"sriracha" news and stories

Here are four kitchen staples we can't live without. We think you'll feel the same way.

In a decade during which adults proudly ordered comfort foods that were once listed only on children's menus (think mac and cheese, hot dogs, cupcakes and sliders), it's perhaps no surprise that most diners didn't go gaga for any crazy new ingredients. While industry observers predicted mangosteen, saffron and quinoa would all hit it big in the aughts, eaters instead huddled around their bacon and butter. Sure, a small subset of foodies tortured their bellies with sideshow-style eating. Lamb tongue tartar, anyone? But most Americans ate like Pilgrims, shunning anything with an unpronounceable name or chemical origin. Here, a quick guide to what we kept in our pantries:

2001: Black Truffle Oil

Black truffle oil was a relative newcomer back in 2001, when white truffle oil was still the reigning indicator of luxury. The subject of a January 2001 article in Bon Appetit, home cooks were soon wild for the intensely fragrant oil, which was stirred into risottos, poured over popcorn and served on ice cream.

2002: Butter

Fat didn't seem so scary in the wake of 9/11, when all eaters wanted were dishes that felt like warm hugs. That meant rice pudding, creamed spinach, seafood bisques and just about anything that called for lots and lots of butter. Nothing said 2002 like a plate of fettuccine Alfredo served with a slab of heavily buttered bread.

2003: Green tea

Green tea wasn't just good enough to drink. In 2003, it was added to dish-washing detergent and hand soaps. But, as Restaurant Business noted that year, "it is the tea's presence on the plate that is quickly gaining steam... Its delicate taste makes it an excellent choice for ethnic dishes and desserts." Diners apparently liked the flavor – and that research showed the stuff could reduce blood sugar and increase metabolism.

Spicy sriracha mayonnaise. Photo: onthemetro, Flickr.

We may have already pegged sriracha as the ultimate condiment, but we were so wowed by the simple brilliance of sriracha mayonnaise that we decided to have you feast your eyes on another rendition of it. The sauce -- made by the ever-creative White on Rice couple -- spikes mayo with sriracha, soy sauce and lemon, in a deceptively rosy-looking sauce. Longtime fans of the usual pesto mayo, we were tickled by the unlikely marriage of the all-American staple with the exotic, spicy-sweet chili sauce.

The New York Times reported back in February on the "Chili Sauce to Crow About," which is a simple purée of red jalapenos, sugar, garlic powder, vinegar and salt. Most notably marketed by Huy Fong in trademark clear plastic dispensers with a green cap and rooster image, the Times says the sauce "may be best understood as an American sauce, a polyglot purée with roots in difference places and peoples." And its uses are indeed variegated, if not unlimited -- Jean-Georges Vongerichten uses it to spice up a hollandaise and Kogi serves it as a garnish for their Korean BBQ tacos.

What's your unique use for the sauce?

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• Grilling over a wood fire presents many nuanced delights, provided you have the right tools and a high threshold for sweat and smoke.
  
• Sriracha Chili Sauce is a flagship product of Huy Fong Foods, and one that chefs like Jean-Georges Vongerichten love for its sweet, garlicky heat.
• Le Fooding, the group that set France on fire with picnics of finger foods and plastic-cupped drinks, is coming stateside to introduce New Yorkers to a new generation of French chefs.
  
• Across the country, drink menus are showing some love for homemade ginger ale.
• Food safety is becoming a mess. Almost every element of processed foods is a potential pathogen carrier, and the industry is shifting the worry to the consumer.
• Scotland Yard isn't just the famous face of London law enforcement. It's also a tasty Scotch and Drambuie twist on the Rusty Nail.

Looking for quick, easy dips for your veggies, crackers and chips? We've got you covered!