Review: The Chilli Factory – Hot Sweet Chilli Sauce

The Chilli Factory
Hot-Sweet Chilli Sauce
First impression: Ahhh! I really do enjoy a sweet chilli sauce! Especially since I like to do stir fry and have a penchant for really good spicy Asian food. lol I was doubly excited when I saw that my box of products to review contained this little gem that came all the way from Australia! They are certainly close to Indonesia, so I’d bet that this might be some really great sweet chilli sauce! The Chilli Factory wants you to know what the heat level of this product might be to the waiting tongue. So a little 8/10 for heat is tucked into the front corner of the label. There is also no M.S.G. added and it’s gluten free. Food products can be deceptively labeled. The ‘no added M.S.G.’ label could still lead to MSG being in the product. They could use an ingredient that contains a small amount of MSG, but the manufacturer doesn’t add any ‘additional MSG’ to the product. Let’s take a look at the ingredients then.
Ingredients: water, sugar, chilli (20%), vinegar, garlic, herbs & spices, salt, xanthan gum (415).
The list of ingredients is relatively clean, with the exception of processed sugar and xanthan gum (415). The reason for the (415) reference is that this product was made in Australia. The European Union gives E numbers to food additives and xanthan gum is used for more than just making sauces. It’s used in cosmetics, ice creams and also used in the procurement of petroleum, raw crude. In fact Wikipedia has this info on xanthan gum ““ ‘In the oil industry, xanthan gum is used in large quantities, usually to thicken drilling fluids. These fluids serve to carry the solids cut by the drilling bit back to the surface. The widespread use of horizontal drilling and the demand for good control of drilled solids has led to the expanded use of xanthan gum. Xanthan gum has also been added to concrete poured underwater, in order to increase its viscosity and prevent washout.
In cosmetics xanthan gum is used to prepare water gels usually in conjunction with bentonite clays. It is also used in oil in water emulsions to help stabilize the oil droplets against coalescence. It has some skin hydrating properties. Some people are allergic to xanthan gum, with symptoms of intestinal gripes and diarrhea. Workers exposed to xanthan gum dust exhibit nose and throat irritation as well as work-related illness, with symptoms becoming more prevalent with increasing exposure.’


Appearance/Smell/Taste: After give this chilli sauce the once over, I notice that it has a much nicer look than what I’m used to seeing on the food store shelf, as to what we get here in the states. Most of the sweet chili sauces we see are very, very mild and are mostly corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. At least The Chilli Factory people just used sugar! It has a deeper red color than what I’m used to seeing, and the chunks and bits of stuff in there are more prevalent to the average sweet chili sauce. I remove the cap and smell. The first smell is vinegar and garlic. I like a lot of garlic! So the smell is very pleasing, with the tanginess of vinegar, this sauce just might hold up! I’m going to do a double whammy here with this chili sauce. I’m preparing some jalapeño poppers and some homemade eggrolls. For the poppers and the egg rolls I’m using some leftover ingredients from the Zane & Zack’s review I just did. Here is what you will need for the poppers.
Prepared meal: Jalapeno Poppers
5-6 large jalapenos (cut in half, seeds removed)
1 cup Panko bread flakes
¾ cup Zane & Zack’s chicken veggie stir fry
6 oz. shredded manchego cheese
2 eggs
Prepare the egg wash like you would for breading chicken or fish. Mix the manchego cheese and the chicken veggie stir fry well in a large bowl. Manchego cheese is soft, so they should mush together pretty nicely. Take a butter knife and stuff the jalapeno halves with the mixture. After stuffing with the filling, dip in egg wash then cover in bread flakes. I then baked the poppers in a toaster oven at 400 degrees for roughly 8 minutes. They don’t come out as crunchy if you deep fried them, but using this mixture in a deep fryer, the cheese is very likely to just run out into the oil. Unless you freeze the poppers first, then deep fry them.
Turkey Sausage Egg Rolls
6 oz. cooked turkey sausage (finely chopped)
Small bunch of scallions (diced)
5-6 cloves garlic (minced)
2 dozen fresh green beans (minced)
¾ cup leftover red rice from Zane & Zack’s stir fry
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1tsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp habanero powder
½ tsp brown sugar
Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and mix throroughly. Using eggroll wrappers, put a small portion on the wrap diagonally. Fold the corners over, then use water on the remaining edges, roll tight. Using a deep fryer, set to 320 degrees and fry for roughly 4 minutes until golden brown.
