26 replies to this topic

[Toliver]

My family's Christmas Eve tradition is have prime rib for dinner at home. We enjoy a "homemade" horseradish sauce that accompanies the meat (sour cream, bottled prepared horseradish, salt and paprika) but have been disappointed these last few years in that the bottled/prepared horsradish we buy in the grocery store isn't very hot. The labels on some of these bottles even claim to be "hot" horseradish and really aren't.
While there are eGullet discussions on how to make your own homemade horseradish I'd rather stick with the bottled/prepared horseradish for this recipe.
This year we tried Silver Springs Prepared blue label and a small bottle of horseradish from a company whose name I can't recall that had the word "hot" on their label (again, it wasn't hot).
Does anyone have a recommendation of a brand of bottled horseradish available in the grocery stores or online that is hot?

Or am I fighting a losing "Food Science" battle here since dairy products seem to naturally "tame" the heat from chile peppers, is the sour cream in the sauce recipe taming the horeradish's heat?

[Ashen]

it may be taming the heat somewhat but I think you are really handicapping the potential by not wanting to use fresh .

shredded fresh and let sit for a few mins to let the enzymes activate to maximum heat , hit with a bit of lemon juice to set it and then used just like the bottled in your recipe would be the way I would go.. Sorry I know that really isn't the answer you were seeking

Edited by Ashen, 27 December 2012 - 06:57 PM.

[Mr Holloway]

Yes, fresh shredded will give you the kick your looking for
Once you try it with beef, it is hard to go back to store bought
Even planted some this year

It taste even better when you get your wife to shred it up, and then come in when
it has rested for a while

Shane

[pbear]

Can you get Bubbies down your way? (It's a Stockton based company.) That's the brand I like. Only medium heat, but has a nice clean flavor.

[Pierogi]

Toliver, I just used Trader Joe's horseradish in the exact same application for my Christmas night prime rib, and it blew the top of my head off when I tasted the horseradish straight. It's in their refrigerator case, usually around the salami-type things. It does lose strength, as they all do, after opening, but fresh from the jar it's got the eye-watering punch you're looking for.

I agree about Silver Springs....the last 6 or so bottles of that brand I've gotten have been lame. Atomic-brand isn't bad, and neither is Bubbe's, but TJ's surpasses them.

Even 2 days later in the sour cream sauce it was still plenty tangy on my French dip sandwiches tonight.

[Lisa Shock]

It loses heat over time, so, if you must use bottled, buy the bottle at the very back of the shelf, and, choose a store that seems to actually have a good turn over of the stuff.

[andiesenji]

I agree with Trader Joe's but if you have a Jewish deli anywhere near, you can buy their "fresh" horseradish in a little tub and I will guarantee it will be hot enough - even when cut half and half with sour cream...
They usually have a selection, plain, creamed and with beet (pink).

[HungryChris]

I also like the TJ's brand, but it too goes mild in just a few weeks. I like use it in a cocktail sauce that has a kick and it seems most stores do not move the stuff fast enough to keep it hot.


HC

[lancastermike]

Here in Lancaster County PA there is Long's Horseradish that is good and hot. If one goes to lancaster central farmers market, they cook it up right there. Fills the building with a great smell and can't be any fresher. They also bottle it and it is for sale in the refrigerated section of many local markets. I guess that offers you no help in Califorinia, but you ought to be able to find something that works for you

Edited by lancastermike, 28 December 2012 - 08:14 AM.

[Toliver]

Thanks to those who mentioned brands.
I Googled "Long's Horseradish" and found they have a new web site.They've announced they will be selling their horseradish online beginning next month.
Amazon Fresh sells Bubbies (interesting that mustard oil is listed as one of the ingredients) and regular Amazon sells Atomic, as well.
I have just under 12 months to find a hot bottled horseradish and am eager to get started. Thanks to all...

edited to add:

I agree with Trader Joe's but if you have a Jewish deli anywhere near, you can buy their "fresh" horseradish in a little tub and I will guarantee it will be hot enough - even when cut half and half with sour cream...
They usually have a selection, plain, creamed and with beet (pink).

I called a deli near where my mom lives and while they don't make it themselves they buy it fresh-made from someone else. So there's yet another option. Thanks for this suggestion.

Edited by Toliver, 28 December 2012 - 11:00 AM.

[andiesenji]

12 months? I use horseradish all year long - lots of vegetable dishes are vastly improved with a hint of horseradish - braised parsnips and carrots dressed with horseradish butter. Horseradish cheese sauce to top baked or oven-roasted potatoes or in which to dip steak fries.

