News

The question came up again over the past weekend: how do you create a real Chilli Inferno... Which Ukuva sauce is the HOTTEST... How does it compare to Tabasco? What is its rating on the Scoville Scale... Why do we not use the Scoville Scale? Here's a direct quote from the Wikipedia page: "A weakness of the Scoville Organoleptic Test is its imprecision due to human subjectivity, depending on the taster's palate and their number of mouth heat receptors, which varies greatly among people. Another weakness is sensory fatigue: the palate is quickly desensitised to capsaicins after tasting a few...

With 'difficult' meat sauces - the taste stays 'flat' - reduce 100ml of good quality wine vinegar (spirit vinegar will only go bitter!), to about 50ml in a fast boiling pan. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt; add this mixture into the sauce, teaspoon by teaspoon until the flavour pops! Note: if the sauce is slightly 'bitter' (burnt pan bitter) - add a pinch of salt - it will help!

Friends often ask what they need to do to 'build' flavour. The secret is to construct the dish so that there is a dominant flavour - and a supporting cast. In truth - this is the mistake most people make - too many flavours on the same level just causes a muddle. BUT every dish needs a solid flavour base - there is a reason why the French start everything with mirepoix (2 parts onion, 1 part carrot, 1 part celery - chopped and sweated in olive oil over a moderate heat). However, if you're using an Ukuva Sauce, your...