Black pepper and red pepper are both fundamental spices in food cultures all over the world. Black pepper comes from the Kerala region in Southern India while red pepper comes from Central America. While both of these spices play similar roles — they provide heat — they do so differently. You … [Read more...]

Ancho and chipotle peppers are two classic Mexican dried chilies that are becoming more and more popular around the world. They have some similarities, but there are quite a few nuanced differences that will impact your cooking when choosing one over the other. Let's break it all down in another … [Read more...]

Fermented hot sauce and unfermented hot sauce are the two main options when making homemade hot sauce. The point of fermentation is to lower pH, which creates a hostile environment for microbes that cause spoilage. You will be accomplishing the same thing with the unfermented hot sauce, but by … [Read more...]

Old Bay seasoning and Cajun seasoning are two regionally iconic American spice blends. Old Bay comes from Maryland, Cajun seasoning is associated with parts of Louisiana. The two differ strongly in their intended effects on food although both are flavorful and have several ingredients in common. We … [Read more...]

You can find pre-made Picante sauce and pre-made salsa in the Mexican aisle of your local grocery store. Mild and hot versions of each are available and can serve similar purposes, but how different are these two ingredients? When should you use one and when should you use the other? These questions … [Read more...]

Both dark and light chili powders are blends of the same ingredients. All chili powders contain dried and ground hot peppers along with cumin, garlic, and oregano. Those are just the foundation ingredients, some blends will have other ingredients. The most common chili pepper used to make light and … [Read more...]

Both Creole seasoning and jerk seasoning come from a mix of European, African, and Native American cultures in the New World. The histories of these two spice mixes have close connections to slavery and colonialism but they have evolved to become important components in the respective cultural … [Read more...]

Horseradish and chili peppers stimulate the same set of sensory receptors (called polymodal nociceptors) in the mouth and nose, which is why we register both of them as hot with both spices, the ability to cause burning is likely the plant's self-protection mechanism to avoid being eaten by various … [Read more...]

Cayenne pepper and chipotle powder are both common kitchen spices, working equally well for upping the spice level of food and for adding a touch of spicy color. Both come from chili peppers and are as easy to find as they are easy to use. Even so, there's quite a bit different between these two … [Read more...]

Nam prik pao and sambal oelek are two of the most beloved chili pastes from Southeast Asia. Neither is excessively hot and both share a similar bright red color; however, you would be wrong to assume that these chili pastes are even close to identical in terms of flavor and function. How does nam … [Read more...]