Over the past five years, sriracha, a Thai hot sauce that most of us had never heard of previously, has emerged as the hot sauce of choice. It’s more flavorful than many of the big-brand American hot pepper sauces that had long been the norm.

But climbing up the ladder is a new (to most Americans) hot sauce alternative: gochujang (go-CHOO-jang), sometimes spelled gochuchang). This Korean fermented hot sauce is a mixture of red chili powder, glutinous rice powder, fermented soybeans, salt, other seasonings like garlic and onion, and a bit of sugar syrup or malt. It is then aged.

As a result, it is even more complex in flavor than sriracha. Some chefs call it “an umami bomb,” combining spicy, salty, sweet and earthy notes.

Gochujang is a staple Korean condiment also known in English as Korean hot pepper paste. Sweet heat with the consistency of hoisin sauce, it’s used in a wide range of Korean dishes, from bibimbap to dukbokki (stir-fried rice cakes) to tteokbokki to something more familiar: fried chicken. And of course, it can be used in American recipes instead of barbecue sauce, ketchup, and other condiments.

Some details:

 
 
USING GOCHUJANG

Gochujang deepens the flavors (and color!) of everything from broth to noodle dishes and vegetables. Incorporate it into a recipe, or serve it as a table condiment so people can add their own.

A group of 18 recipes from Bon Appetit includes recipes for, among others:

 
When mixed with Korean red miso (doenjang), it creates ssamjang, a condiment for lettuce wraps (ssam) and raw or blanched vegetables.

Add some gochujang to mayonnaise as a spread or a dip for crudités or fries. Serve it plain with eggs. Put it on a burger or hot dog. You can blend in fruit for an even more complex sauce.

Add it to dressings, marinades, and sauces to add some spicy flavor. You can make a Korean-style arrabiata sauce for pasta, or pair it with other noodle dishes and rice.

Although it contains no tomatoes, some Americans think of gochujang as spicy Korean ketchup.

What are you waiting for? Add it to your shopping list!
 
 
BUT WHAT BRAND?

All commercial gochujang is imported, and some labels are only in Korean.

“The best gochujang” is a matter of personal taste, like any condiment. You may like more sweetness, or you may like less. If you’re in an Asian market with multiple options, you could ask a clerk to explain the differences.

However, as with ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, and other condiments, you won’t find a disappointing one.

That said, look for the Chung Jung One brand, which has a squeeze bottle with an American label (photo #1) as plus packaging in a traditional tub for the Korean market (photo #2).

If you pursue a close relationship with gochuchang, you may discover different styles, including chalgochujang (sweet rice gochujang) and taeyangcho (sundried, i.e. the paste is actually dried under the sun).

[1] Gochujang sauce is also called paste because of its consistency. If you can’t find it locally, you can buy it online or make your own (photos #1 and #2 © Chung Jung One).

[2] The same brand in a traditional Korean tub style (photos #1 and #2 courtesy Chung Jung One).

[3] A bowl of gochujang, served as a condiment (photo © Trifood).

[4] Spicy fried chicken with gochuchang. Here’s the recipe from SBS.com.au.

[5] Bibimbap is served sizzling hot. The egg is broken and mixed in with gochujang paste (photo © Barn Joo | NYC).

Top: People with no conflicting conditions can enjoy coffee 4 cups of brewed coffee daily. Want more? Switch to decaf (photo La Panineria). Bottom: Cold brew coffee, growing in popularity, has the most caffeine by a long shot (photo Seaworth Coffee).

March is Caffeine Awareness Month. The National Consumers League (NCL) shared these facts on the world’s most consumed pick-me-up:

– 16.6 servings of green tea (24 mg caffeine/8 fl. oz.)
– 11.5 servings of a cola soft drink (average 35 mg caffeine/12 fl. oz.)
– 8.5 servings of black tea (47 mg caffeine/8 fl. oz.)
– 5 servings of Red Bull energy drink (80 mg caffeine/8.4 fl. oz.)
– 4.2 servings of regular brewed coffee (95 mg caffeine/8 fl. oz.)
– 2.2 servings of coffee house coffee (180 mg caffeine/8 fl. oz.)
– 2 servings of 5-Hour Energy (200 mg caffeine/2 fl. oz.)
– 1 serving of 10-Hour Energy shot (422 mg caffeine/2 fl. oz.)

