Chipotle wars [General]

2009 Aug 11
Bought Pres. Choice's Chipolte Sauce this past week, and in contrast w/ my usual suspicious response to their various "memories of ...", i'm sort of impressed w/ this $1.99 bottle of smoky-sweet-spiciness: in 4 days of eating, its accented pretty much everything down the gullet--popcorn, ajvar-toast, salads, and my own crappy home made fajitas ... you name it.

I'm a newbie in this domain, though, stymied by a lack of deep appreciation of this all-important sauce. So, prostrating to the experts, please help me dig myself out of the possible hole i've fallen into. What are the recommended Chipoltes? Brands / restaurant recs are both appreciated.

2009 Aug 12
The Tabasco brand chipotle sauce was my standard until I could not find a Walmart anymore. I was and is pricy. Through OF, I happened upon the Bufalo brand. The latter is less vinagery than the former, but seems more intensely flavoured. There is always the Chipotle in adobo sauce found most anywhere. I have yet to try the PC brand.

2009 Aug 12
I have tried the PC Chipotle sauce, it's surprisingly good for the price. I do find it a bit weak though in terms of heat. Louisana Hot Sauce has a chipotle sauce, as well as a jalapeño sauce, both are good as well. They can be found at Produce Depot. I've tried Bufalo brand, and it's ok in a pinch, but I've found the flavour to be a bit lacking (maybe I had a bad batch).

I still think the Tabasco brand of chipotle sauce is the ultimate, it seems to be rich in chipotle flavour... I can't put my finger on it, but I think it's actually thicker than the aforementioned sauces, which leads me to believe that there are more actual chili solids in the sauce.

When all else fails, take a small tin of chipotles in adobo sauce and blend them with a small amount of vinegar & water. Pour contents into squirt bottle, et voila!

2009 Aug 12
Have you guys tried the Chipotle salsa from La Costena? You can get it at the Mexican place on Sommerset. $1.35 for a small bottle.

2009 Aug 12
I usually puree the remainder of a can of chipotles in adobo, and mix it into whatever I'm in the mood for - with mayo for sandwiches, with cream cheese for bagels, with tomatoes for sauces, you name it.

2009 Aug 12
thanks all. Sounds like Tabasco, Bufalo and La Costena sauces next on the to-try list.

in the meantime, just tried a can of Herdes whole chipolte peppers in sauce: significantly more bite than the PC brand sauce, much to my liking.

Alas, i ate most of the contents in 3 fork-fulls. Guess i need to moderate my intake via Chimi's squirt bottle method.

Are there any restaurants that make a noteworthy Chipolte?

2009 Aug 12
Restaurants w/ good chipotle... not so much, not in Ottawa.

2009 Aug 13
I have a bottle of the Herdez chipotle salsa in the fridge right now, and I like it well enough. My favourite use right now is to mix some with a spoonful of mayo to give a bit of kick to tuna sandwiches/lobster rolls.

Does anybody have experience on how the Herdez compares to the salsas mentioned in this thread? I ask because I don't use it that often (mea culpa), so if I buy one that's crappy I'll be "enjoying" it for a long time.

2009 Aug 13
For jarred salsa, Herdez is good (their hot salsa is actually sort of hot). In general, Herdez products are pretty good. Though, I'm surprised that Goya hasn't broken into the Canadian market like Herdez has (albeit, in a very small way, but at least they are on the shelf). Goya products can be found in almost every major grocer in the USA, where you have to go to specialty shops to find them in Ottawa :( And why Herdez over Goya? I just don't know.

2009 Aug 13
I like Prospero's fire roasted red pepper and garlic salsa. It has a nice kick. It comes in a 16 oz. jar though nothing smaller. Apparently Prospero also makes a smokey chipotle pepper salsa although I haven't tried it. Here are some of their products: www.epicureanfoods.com

2009 Aug 13
I wish I could find some fire roasted canned tomatoes in Ottawa

2009 Aug 13
Ken, I have a sneaking suspicion that I have seen them at both the Superstore on Richmond (PC brand) and the little Latin-American grocer on Somerset.

2009 Aug 14
Ken, meet Zymurgist. Maybe get Da Butcher involved and Chimi to finance things...

in the meantime, those Prospero's sound (and look) quite excellent. Thanks Pasta!

2009 Aug 14
Yes they have a nice kick to them. You can usually get them at Home Sense of all places. Except the store on Merivale because I bought the last four jars-;)

2009 Aug 15
i haven't tried the PC one yet but agreed Búfalo produced by the Herdez group is a good one to check out. it's a much different consistency than the Tabasco, and from what i can tell, the PC branded version - it's very thick like a ketchup! check it out.