Some secrets are just too good to keep to yourself.

I’d been planning to share my secret ingredient for a while and have been so busy that I hadn’t gotten around to it. Until today.

It’s always an exciting day…when I go to the mailbox and there’s a new issue of Bon Appétit Magazine waiting for me. Today was no exception. This morning when I pulled out January’s issue – there it was, the headline right on the cover – “The $5 Secret Ingredient Every Cook Needs.” I know what my secret ingredient is, so I excitedly flipped through the magazine to see what they thought I needed.

Confirmation! Here’s a quick excerpt from Daniel Patterson’s article:

Chefs are not complicated creatures. A steady stream of articles, books, and television shows have attempted to ferret out our secrets, which is a little like using quantum physics to understand a transistor radio. We like food, dive bars, and loud music, basically in that order. And we love sriracha. We put the addictive red chili sauce on everything we eat, from eggs to rice, stews, soups, and stir-fries. I have heard tales of sriracha brioche and sriracha Bloody Marys. Years ago, one of my cooks made sriracha lemonade, which, frankly, was a bit beyond the pale. But it does show the intensity of our devotion to the stuff.

Okay, so I’m not a chef, but I am a home cook. And I am also deeply devoted to a special red sauce, but with an exception. My favorite is Chili Garlic Sauce (also from Huy Fong Foods).

I think I’ve felt an affinity to the company because I grew up along with it in Southern California – and now that I also know their rags-to-riches story, I’m even more enamored. I also grew up disliking  “hot” foods, until I realized that there is food out there that doesn’t just light your mouth on fire so that you can’t taste anything else. There is spicy food that is wonderfully flavorful. Hot and flavorful. It’s an incredible combination. This special red sauce opened up a whole new world for me.

How is the chili garlic sauce different than sriracha? Why do I like it better? Although the tastes are similar, the chili garlic sauce is a little bit less vinegary but more garlicky in taste, and adds a depth of flavor that I don’t think any other sauce does. I first experienced it at my favorite Thai food restaurant many years ago, and have been adding it to my food at home ever since. Sure, I first added it as a condiment to my pizza. But then it spread – I now add it to many dishes including: tomato sauces, vegetables, salad dressings, potato salad, and even chicken noodle soup. I have to have a backup jar in my pantry at all times – it’s that important to my cooking. It doesn’t have to be mixed with something specifically Asian, and you don’t need to use so much that it makes your food so hot you can’t eat it (although, I’ve done that too, watch out). Many times, the final dish isn’t spicy at all.

You can get it in the Asian section of your local supermarket, or you can also get it on Amazon.In the new year, I’ll post some of the recipes I’ve developed with my secret ingredient (the ones I’ve actually tested). You might just be hooked too.

And thanks, Chef Daniel Patterson, for letting me know that I’m not alone with my love of the spicy red sauces – maybe you’ll try chili garlic sauce and have a new favorite?