Valentina Salsa Picante

Welcome to Molten Sauce's inaugural post! Thank you very much for checking us out and I hope that you will find my hot sauce reviews and discussions interesting at the very least. My first review is for an old stand-by, that of Valentina Salsa Picante. This sauce's big draw is its affordability. I picked up a 12.5 oz bottle for $0.88, which is totally approachable on almost any budget. The first thing that drew me to the sauce was its consistency. It's not like your classic Louisiana hot sauce in that it is not watery; it is relatively thick, something I very much prefer in my sauces. The second thing that tickled my fancy about it was that it doesn't overwhelm the tongue with vinegar. I don't have anything against vinegar laden sauces. Indeed, one of my own private recipes is a green hot sauce heavy on vinegar that has gone over very well thus far. It's just nice to not get stuck in the same rut as one tends to with "this week's new version of spicy vinegar". The flavor is not very complex, although I like the garlic notes that I detect (also a happy trigger point for me in hot sauces). The heat is the main weakness in the sauce in that it is only slightly above mild. I have found that this sauce shines when served over scrambled eggs. It removes the need for salt while not making the dish runny or pooling at the bottom of the plate/bowl/whatever. All in all, a great bang for the buck!