Hot honey: the condiment we’re drizzling on everything
Spicy and sweet, there are few things more satisfyingly harmonious than hot honey. We take a look at the condiment everyone’s talking about.
Hot honey: the condiment we’re drizzling on everything
Spicy and sweet, there are few things more satisfyingly harmonious than hot honey. We take a look at the condiment everyone’s talking about.
Food trends come and go, and while it might be fun to hop on board when the latest one arrives, few stick around long enough to become a permanent fixture. But every so often a new combination or hack with staying power catches on. That's been the case with hot honey, which was initially the cool new topping for pizzas, but has since earned its spot in our cupboards alongside other staple condiments.
Now, we're using it to add warmth and sweetness to sauces and glazes and drizzling it over dishes both sweet and savoury. On Instagram, the hot honey hashtag has over 73,000 posts, and the video for our hot honey cured egg yolks recipe has been watched over three million times (and counting) on the platform. It's fair to say we're all loving hot honey. But what exactly is it, how do we make it and how should we be using it? We have all the answers below.
What is hot honey?
Hot honey does what it says on the tin; in its simplest form, it's honey infused with chilli, a spicy-meets-sweet condiment that has built a huge following in the last couple of years. Its versatility – it's great with everything from salmon to eggs and cheese – means it's become popular among chefs and a pantry staple for home cooks.
How do I use hot honey?
If you're a fan of sweet and savoury combinations, you'll soon be drizzling it over everything. At one stage it was most commonly spotted on pizza and fried chicken, but that's no longer the case; think hot honey-glazed salmon and roasted vegetables, sandwiches with a kick or even sweet, spicy corn on the cob on the barbecue (speaking of grilling, it would be a great meat glaze or addition to a barbecue sauce). It shines on a cheeseboard and is a dreamy addition to a breakfast spread, whether that's bacon and egg rolls, pancakes or waffles. We’ve used it to cure egg yolks and served them on top of cottage cheese and sourdough toast, paired it with French onion soup with miso and Gruyère and turned it into a dressing to drizzle over our winter chicken salad (though it’s certainly shouldn’t be limited by the seasons!).
How do I make hot honey?
Simple to prepare and needing as few as two ingredients, it typically involves combining honey with chilli flakes, peppers or oil in a pan and simmering gently until the flavours begin to merge. The heat level and flavour will of course differ depending on which – and how many – chillies you use (more on that below) and how long you cook it for. Most recipes include vinegar for a splash of acidity, while others also add the likes of garlic and onion. Pay attention to your honey; it can have citrusy, floral, herbaceous, tart or bitter notes, all of which will impact your hot honey's final flavour (for more on the complexities of honey, head this way).
Which chillis should I use in hot honey?
You can choose from fresh or dried peppers or chilli flakes, depending on your preferred flavour and heat level, and what you have to hand. If you opt for fresh, red chillies or habaneros would work, while dried anchos or guajillos would also be suitable. A finely-ground and highly-pigmented choice like gochugaru or Kashmiri chilli flakes will give the honey a suitably fiery hue.
When did hot honey first become popular?
Though pepperoncini honey – honey infused with pepperoncini – has been around for some time in Italy, its popularity in the US has been traced back to Mike Kurtz, who was in Brazil in 2003 when he spotted a chilli pepper-infused honey on a menu. He began to experiment with his own version when he returned to America a year later, and launched his Mike's Hot Honey brand in 2010. Today, hot honey is becoming increasingly popular, with a growing number of brands on supermarket shelves.
After more honey inspiration? See our recipe collection here.
SITES
