Frank's RedHot is a
hot sauce
Hot sauce is a type of condiment, seasoning, or salsa (sauce), salsa made from chili peppers and other ingredients. Many commercial varieties of Mass production, mass-produced hot sauce exist.
History
Humans have used chili peppers and other ho ...
made from a variety of
cayenne peppers, produced by
McCormick & Company. The Original blend ranks low on the
Scoville scale
The Scoville scale is a measurement of spiciness of chili peppers and other substances, recorded in Scoville heat units (SHU). It is based on the concentration of capsaicinoids, among which capsaicin is the predominant component.
The scale ...
, with 450 SHUs, but the XTRA Hot variety measures 2,000 SHUs.
History
The Frank Tea and Spice Company was founded in 1896 in
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
. In 1917, owner Jacob Frank contracted for the Estilette Pepper Farm in
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
where Adam Estilette and Frank became business partners. They mixed spices,
vinegar
Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...
,
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...
and
cayenne peppers and aged them, creating the original blend of Frank's RedHot, which entered the market in 1920.
Frank's RedHot is the primary ingredient in many
Buffalo wing recipes, but was probably not the hot sauce that was used in the original 1964
Anchor Bar recipe. In 1977, Frank's RedHot was sold to Durkee Famous Foods.
Following the purchase of the Durkee brand in 1995, it was owned by
Reckitt Benckiser
Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, currently branded as Reckitt, formerly known as Reckitt Benckiser, is a British multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Slough, United Kingdom. It is a producer of health, hygiene and nutrition prod ...
until 2017. Frank's is produced in
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...
. In 2007,
Thanasi Foods began marketing licensed Frank's RedHot flavored
beef jerky and
meat snacks. In August 2017, spice maker
McCormick & Company closed a $4.2billion deal that included
French's
French's is an American brand of prepared Mustard (condiment), mustards, condiments, fried onions, and other food items, best known for their popular yellow mustard. Created by Robert Timothy French, French's "Cream Salad Brand" mustard debuted ...
mustard and Frank's RedHot sauce.
Advertisements
Frank's RedHot is known for its national television ad campaign depicting an irreverent elderly woman named Ethel explaining her recipes for various foods. Usually in front of a prestigious figure (e.g., the
Queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
), she will quip "I put that s*** on everything", much to the disdain of those around her. The expletive is always censored with a
bleep, and Ethel's mouth is covered with a censoring "splat".
See also
*
Louisiana Hot Sauce sauce, also from New Iberia
*
Trappey's Hot Sauce, also from New Iberia
*
List of condiments
A condiment is a supplemental food (such as a sauce or powder) that is added to some foods to impart a particular flavor, enhance their flavor, or, in some cultures, to complement the dish, but that cannot stand alone as a dish. The term ''cond ...
*
List of hot sauces
*
Louisiana Creole cuisine
Louisiana Creole cuisine (, , ) is a style of cooking originating in Louisiana, United States, which blends African cuisine, West African, French cuisine, French, Spanish cuisine, Spanish, and Native American cuisine, Native American influenc ...
*
Scoville heat scale
References
External links
Frank's RedHot— Official Home Page
Frank's RedHot on the ChilliWorld Scoville Scale (archived December 14, 2016 from the original)
{{Hot sauces
Hot sauces
Culture of Buffalo, New York
Brand name condiments
Reckitt brands
Products introduced in 1920
American brands
McCormick & Company brands