Though hot sauce preferences are personal, I'm pretty open to all styles. All except stunt sauces, that is—you know, sauces that are primarily designed to test your machismo. Once you’re confident in the amount of heat you can handle, all that’s left to do is explore and experiment! Here’s what you need to know about some of the globe’s most popular hot sauces, and the best ways to use them to make any dish pop. Louisiana-Style

Where to use it: Give a little heat to soups and stews, add a splash to taco dip (or just plain tacos), stir into Spanish rice or drizzle over eggs, potatoes or roasted veggies. Sriracha Meanwhile, our favourite fiery condiment has inveigled its way into all sorts of popular culture: Beyoncé keeps “hot sauce in my bag, swag”; we take enormous pleasure in watching other people eat them, especially on YouTube, where shows like Hot Ones find celebrities overwhelmed by weapons-grade varieties. “It’s food with special effects. It’s got drama. If I made mayonnaise, nobody would care, but people get really excited about chilli sauce,” says O’Reilly. Flavor: Anyone who's lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the last several decades is familiar with Inner Beauty, the hot sauce made famous at Chris Schlesinger's East Coast Grill. His original recipe, which blends mustard with habanero peppers, molasses, Chardonnay wine, honey, and a whole slew of tropical fruit juices, is the kind of thing you'd come up with only in an expanded mental state. Throughout my childhood, my dad kept a bottle of Inner Beauty in our fridge door at all times, so I was saddened to hear that the sauce was being discontinued. We’ve been hearing about Zab’s — which makes an Original and St. Augustine sauce — for years. Both kinds are in this tasting set, and both are favorites of pro cooks and Strategist staffers alike for their well-balanced mix of heat and vinegar. White Bark Workwear owner Charlie Pennes says neither is too spicy, which lends to their versatility.

Looking for a new way to heat things up in the kitchen? Get to know these popular types of hot sauces, and learn how to use them to spice up your cooking to a whole new level.

Mexican-style hot sauces have a similar thin consistency to Louisiana-style, but use sparing amounts of vinegar (or none at all). They’re typically made from a combination of chipotle, habanero, jalepeno and pequin chilies. Cholula is the brand you’ll most often see at Mexican restaurants, For Diehl, the ultimate test is how a sauce works on an egg sandwich, but she also likes to use them as a culinary shortcut. “My jalapeño, tequila and lime sauce on avocado makes an instant salsa, and the scotch bonnet and ginger deepens any soup.” And how about Chaimberg’s tip for mild hot sauces? “There is one called The Classic – chile de arbol, organic apple cider vinegar, turmeric and a little garlic – that makes a great low-calorie dressing,” he says. I would drizzle that on a salad any day. Often referred to as “rooster sauce” in the U.S., this wildly popular red-orange hot sauce originated in the town of Si Racha (hence the name) in Thailand. Made from red chilies, sugar, salt, garlic and vinegar, the versatile sauce can be used on pretty much anything, whether Asian-inspired or not. (It’s even been used in ice cream!) Find more Asian sauces you should keep in your pantry. Your lips start to tingle, your nose can’t quit sniffling, and there’s a bit of dew forming on your upper lip—these may not sound like ideal effects of digging into your favorite food, but to heat seekers out there, a dish is only as good as the spicy sauce that goes into it.

To keep things slightly more manageable, I decided to limit myself to hot sauces that are intended to be used as table condiments, rather than ingredients. This meant things like harissa or Chinese-style fermented chili pastes weren't in the running. I also decided to exclude all chili oils (although if I had included them, I can almost guarantee that Chiu Chow Chili Oil and Spicy Chili Crisp would've taken top spots). Where to use it: Mixed into rice or noodle dishes like shrimp pad Thai, in sauces like the glaze on these Sweet Sriracha Wings, stirred into any soup, or drizzled over everything from mac and cheese to omelets. Mix a little with some mayo to make a delicious Sriracha mayo sauce that acts as a delicious spread on sandwiches or dip for French fries. Chili Garlic The primary ingredient to any hot sauce is dried chili pepper that's usually combined with a vinegar base. Most of the hot sauces on the market, however, are blended with a variety of other aromatics and spices, sometimes even aged in barrels, to develop unique flavor combinations. The best hot sauces tend to highlight the quality of the pepper being used while also bringing in a lot of complexity from added ingredients.Aromas of all the main ingredients evident – a welcome and enticing mix. A well constructed sauce, delicately handled, allowing the fruit to register in the flavour profile. The heat from the chilli allows fun rather than ferocity. We like this. Subtly sweet at first, the heat then starts to build. Dates and hints of tamarind as promised. Very enjoyable.