LABELS DON’T TELL ALL

The FDA currently requires food labels to disclose added caffeine as an ingredient, but the label is not required to provide the amount of added caffeine or to list natural caffeine.

As a result, very few products voluntarily list the total amount of caffeine they contain; although some companies, like Red Bull and Monster, and some soft drinks, provide this information voluntarily.

The NCL is an advocate for transparency. To be able to moderate their intake, says the organization, consumers need to know how much caffeine is in the foods and beverages they consume.

The NCL believes that all products containing caffeine should declare the amount of caffeine per serving-and per container-on the label—and we agree.
 
And The Answers Are…

[2] The recipe for this Halloween Jell-O from SomethingNewForDinner.com.

[3] Christmas Jell-O (photo © Due Forni | Las Vegas).

Multi-layer jello finger food (no fork or spoon required), called finger Jell-O, ribbon Jell-O or Jell-O squares, is the type of food fun that the family can look forward to with each holiday. Simply match the colors to the occasion.

You can make as many layers, and as many colors, as you like. The Pioneer Woman makes an even snazzier version. So does the Brown-Eyed Baker.
You can slice this into what is known as “finger Jello,” because you can pick it up and eat it with your fingers. Extra gelatin is added to the Jell-O to create a firm texture.

You can make it in any colors; for example:

 
Check out the different flavors and colors of Jell-O.
 
You can make a diet version with sugar-free Jell-O, and swap the sweetened condensed milk for evaporated milk that you sweeten with a non-caloric sweetener.
 
 
RECIPE: JELL-O SQUARES

In this recipe, adapted from Taste Of Home, the Jell-O is firmed into “finger Jell-O” or “Jell-O squares” with the addition of extra gelatin. Prep time is 30 minutes, plus 90 minutes chilling/firming time.

Make the recipe on a day when you can let each mixture come to room temperature at its own pace, and firm up each layer in the fridge for more than 30 minutes. Don’t skimp on the cooling and firming times, or you won’t be pleased with the results.
 
Ingredients For 32 Pieces

Preparation

1. SPRAY a 9×13-inch baking pan (ideally Pyrex) with nonstick spray.

2. MAKE the bottom layer: In a medium bowl, mix the green Jell-O with 1 envelope of the unflavored gelatin. Add 2 cups boiling water and stir to dissolve. Cool to room temperature and pour into the pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer, until firm.

3. MAKE the center layer: In a clean bowl, mix the sweetened condensed milk with 1 cup of boiling water. In a separate small bowl, sprinkle 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin over ½ cup cold water. Let the gelatin stand for 4 minutes and then add ½ cup of boiling water to dissolve it. Add to the condensed milk mixture and stir to combine. Cool to room temperature and pour over the bottom layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer, until firm.

5. MAKE the top layer. In a medium bowl, mix the red Jell-O with 1 envelope of the unflavored gelatin. Add 2 cups boiling water and stir to dissolve. Cool to room temperature and pour over the middle layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer, until firm.

6. SLICE into individual pieces, plate and serve.

Gelatin (spelled gelatine in the U.K.) has been made since ancient times by boiling animal and fish bones. Aspic, a savory, gelatin-like food made from meat or fish stock, was a French specialty centuries before the dawn of commercial gelatin. It was very difficult to prepare, relying only on the natural gelatin found in the meat to make the aspic set.

Powdered gelatin was invented in 1682 by Denis Papin. But the concept of cooking it with sugar to make dessert dates to 1845 and an American inventor named Peter Cooper. Cooper patented a dessert product that was set with gelatin, but it didn’t take off.

In 1897, Pearle Wait, a carpenter in Le Roy, New York (Genesee County), experimented with gelatin and developed a fruit-flavored dessert that his wife May named Jell-O. The first four flavors were orange, lemon, strawberry, and raspberry.

Wait tried to market his product but lacked the capital and experience. In 1899 he sold his formula to a townsman and manufacturer of proprietary medicines, Orator Frank Woodward, for $450. The Jell-O itself was manufactured by Andrew Samuel Nico of Lyons, New York.

Alas, sales were slow and one day, Wait sold Sam Nico the business for $35. In 1900, the Genesee Pure Food Company promoted Jell-O in a successful advertising campaign, and by 1902 sales were $250,000. In 1923 the owners created the Jell-O Company, Inc., which replaced the Genesee Pure Foods Company. The purpose was to protect the Jell-O trade name and to keep it from becoming a generic term.