Complement to meal: On top of the jalapeno poppers, the sauce worked quite well. It had that initial sweet tang, and then a nice garlic flavor. Which I heartily enjoyed! I tend to like my foods with ‘too much garlic’. But then again, the amount of garlic in any food is subjective to who’s actually doing the eating! This is where I feel this sauce shines! Huge garlic flavor and much spicier than what I’m used to as far as sweet chilli sauces go. The Chilli Factory Sweet Chilli Sauce heat level is a big thumbs up! Most of them are sweeter than they are hot! The 8/10 heat rating is pretty close, although since I’m a chile-head it’s more of a 5/10 for heat on my palate.
Using the sauce on the turkey sausage egg rolls worked quite fantastically too! I grilled the turkey sausage so it would have that nice smoky grilled flavor! You can also bake the sausage in a glass pyrex dish, but there isn’t anything like that charcoal barbecue flavor! Mixed in with the oils, the ginger and the hanabero powder, made for an explosion of heat and flavor. The sweet tangyness of the Chilli Factory Sweet Chilli Sauce compimented to the yummy deliciousnouss of the turkey sausage egg rolls. I sure do wish that they sold The Chilli Factory Sweet Hot Chilli Sauce in the food stores on our shores!
Initial impression: 8/10
Ingredient quality/content: 7/10
Flavor/textue/smell: 9/10
Heat: 5/10
Overall: 7.25/10

The Chilli Factory
2060-D Avenida de los Arboles #743
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
www.thechillifactory.us
805-551-8384
www.thechillifactory.us

So that’s what the 415 means. Yeesh, xantham gum sounds like some nasty stuff! Thanks, Lars! Those egg rolls look great!
Now that’s one hell of a review.
I second that
**Anything** in massive quantities is scary. Xantham is in nearly every restaraunt meal you’ve ever eaten. Drinking water can kill you (hyponatraemic encephalopathy- or ‘water toxicity’ for short). All things in moderation & a sincere thanks to Lars for helping us become more educated!
And, Marcel is a real gem of a person! Quite the life of the party at Haggis’ Festival 🙂
great review.
So is there any MSG? Seems that was the purpose of the close scrutiny of the ingredients? All I see is mention of xanthan gum. And it doesn’t appear to be harmful, but just a thickening agent of sorts with many uses other than food. So what did I miss?
[Comment ID #109415 Quote]
Well, I’m not sure if there is any MSG in here. It doesn’t say anywhere on the bottle that there isn’t any it just says that they don’t add any ‘additional’ MSG, so it could be tucked into the ‘herbs & spices’ list in the ingredients. This is how food labels can be deceptive to the consumer. Not saying that this company is trying to be deceptive about the use of MSG. Even on their website this it was they say about their products…
What could be a good reason for you to buy our beautiful product?
* 100% Australian made & Owned
* 100% Gluten free
* 99% fat free (Except for the Satay sauce)
* 100% Vegan friendly (Except for the Chilli Jam)
* No Artificial colors
* No Artificial flavors
* No preservatives are used
* No MSG added
* Gourmet food for a reasonable price
* Fresh natural ingredients
* Excellent flavors
* We won more than 58 major prizes so far
* The Australian names of the product
* The shelf life of our product is 2 years.
So not withstanding, they could be using an ‘herb or a spice’ that had MSG in there. I’m just pointing this out, not trying to accuse the producer of being fraudulent or anything like that. Now the reason I point out the Xanthan Gum is this…
‘Some people are allergic to xanthan gum, with symptoms of intestinal gripes and diarrhea. Workers exposed to xanthan gum dust exhibit nose and throat irritation as well as work-related illness, with symptoms becoming more prevalent with increasing exposure.’
I personally feel that there are many food additives and things that go into our food supply, that just shouldn’t be allowed. The FDA ‘rubber stamps’ many things in the name of large corporations to make a ton of money at the misery of others. I’m not trying to be cynical here, just realistic. Like Jim pointed out about overdosing on water, yes if you drink too much water, you can damage your brain. But to me, the real issue with drinking water is the mass almost forced fluoridation of public water supplies. Many people feel that this is okay in practice, while I feel that we are being poisoned. Do you own research and come to your own conclusion.
Damn, that was a loooooong response! lol -Lars-
Why the big stink over Xanthan gum? It is safe. In fact, IMC hydrogel suppositories prepared with xanthan gum and locust bean gum were a practical rectal preparation with prolonged action and reduced side effects over traditional suppositories.
