill Pickles), or may take on the flavor of whatever additives, from herbs to spices (Rosemary-Garlic Pickles). And the brine itself holds a range of uses too: soup stock, drink base, even hangover remedy! In one of the more surprising uses, a shot of pickle juice follows a shot of Jameson in the "pickle back" drink.

For an unexpected range of recipes, check out ilovepickles.org and get creative!

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Miracle Whip is going after Stephen Colbert, after the Comedy Central star made fun of its "Don't Be So Mayo" ad campaign.

The condiment company has purportedly purchased every commercial during Thursday's "Colbert Report" and taken out an open-letter newspaper ad to Colbert saying "we will dominate the airspace on your show ... we will own you."

This comes after Colbert "pop[ped] open a jar of mayo whup-ass" during his Oct. 15 show.