34 ms·

I love how this article mentions that sriracha is shelf stable without the fact that it's due to the addition of Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Bisulfite. If you'

I love how this article mentions that sriracha is shelf stable without the fact that it's due to the addition of Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Bisulfite. If you're willing to add that you can probably make anything last on a countertop, but alas they've removed it from my diet as a result. Anyone know of a respectable all-natural version?

justin66 14y ago
> Sodium Bisulfite Do you actually experience a medical reaction to this? How common is that?
- threedaymonk 14y ago
  My understanding is that it's relatively common. You commonly find sulphites as preservatives in wines (more of it in whites: reds get some protection from the tannins). A family member is slightly allergic, and drinking wine with sulphites will set him off sneezing.
  - justin66 14y ago
    I recall reading on Felix Salmon's blog that organic, no-sulfite wines are a comparative bargain because there's an inaccurate perception among wine people that they cannot be as good. Some wineries will actually get the relevant eco-friendly certifications without noting it on the bottle, the perception of lesser quality is so prevalent. In the wine instance the buyer who needs to avoid sulfites is in a good position. I've noticed with other foodstuffs that this isn't true, and I'm sure that is because those perishable products can't survive on the shelves quite as long as their sulfited (?) brethren.
notthemessiah 14y ago
If you live in New York or wish to get it over the web, there's always Jojo's: http://laughingsquid.com/jojos-sriracha-handcrafted-small-batch-chili-sauce-made-in-brooklyn/ http://laughingsquid.com/jojos-sriracha-handcrafted-small-ba...
jlgreco 14y ago
The concern should not be with "naturalness" but rather with toxicology. There are plenty of substances found in nature that will have you on the floor, and many substances which are not that are perfectly safe. "Is it found in nature" is a really bad heuristic for assessing toxicology, I'm actually having trouble thinking of a worse way to do it.
- mattmaroon 14y ago
  This comment is silly and representative of why HN sucks these days. The natural ingredients of sriracha are peppers, sugar, garlic, vinegar, and salt. I'm fairly confident of their non-toxicity. Any heurestics other than not eating the two ingredients I mentioned were entirely of your own imagining. I am reasonably certain that Potassium Sorbate is bad for me, and 100% certain it isn't beneficial.
  - jlgreco 14y ago
    If your concern is with those particular substances, for reasons other than the fact that they are not natural, that is fine, but that was not my take-away from "Anyone know of a respectable all-natural version?". Apologies if I misunderstood your concern, but I don't think my misunderstanding was particularly unreasonable.
    - mattmaroon 14y ago
      I am concerned generally with all non-natural substances, such as preservatives, artificial flavors and colors, etc. You didn't misread that part, and I don't think that's a bad heuristic. It's a very different thing to say that all non-natural substances are possibly unhealthy (and that it's practically impossible to determine which are and which aren't) than to say that all natural substances are healthy. Sadly one could simply remove the preservatives from sriracha as long as refrigeration isn't a concern.

justin66 14y ago

> Sodium Bisulfite Do you actually experience a medical reaction to this? How common is that?

threedaymonk 14y ago
My understanding is that it's relatively common. You commonly find sulphites as preservatives in wines (more of it in whites: reds get some protection from the tannins). A family member is slightly allergic, and drinking wine with sulphites will set him off sneezing.
- justin66 14y ago
  I recall reading on Felix Salmon's blog that organic, no-sulfite wines are a comparative bargain because there's an inaccurate perception among wine people that they cannot be as good. Some wineries will actually get the relevant eco-friendly certifications without noting it on the bottle, the perception of lesser quality is so prevalent. In the wine instance the buyer who needs to avoid sulfites is in a good position. I've noticed with other foodstuffs that this isn't true, and I'm sure that is because those perishable products can't survive on the shelves quite as long as their sulfited (?) brethren.

notthemessiah 14y ago

If you live in New York or wish to get it over the web, there's always Jojo's: http://laughingsquid.com/jojos-sriracha-handcrafted-small-batch-chili-sauce-made-in-brooklyn/ http://laughingsquid.com/jojos-sriracha-handcrafted-small-ba...

jlgreco 14y ago

The concern should not be with "naturalness" but rather with toxicology. There are plenty of substances found in nature that will have you on the floor, and many substances which are not that are perfectly safe. "Is it found in nature" is a really bad heuristic for assessing toxicology, I'm actually having trouble thinking of a worse way to do it.

mattmaroon 14y ago
This comment is silly and representative of why HN sucks these days. The natural ingredients of sriracha are peppers, sugar, garlic, vinegar, and salt. I'm fairly confident of their non-toxicity. Any heurestics other than not eating the two ingredients I mentioned were entirely of your own imagining. I am reasonably certain that Potassium Sorbate is bad for me, and 100% certain it isn't beneficial.
- jlgreco 14y ago
  If your concern is with those particular substances, for reasons other than the fact that they are not natural, that is fine, but that was not my take-away from "Anyone know of a respectable all-natural version?". Apologies if I misunderstood your concern, but I don't think my misunderstanding was particularly unreasonable.
  - mattmaroon 14y ago
    I am concerned generally with all non-natural substances, such as preservatives, artificial flavors and colors, etc. You didn't misread that part, and I don't think that's a bad heuristic. It's a very different thing to say that all non-natural substances are possibly unhealthy (and that it's practically impossible to determine which are and which aren't) than to say that all natural substances are healthy. Sadly one could simply remove the preservatives from sriracha as long as refrigeration isn't a concern.