Add heat to Valentine’s meal

Looking for a unique way to express your fondness for your sweetie on Valentine’s Day?

Forget the heart-shaped box of chocolates and the dozen red roses. Think hot sauce!

What romance wouldn’t heat up with a collection of A Fare to Remember Chipotle Sauce, Pain is Good Hot Sauce and Religious Experience Apocalypse Habanero Hot Sauce?

Dare we say an evening of this kind of sensual tasting is guaranteed to be hot?

These sauces get their fire from hot chiles, long considered to be aphrodisiacs, according to H.E. Wedeck in his “Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs.”

Capsaicin oil, the potent compound that gives some chiles their fiery nature, also stimulates the nerve endings of the brain and causes it to produce endorphins, which promote a sense of well-being and euphoria.

And euphoria, like love, can be a little addictive.

People who know their aphrodisiacs will tell you that chiles aren’t alone in having what it takes to light one’s fire. Paprika is credited with sparking erotic impulses, as are garlic, ginger and allspice.

“In Wedeck’s list of dozens and dozens of other foods that are credited with stimulating the libido, it makes sense that if these foods were spiced up, they’d be a sort of culinary Viagra,” says Dave Dewitt, president of Fiery Foods in Albuquerque, N.M.

With hot sauce, you can spice up those other foods thousands of ways. Those hot bottles of love have been filling shelves everywhere, including grocery and gift stores. Once upon a time, it was just Tabasco on store shelves; now bottles with labels showing goofy pictures of screaming faces and bearing names such as Devil Drops and Pain is Good almost dwarf the former leader of the pack.

“Worldwide there are thousands of hot sauces. Nobody knows how many,” says Dewitt.

It’s not easy to narrow the choices. Some people choose by flavor profiles (fruit-based, mustard-based, garlic-heavy); others look strictly at the heat ratings; and then there are those who just want to stock up on bottles with wacky product names.

One way to go is to look at the “best of” list of a hot-sauce aficionado. Dewitt’s magazine, named Fiery Foods, annually gives out awards to all sorts of chile-related products, including hot sauces, in its Scovie Awards Competition.

For a look at the winners this year, visit www.fiery-foods.com/scovies/list.asp and choose “Hot Sauce” from the dropdown menu.

“Those are the ones I’d recommend for a Valentine’s gift,” Dewitt said.

He thinks a collection of sauces would be the way to go, since they’re inexpensive.

“I would recommend getting a habanero sauce, an Asian sauce, a Caribbean sauce and a hot barbecue sauce,” he says. “These are especially good gifts for men (to get). They also lend themselves to cute lines on cards, like ‘I’m burning with love for you’ or ‘to spice up our romance’ — that sort of thing.”

Most of the sauces on his list are not widely available at national grocery stores, but the list links you to sites where you can buy them online.

If those don’t appeal, check out some of our choices, which are a little easier to find. We got some online and also at grocery stores. Here’s how they stack up:

Satan’s Blood Chile Extract

Extremely hot and should be used with caution. A drop or two can be added to a dish to add some excitement. Order online at www.sweatnspice.com. $19.95.

Dat’l Do-it Devil Drops

Made with the datil pepper that originated in St. Augustine, Fla., it has a unique, fruity taste with a very hot finish. Add a few drops to dishes or salsas. Its level of heat is about 30 times higher than that of the jalapeño pepper. Order online at www.datldoit.com/hotstuff.htm . $3.75.

Pain is Good Garlic-Style Hot Sauce

This is a very hot sauce with a highly garlicky flavor. Add to dishes or use to coat fried chicken wings. Order online at www.painisgood.com . $5.06.

Religious Experience Apocalypse Habanero Hot Sauce

This is a thick tomato-based sauce with no vinegar. It’s made extra hot with habaneros and African, cayenne and jalapeño peppers. Use as a condiment or to jazz up dull dishes. Sold in grocery stores. $3.89.

A Fare to Remember Chipotle Sauce

A medium hot sauce that can be used as a dipping sauce or marinade, or mixed with sour cream for a dip. Try mixing it with hard-cooked yolks for deviled eggs. Sold in grocery stores. $5.19.

Inner Beauty Hot Sauce

Heed the warning on this one: “hottest sauce in North America.” It’s a thick sauce made with habanero and scotch bonnet peppers. Use sparingly as a condiment. Order online at www.gourmetmikes.com. $7.95.

Hellfire & Damnation Hot Sauce

If you want to sin, this is a sauce that will make you cry for redemption. It’s very hot and should be used sparingly. It gets its spice from habaneros and has a mild garlic taste. Order online at firegirl.com. $7.25.

Badmouth Hot Sauce

Made for The Rockin’ Jake Band in New Orleans, this sauce will get more than your toes tapping. It’s got a tomato base and is so thick, it’s almost a barbecue sauce. The heat kicks in with habanero peppers but is balanced with a good quantity of sugar. Order online at www.rockinjake.com. $7.

Tuong Ot Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

A hot and sweet Asian sauce that is sometimes referred to as red rooster sauce because of the rooster on the label. It’s made of sun-ripened chiles and can be used to spice up soups or just about anything. It’s very hot. Sold in grocery stores. $3.49.

D.L. Jardine’s Blazin’ Saddle Habanero Pepper Extra Hot Sauce

This is an extremely hot sauce to be used in moderation. A few drops added to dishes is all that is required. It is a thick, vegetable-based sauce with a bit of a vinegar finish. Available at www.jardinefoods.com. $3.25.

D.L. Jardine’s Texas Champagne Cayenne Pepper Sauce

A mild-flavored, thick sauce that can be used to zip up soups, cocktails and fried chicken wings. It has a slightly sweet finish. Available at www.jardinefoods.com. $2.

SAUCY LITTLE NUMBERS

Looking for some sizzling sauces? Here are some online shopping options:

www.peppers.com is where you can find a selection of hot sauces, personalized hot-sauce bottles, gift baskets, hot candy, cookbooks and apparel. Check out the Hearts Afire Hot Sauce for $4.99.

www.hotshoppe.com offers more than 3,000 products, including hot sauces, salsas, marinades, mustards, barbecue sauces, cocktail mixers and olives. For Valentine’s Day, consider the Elvis “Burning Love” Hot Sauce for $6.95.

www.gourmetmikes.com has several hot food categories and sells gift packs for Valentine’s Day, including the Valentine’s Day Hot Sauce Basket. It comes in a heart-shaped basket filled with a Hot Love Hot Sauce, Kiss of Fire hot sauce and a Jump Up and Kiss Me hot sauce. Cost is $24.99.

www.firegirl.com has hundreds of hot sauces and other products including salsas, barbecue sauces, mustards, posters and gift packs. Search hot sauces by heat level, flavor, theme or dominant pepper. We liked the Passion Hot Love Hot Sauce Collection, which includes Jump Up and Kiss Me hot sauce, Alive and Well chipotle hot sauce, Hot Love Hot Sauce, and Toad Sweat Chocolate Orange Dessert Hot Sauce. Cost is $45.