That same year, the Jell-O Company was sold to the Postum Cereal Company, the first subsidiary of a large merger that would eventually become General Foods Corporation. Lime Jell-O was introduced in 1930.

[5] Strawberry Jell-O toda (photo © Kraft Foods).

Today Jell-O is manufactured by Kraft Foods, a subsidiary of Phillip Morris, which acquired both Kraft and General Foods in the 1980s and ultimately merged the two companies. There’s a Jell-O Gallery Museum in Le Roy, New York.
 
 

[1] Beer hot toddy (photo © L’Adresse | NYC).

[2] Samuel Adams Cold Snap Ale (photo © Samuel Adams).

What’s with the weather around here? Every few days it switches from spring to winter and back.

Today it’s snowing: a cold snap. Time to drink the last of the Cold Snap beer we received from Samuel Adams.

An unfiltered white ale with crisp wheat and citrus notes, Cold Snap complements lighter fish dishes like sushi and smoked salmon. The maltiness also tempers the heat in cuisines like Indian and Thai.

And Cold Snap’s spiciness (sweet orange peel and plum, peppery coriander) works with desserts like spice cake and fruit tarts.

For the winter chill, there’s even a…
 
 
RECIPE: SAMUEL ADAMS COLD SNAP HOT TODDY

Beer simple syrup? How can you resist?

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the beer sugar syrup. Combine the sugar and beer in a large pitcher or pot. Whisk lightly to dissolve the sugar.

2. POUR the mixture into another pitcher or pot of the same size. Repeat this process every 5 minutes until the head of the beer is completely gone. Store the syrup in a glass jar in the fridge until ready to use. Then…

3. COMBINE the Cold Snap syrup and bourbon in a glass and top with the hot tea. Let the drink sit for a few minutes to cool and allow the ingredients to marry. Garnish with a lemon wheel and/or cinnamon stick and serve.
 
> Here’s more about Cold Snap Ale.

> The history of beer and the different types of beer.

While classic whipped cream is a festive topping on everything from shortcakes to ice cream sundaes, flavored whipped cream tends to be memorable. While Reddi-Wip makes chocolate whipped cream, usually the only way to experience flavored whipped cream is to make your own.

It’s not a new idea! By the end of the 19th century, the industrial revolution had enabled centrifuge-separated, high-fat cream. Cooks could buy the cream and whip it directly, without tedious hours spent skimming it from the top of milk.

Pastry chefs went to town making a myriad of whipped cream desserts, shaped in molds, flavored with chocolate, coffee, fruits and liqueurs. Here’s the history of whipped cream.

Today, it’s not surprising that you can buy Baileys Irish Cream Whipped Cream in Ireland. But you can make your own as quickly as making a trip to the store.
 
 
RECIPE: WHIPPED CREAM WITH IRISH CREAM LIQUEUR

How about some whipped cream for St. Patrick’s Day that’s flavored with Irish Cream liqueur? Use it on brownies, pound cake, in your coffee or hot chocolate, and anywhere you can: It’s delicious!

If you’d like a mint-flavored whipped cream (delicious with anything chocolate), substitute green Creme de Menthe liqueur. A deep green color, it will tint the whipped cream green.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. CHILL the heavy cream thoroughly so it will whip better. Put the cream and the liqueur in the freezer for 20 minutes prior to whipping.

2. ADD the ingredients to a stand mixer or a large bowl (if using a hand mixer). Beat on high until stiff peaks form, about 5-7 minutes. It’s ready to serve!
 
Tips

 
 
MORE FLAVORED WHIPPED CREAM RECIPES

 
What do you do with savory whipped cream?

First, you ditch the sugar and vanilla extract in favor of savory flavors. Then, you garnish a bowl of soup, top a baked potato, garnish a plate of asparagus.

Add lemon zest to whipped cream for fish and seafood (including smoked salmon); bourbon for grilled meats; grated Parmesan cheese for soup, meats and fish; horseradish for beef; herbs or spices with vegetables.

You’ll love how flavored whipped cream adds new life to recipes.

[1] A brownie with a side of Irish Cream whipped cream (photo © Piyato | Dreamstime).

[2] Whipping the cream (photo © Kuhn-Rikon).

[3] For St. Patrick’s Day, make your flavor Irish Cream Liqueur (photo © Diageo).

[4] Whipped cream tinted green in this cookie parfait recipe (photo © Yummly).