Christopher Masto

I can’t pick a single favorite, they all have different uses. Cholula or Valentina go with a lot of things, but obviously and especially Mexican food. Frank’s Red Hot is pretty much only for making Buffalo sauce, but I also like it on mac & cheese, and on steak (this is a weird thing I got from my dad). My favorite chili crisp is Fly By Jing. It makes Chinese takeout worth eating. Calabrian chili paste goes great on sandwiches and in tomato sauces. I’m not big on sriracha, but keep a bottle of Underwood Ranches on hand to make spicy ketchup or add to a sandwich or burger, ramen, etc. Speaking of Underwood Ranches, their chili garlic sauce is perfect on eggs. I also have a bottle of Secret Aardvark habanero sauce for chili and hot dogs and most importantly, chili dogs. The last one that comes to mind is the only obscure one that you get in those mall stores where 99% of their business is from frat boy joke labels: “Sauce Bitch”. Despite the stupid name, this one is unique and delicious. It’s fruity and dark and goes amazingly well with pork dishes as well as eggs. I stumbled on it in a restaurant and now I have to order it direct from the manufacturer because I haven’t found anything else quite like it.

Hot damn do I love gloves. I bought a 5000-count case five years ago and I’m just about out of them. Turns out making it easier to touch icky things like the sink strainer was well worth the $50.

The part of my brain that needs to be interested in something to do it is actually very stupid and easily tricked. Sometimes when I’m stuck all I have to do is literally pretend I find the work engaging.

It was the dawn of the third age of mankind