There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
I recently got 2 of the collapsible ones from crate&barrel and freaking love them! Don't take up any room and really convenient once you remember you have them lol
For hot sauce, I start with most peppers only using white vinegar and salt. Chop up the peppers with salt and let sit at room temp to ferment about a day (I haven't tried longer). Then I add vinegar and let it sit for 7-10 days at room temp. After that, puree and strain or if you want more chili solids, you can experiment with it unstrained or partially strained. I like to try this approach first with peppers, because it will put the pepper's flavor front and center. Fermenting is one of the steps I haven't played around with too much, but it would certainly be possible to let it go longer, but I need to research proper fermentation more.
I've tried using citric acid to keep jalepenos from turning ugly green, but it hasn't seemed to work well, but it's one of the additives I keep on hand. Also soy lecithin as an emulsifier to help keep them form separating. It can also be used to thicken or xanthum gum as well. It's really a preference thing there.
The rest is really up to you. Spices, garlic, and pepper blends are typical. Also some sort of citrus, fruit, or sweetener to balance flavors. I often cut hotter peppers with something, like carrots for habeneros. Also roasting the peppers can add depth and mellow them out. Smoking is also an option. Peeling the skin and/or removing ribs and seeds can also reduce heat and bitterness. Peeling is a pain though for small peppers.
I am growing some ghost and scorpion now, which is hotter than I typically go, but I'm going to see if I can make a sauce out of those.