Cooling hot sauce heat

[yakima]

Milk is often prescribed, but try orange juice. 20 odd years ago, son was having high school buds over for burgers. I had a bottle of Daves Hot Sauce, don't remember which one. Had read somewhere that citrus works better than lipids. Experimented, it worked. Told Colin, we each had a stashed glass of orange juice.

The boys showed up. It was easy to egg them on: who can handle the most hot sauce! They all practically died. Son and I won hands down, ducking around the corner to sip orange juice.

Anyone have a similar experience? What is the science?

[Jerod Broussard]

Something on the net.

Remember how we said capsaicin is an alkaline molecule? Balancing it with an acid can help neutralize the molecule's activity. This means drinking or eating something acidic — such as lemonade, limeade, orange juice or a tomato-based food item or drink — may also help cool your mouth down.

[bbqLuv]

very interesting. Good to know.
Personally, I try to avoid really hot sauces and peppers in my old age.

[Spinaker]

Citrus is a detergent in many cleaners and de-greasers. (Mainly Di-limonene found in oranges) Since capsaicin is a waxy, crystalline substance, it can be broken down by the Di-limonene found in orange juice. The sugar in the OJ also helps to break it down as well. Since it is a waxy substance, water is repelled, which is why water is ineffective in washing it away. Milk is effective because the proteins in Casin also work as a detergent.

Fun fact: Capsaicin is actually a neurotoxin which they think evolved to keep mammals AND fungi from consuming the seeds and destroying them. Mammals have molars that destroy the seeds when eaten, capsaicin keeps most mammals from consuming them. Birds on the other hand, are not effected by capsaicin. Allowing the seeds to be dispersed over a much larger range and passing through the digestive tract of birds unaffected. This may have led to capsaicin production because it makes the plant less likely to be eaten by animals that do not help it disperse. (Wiki) Capsaicin is actually a biological pesticide, according the EPA.

[Uncle Bob]

Our deer must not have studied up on that sort of thing.............before I got around to putting up netting they treated my pepper garden as a cafeteria (except, oddly, the Thai chilis).

[Spinaker]

That is interesting. The deer never bother my peppers. Could be the northern deer and the Norwegian influence not liking the heat in general around these parts. Uncle Bob

[Uncle Bob]

Spinaker, I'm sure they're more after the tender, young leaf/shoots, but get some of the early growth fruits as well. You might be correct about the Norwegian influence though, ours probably have more of that South of the Border influence going.....................

[yakima]

You boys are good.

[Steve B]

You talking about Dave’s Insanity? Got 3 bottles in the fridge right now.

Why would you want to cool the burn? Savor it. 🔥🔥

[Spinaker]

I will get those bottles out tomorrow, if I can remember to bring them to work. (Unlike this morning. )

[Steve B]

Spinaker Awesome John. Looking to checking them out.

[Spinaker]

They are real hot, but great flavor. No idea what peppers they put in those bad boys, but good lord are they hot.

[jfmorris]

Ok, I am a hot sauce junkie and now Spinaker has me thinking that I am slowly poisoning myself with neurotoxins with every snack or hamburger or sandwich I douse in sriracha sauce... are too many XX hot buffalo wings why my brain doesn't work as well as it did when I was young?

[jfmorris]

Spinaker I pretty much go through a bottle of hot sauce every week I think, here at the house. And I use it out too. Just had a sandwich at Schlottsky's yesterday and between the wife and me we used about 1/4 a bottle of hot sauce on our sandwiches!

[Spinaker]

That is awesome. I am working on training Sabina to embrace the heat. Let's just say it is a work in progress.

[jfmorris]

Spinaker you keep working on her!

When our kids were very young, we ate Mexican or buffalo wings out 2-3 times per week, and my son, now 28, was a baby at the time. He was dipping chips in salsa and gnawing on buffalo wings before he was two, so we trained him up right! He just wanted to do what he saw us doing I guess.... I don't know where we went wrong with his sisters, as both of them acted like ketchup was a spicy condiment when they were little...

[shify]

Sugar also helps to neutralize capsaicin burn (the scoville unit was originally based on the number of squirt of sugar water it took to dissipate the heat), so wonder if both the acid and sugar made it more effective a remedy

[RonB]

I use sour cream to cut the effects of too much hot sauce. Seems to work fer me.

[Spinaker]

Yep, any dairy will do that for ya.

[Jerod Broussard]

Sour cream, yogurt, work great on sunburns.

[texastweeter]

Is there such a thing as too hot?

[Spinaker]

That is a negative Ghost Rider

[ssandy_561]

We do a 12 wing “Hot Ones” challenge every year. This years is 7 weeks away. I drink lots of beer while we are doing it. This might not cool down my mouth but it is a great excuse to drink lots of beer! 😆

On a side note there is nothing that can cool hot sauce heat that comes from this:

[Spinaker]

Cyaaaaaaaaaa!

[grantgallagher]

beyond insanity...the perfect description of people who try that more than once, lol

[Greygoose]

Iced tea with lemon,,,

[Clawbear57]

Well I have some jerk sauce from Jamaica. I want to marinate some chicken in. It is too hot for me and mom. Is there a way to cut the heat while marinating?

[jfmorris]

Dilute the marinade with another liquid, or even water, maybe?

[Clawbear57]

Maybe coconut milk?

[Spinaker]

Add citrus to the mix. The sauce will tone down after being cooked too. You can also serve it with a blue cheese or sour creme to help with the heat. The dairy acts as a detergent.

[Texas Larry]

I enjoy moderate piquancy, but a little black pepper is at the top limit of spice for my wife. I can’t cook to my preference if cooking for both of us. Had never heard of the citrus trick. Will definitely try it.