Prices keep climbing, so I’m trying to pick my battles in the supermarket. Which items do you refuse to cheap out on, and why? Taste, health, longevity, peace of mind… I’d love to hear what’s worth the few extra dollars for you.
For me, it’s honey from local beekeepers—supermarket brands locally are known to sell fake or adulterated sugar syrup as honey.
Huy Fong Sriracha. Just don’t even bother buying any other bottle of “sriracha” sauce. It’s not worth it. Your disappointment will be immeasurable and your day will be ruined.
That used to be the case because the peppers were specifically grown just for Huy Fong. However, Huy Fong screwed over their exclusive pepper grower to increase profits. The peppers they get now don’t taste the same.
This is it. The old Huy Fong is completely gone now, unless you have a connection to someone who’s been hoarding.
There’s a different sauce brand now that is produced by Huy Fong’s old pepper farm using the same peppers. But I’ve been told that’s not exactly the same either.
While I also like Huy Fong Sriracha and was delighted when I first ran into it, I believe I remember reading about them changing the recipe at some point.
EDIT: Oh, sounds like they didn’t change the recipe intentionally, but at least the first batch they had after they had a fight with their pepper supplier tasted somewhat differently. I assume that they’re aiming to keep the flavor the same.
I’ve had a Sriracha from Yellow Bird that was absolutely amazing, they added in a little bit of agave, probably my top pick now.