Horseradish mashed potatoes is a perfect addition to shepherd's pie.
And horseradish sauce for "shaved beef" sandwiches.
Add a little horseradish to current jelly to make a great condiment for game - venison, goose, etc.

I don't eat fish from the ocean but I prepare a seafood dipping sauce for shrimp using horseradish, ketchup, etc.

I don't buy it, I have a plant that has been in a large tub for several years (it has to be contained or will spread all over the garden). When I need some, I yank up the whole plant, break off a chunk of the root and re-plant it. (has to be in loose, sandy, well-drained soil.) I grate it outside, wearing gloves, mask and goggles. I brine it for a couple of days to mute a bit of the heat, then rinse, squeeze dry and then mix (sparingly, a bit at a time) to whatever sauce I am making.

[Toliver]

My testing has started. I made corned beef and cabbage New Year's Day. I enjoy hot horseradish on my corned beef.
I tried three different brands of bottled prepared horseradish: Trader Joe's, Morehouse and and outrageously expensive little jar of Inglehoffer Extra Hot Horseradish (seriously...the jar is barely larger than a golf ball. I paid more than double the price listed on the Inglehoffer web page at my local gorcery store).
The Morehouse was mild...no heat at all. It was the least expensive horseradish on the grocery store shelf and I guess you get what you pay for.
Trader Joe's horseradish was good. It did have some heat. It wasn't blazing hot but had a nice kick and flavor to it.
By far the hottest of the three brands I tried was the Inglehoffer Extra Hot Horseradish. It was spectacularly sinus-clearing hot. Bingo!
I will continue to post updates as I try more brands of bottled prepared horseradish. In addition, I will try the Trader Joe's and the Inglehoffer again in a few weeks now that the jars have been opened to see how much potency they lose over time.

[OliverB]

fresh is really easy to use, but it might also be interesting to try what they sell as wasabi paste. Real wasabi is crazy expensive and hard to grow, what you usually find is horseradish with green food coloring. That might add to the fun of the dish (or not) and it's certainly hot stuff.
Just and idea that came to mind.

[heidih]

Toliver thanks for reminding me about the Inglehoffer - I had forgotten about it. I justify the price by my love of the jars for storage. Was not wowed by the Trader Joe's brand I bought the other day. It is fresher tasting than Silver Springs but nothing "went up my nose" so to speak.

[KatieLoeb]

Horseradish (and actually almost anything) stays fresher longer if you store it upside down in the fridge. Less air exchange and oxidation when the "bubble" is at the end of the jar where no more air can get in.

[pacman1978]

In the UK there are loads of hot horseradish's that cut the mustard (terrible pun) but that ain't no use to you :-)

[Toliver]

Toliver thanks for reminding me about the Inglehoffer - I had forgotten about it. I justify the price by my love of the jars for storage. Was not wowed by the Trader Joe's brand I bought the other day. It is fresher tasting than Silver Springs but nothing "went up my nose" so to speak.

The jar I bought at Trader Joe's did have a little kick to it, but paled in comparison to the Inglehoffer.

Horseradish (and actually almost anything) stays fresher longer if you store it upside down in the fridge. Less air exchange and oxidation when the "bubble" is at the end of the jar where no more air can get in.

Thanks for the tip, Katie. I'll give this a shot for my longevity-of-the-heat test.

[rumball]

the best thing with horseradish that i discovered and incorporated in my cooking is austrian sauce that is served with beef :apfelkren (apfel=apple, kren=horseradish). you can look up the recipe. it is basically apple sauce with a little lemon, bit of sugar and then at the end you add fine grated fresh horseradish - and reheat for a few min. i recently read that horseradish is the earliest green that comes up in central europe and if you cover the sprouts (like chikory) - they will grow bleeched and will be much sweeter then green ones. you could then add them to salads (pick them while leaves are not more then 6 cm long for best taste). am going to sprout a left-over piece from the fridge. apparently horseradish can be quite invasive and super vigorous - best grown in container.

when you grate it for future use - cover with vinegar to prevent loss of flavor. the longer you wait to add vinegar, the hotter it will be.
 

[FeChef]

Not to sound like a tool, but have you considered using less sour cream and more horseradish? Sour cream is the enemy if your looking for heat. If you want a fairly hot horseradish to make horseradish sauce, Walmart sells a really good cream style brand called Inglehoffer. Its as good as it gets for store bought jared horseradish.

