Why You Should Never Throw Away Your Empty Sriracha Bottle
Sriracha is one hot commodity. Over three decades ago, its founder, David Tran, came to America jobless with an intent to create and sell a version of Thai sauce made with hybrid jalapeño peppers (via Quartz). The sauce was an instant hit. Now, it seems you can't go anywhere without seeing the iconic clear bottles with the rooster logo and green caps. In fact, as Food & Wine reports, Sriracha is now the third most-popular hot sauce in the United States.
However, Tran said he could not have dreamed his spicy product would yield so much success. He told Quartz his dream "was never to become a billionaire." He just wanted "to make enough fresh chili sauce so that everyone who wants Huy Fong can have it. Nothing more." Thankfully for us, he has done just that. However, hot sauce fanatics can go through bottles of Sriracha very quickly.
How to make your Sriracha last longer
So, if you love spicy food, it's likely you have this condiment at home and you want to savor every delicious drop. Here's how to do it — once you're running low on your next bottle, don't immediately throw your Sriracha bottle in the recycling bin.
Lifehacker reports that all you need to do is grab a neutral oil like vegetable, grapeseed, or peanut and pour it in the container. Add a small portion of the oil into the bottle if you want a spicier result. However, you can add more oil if you prefer a little less heat. Then, give the container a good shake, so it mixes thoroughly, and you'll have a perfect spicy chili oil.
BuzzFeed has endorsed this method, saying, "Not only will it enhance the flavor of everything you cook, but it's also a much better bottle for portion control than most oil bottles." Now the question is: How do you use this new ingredient?
What is chili oil good for?
The flavorful mixture you just made is ideal for adding some spice marinade for meat, stir fry sauce, and more. Really, chili oil can enhance the flavor of just about any dish. Epicurious reports that the oil, which is typically made from simply infusing neutral oil with crushed red pepper flakes or whole peppers, can be used on 16 dishes.
Aside from adding it to the usual suspects like noodles, Epicurious also recommends some interesting uses. Instead of butter on a sweet potato, use chili oil. The heat will pair nicely with the inherent sweetness of the tuber. You can also give your fried eggs a bit of kick with the spicy oil, and toss your croutons in it for some extra flavor. Perhaps the most intriguing? Use chili oil as a dipping sauce for bacon-wrapped dates — it's sweet, it's spicy, it's salty. What more could you ask for?