Can this homemade sriracha be salvaged?

September 6, 2021 2:18 PM

I made a batch of sriracha using Cook's Illustrated's recipe. However, I completely forgot to add the sugar and salt at the end of step one (or step five, in this non-paywalled version). I otherwise completed every other step, apart from letting it sit in the fridge for 24 hours. Is there any way I can save this sauce? Thank you for your help!
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell to Food & Drink (5 answers total)

I’d just add the salt and sugar and let it cold marinate. You could also reheat it with salt and sugar but it won’t matter much.
posted by iamkimiam at 2:22 PM on September 6, 2021 [5 favorites]

I'd add it and not worry at all. Blend it again after you add the salt and sugar or at least mix it very thoroughly. If you suspect it's not dissolving heat it again, but don't do that again if you can avoid it.

(Just to be clear there's no fermentation in this recipe. For that, the salt would have been necessary.)
posted by Nelson at 2:33 PM on September 6, 2021 [3 favorites]

I'd likely reheat some of it with the salt and sugar so it dissolves well, then add back to the rest and enjoy it.
posted by theora55 at 2:51 PM on September 6, 2021 [4 favorites]

Mix the salt and sugar with a tiny bot of water, and simmer on the stovetop, until it's all mixed and dissolved fully. Then stir it in with the rest of the sriracha, and let it set again in the fridge.
posted by Doug Holland at 4:31 PM on September 6, 2021 [2 favorites]

You might have issues dissolving the salt and sugar at room/fridge temp. If you want to eat it tomorrow, probably best to dump it out into a saucepan and heat it until the sugar dissolves (it'll dissolve eventually, but might take more than overnight at low temp without stirring/shaking).
posted by kjs4 at 7:00 PM on September 7, 2021