[Toliver]

Not to sound like a tool, but have you considered using less sour cream and more horseradish? Sour cream is the enemy if your looking for heat. If you want a fairly hot horseradish to make horseradish sauce, Walmart sells a really good cream style brand called Inglehoffer. Its as good as it gets for store bought jared horseradish.

Inglehoffer was one of the brands I did test (see my posts above). As for the sour cream, I also thought it was a "heat killer" (see my posts above) but discovered that with a hot enough horseradish, sour cream did little to impact truly hot horseradish.

 

This past weekend, almost 2 months from when I first opened the jars, I tried the two brands (Trader Joe's and Inglehoffer) again. I didn't bother with the Morehouse since it wasn't hot at all so it wasn't in contention. The Morehouse will end up in some mayo for sandwiches.

 

I had stored the opened jars in the fridge upside down, as suggest by KatieLoeb. I don't know if this made the difference but both "hot" brands were still good.   The Trader Joe's still had the little kick it had when I first opened the jar. The Inglehoffer Extra Hot was still sinus-clearingly hot. I am happy that they've both retained their bite, so to speak, with St. Paddy's Day fast approaching.

[patrickamory]

What about Gold's brand horseradish? Any good?

[Miranda]

I've some powdered horseradish. It is decently pungent

What's the best way to prepare it? I've been mixing it with vinegar. Seems to be ok, but is there some better method?

[FeChef]

I've some powdered horseradish. It is decently pungent

What's the best way to prepare it? I've been mixing it with vinegar. Seems to be ok, but is there some better method?

I would mix it with either sour cream, heavy cream, or mayo. You could also add a touch of honey too it.

[Toliver]

The Long's Horseradish web site (mentioned in an earlier post) still hasn't been updated so I am unable to order it.

I haven't encountered Bubbie's brand in local stores but will keep searching.

 

I've been testing more brands of horseradish as I stumble across them. I ordered a couple different brands off of Amazon (paying outrageous shipping fees for the bottles but hey, someone has to take one for the team  )

Here's an Amazon link to the latest winner:  Atomic Extra Hot Horseradish Sauce

 

Technically, it's not just prepared horseradish. The ingredient list is as follows: Distilled vinegar, Water, Parsnips, Horseradish, Salt, Sugar, Flavoring, Titanium Dioxide (Natural mineral for color)

Parsnips?   My uneducated guess is that "Flavoring" in the ingredient list could be MSG.

 

This Atomic Extra Hot is just as hot, if not hotter, than the Inglehoffer Extra Hot Horseradish.

Two winners, so far!

I will update as more horseradish gets delivered...

[Toliver]

Caveat Emptor...Let the Buyer beware.

I ordered online Beaver Brand Extra Hot Horseradish. I should have read the ingredient list first before ordering.

Ingredients:
Grated horseradish roots, water, white distilled vinegar, soybean oil, salt, artificial flavor, sodium metabisulfite and sodium benzoate (preservatives), sugar, eggs, cellulose and xanthan gums, citric acid, high fructose corn syrup, calcium disodium edta (retains product freshness), spices, lemon juice.

 

The highlights in the list are mine. I am wondering why those ingredients are needed in prepared horseradish when other brands don't include them.

Of course, I am sure an SSB might reassure me that the other lengthy ingredients listed above aren't harmful to humans in the long haul. I'd rather not have them in my prepared horseradish.

 

The Beaver Brand Extra Hot Horseradish wasn't extra hot. It wasn't even hot. It had absolutely no heat to it at all. It was quite mild and didn't have that great of a flavor either. It was a major disappointment.

[GlorifiedRice]

Dont grate fresh horseradish, peel cut into chunks and pulse in the Vitamix with white vinegar and salt...

Make sure to open the top outdoors, with your head turned

[andiesenji]

I grate horseradish (homegrown) outside.  I use a rotary grater, wear a mask and goggles and gloves with the "grippy" spots because the root can get a bit slippery after being peeled.

I have also used the grater blade in a food processor, which works okay if you are doing a big batch but for small amounts it means more cleanup.

 

I really don't care for the pasty texture when it is put through a blender - that's just personal preference but it seems to have a sort of "chalky" mouth feel when prepared that way.  But that's just me. 

 

Incidentally, peel just enough of the root that you are going to grate, leave the unpeeled part to air-dry for a couple of hours and then re-plant.  It will put out new little roots and new leaves in a few weeks - more rapidly in warm weather.  It can be left outside in the winter, nothing much will kill it.

Edited by andiesenji, 17 April 2013 - 12:40 PM.