Confession, I’m a Heat Freak

For as much as some people love hot sauce, others can’t handle the heat. Sometimes I can’t wrap my head around how people can’t appreciate the flavour of hot sauce and how it can complement so many meals. Forcing people to try your favourite hot sauce doesn’t work. I’ve tried it myself. You can’t change their taste buds overnight, but can you over months?? The answer is yes. Over time you can develop your taste buds and build a tolerance to spicy foods. Here are three methods I use to turn non-hot sauce users into Chiliheads.

Educate them on different types of peppers.

Sometimes people don’t like hot sauce because they tried some “blow-your-ass-off” or “death-ghost-chilli” hot sauces and swore they would never try it again. Those sauces are incredibly high on the heat index, so you should let them know there are very mild hot sauces that also have unique flavours. Educating them on the tastes and heat makes them more open to experimenting with a mild sauce.

Start cooking with different types of peppers and start with mild peppers.

Jalapeño, serrano, and cayenne peppers are between 2,000 and 50,000 Scoville Heat Units (considered mild). These dishes will introduce them to the flavours of the peppers and will include some heat, but it won’t blow them away. You can also use some mild sauces in a marinade to get the sauce’s flavour without a ton of heat.

Buy them a mild and a medium-hot sauce.

Don’t pressure them to use it, but they might find themselves being bold sometimes and putting it on an omelet or dinner they cook. Once they’ve started using it, you’ve won, and they are on their way to becoming a hot sauce connoisseur one day. It’s a gradual process, but the lessons here and to educate them about what they’re consuming and not pressure them. It takes time, but I believe that all people can become heat freak if they try different peppers over a 3-6 month period.