Q: Dave:
Most hot sauces are made from pepper mash plus salt plus vinegar. But in what proportions? Do you always need to cook the pepper mash?
Thanks,
Daniel
A: Daniel:
The salt is already in the mash, and that’s what preserves it as it ferments. The mash can be cooked, but for Tabasco Sauce it is not; it is just mixed and strained. The amount of vinegar is entirely up to the saucemaker because he/she must determine the desired consistency.
–Dave