[Comment ID #109430 Quote]
How did we go from chili sauce to rectums?
Yep. But my point was, If you’re questioning the posibilty of MSG, then why go into a long drawn out thing about Xanthan gum? I didn’t say you accused anyone of using it, just was wondering about the inconsistant nature of the review. Just jumping from one thing to another like that was a little confusing.
And pointing out the Xanthan gum because of allergies is fine, but people are also allergic to MSG, and even natural substances like peanuts, seafood, etc…… So jumping from possible allergen to another with no explanation was really strange to me.
Besides, the review was for the sauce, not a personal view on whether Xanthan gum should be in food. Correct?
-DK
Lars, great review! I got your point right away and the info on xanthan gum was great. It is in quite a few hot sauces (as well as other foods) so knowing about it was a good point whether its good for you or not.
More info than I needed to know Ubu! 😛
Fresh, pure water kills even faster as it has fewer trace elements, and technically pure water is actually a fairly agressive chemical.
MSG (monosodium glutamate) occurs naturally in many, many foods so when they say “no MSG added” they simply mean that- no MSG added but that doesn’t necessarily mean “MSG free”. They can’t really tuck it in under anything else AND it must be spelled out, not abbreviated. Tomatos contain a fair amount of free glutamate (indistinguishable from MSG by any measure) as does broccoli, most fruit juices (especially grape), and cheeses contain A LOT. It has been used in cooking for almost 1,200 years now, first being used in the raw form as fermented seaweed. Harvard, Northwestern and UCLA conducted a massive double blind study specifically with people who declared that they had a sensitivity to MSG. Even with a population pre-disposed to thinking ill effects, participants were overwhelmingly unable to tell if they were given a large dose of MSG or a placebo!
That on a planet of 4 billion people, there can be founds folks allergic to one thing or another is not surprising. It is amazing to me that the human body tolerates the amount of stuff thrown at it with incrdible resiliency!
I’m NOT seeming to argue with Lars- he has impeccable taste in chile peppers 😉 I just firmly believe in presenting both sides so that consumers can make an educated choice.
We gotta be careful here buddy- nothing kills a thread faster it seems than a calm dispassionate intelligent discussion 🙂 Question my parentage or orientation instead 😛
[Comment ID #109433 Quote]
Out of all the comments to reply to, you just HAD to pick that one! Must be the mandels! 😉 😆
[Comment ID #109437 Quote]
Well said Anthony.
DK- I was doing a review of the sauce. I’m just very particular about additives in foods and I will point them out to people. Make up your own mind about what you will and will not consume.
A good place to look about food labeling is this website..
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/
Jim, which is exactly why I mentioned the MSG issue and the xanthan gum issue. Most people don’t even know what these ingredients are, so I offered the ‘side of the fence’ that you may or may not have been aware of. Hydrolyzed protein products such as autolyzed yeast, sodium caseinate, and hydrolyzed vegetable protein are commonly seen food additives. Every hydrolyzed protein product, regardless of the name given to it on a label, contains MSG. That is all I was pointing out..
Thanks Anthony, this was a really long review, being that I made two different items. Not sure if you guys like them this long or not, so let me know. Otherwise I might trim down the information i give when I do a review. 🙂 -Lars-
And Jim, I get my habanero chilies from the best damn farmer in North America!
BTW- How is the Red Savina farming happening so far this year?!? Light and late like last season or are they fairing better? I have 2 new products on the horizon, and one of them will contain your Red Savina habaneros! -Lars-
[Comment ID #109445 Quote]
an he is one of the best Damn Guys in North America also.
[Comment ID #109443 Quote]
I thought it was very well done in terms of content and length. It was clear, consise and thorough.
Looking forward to your next reviews (as well as some of your sauces I have waiting to be opened here!)
Lars, I really enjoyed the review. It also contained a lot of great info, that along with the comments that the review spawned were very educational. It looks like you are quite the chef as well. I admire that.
I don’t give a rat’s ass about food additives myself, but hell, the review is all over the place. Sorry, but I’m not gonna blow sunshine up your ass over the review when it’s so inconsistant it ain’t even funny.
Hell, the ingredient section is three paragraphs long and the only time any other ingredient is mentioned is in the initial list. I just get tired of wading through so much useless crap. Especially if the useless crap is about something that has squat to do with the sauce being reviewed. But if you’re going to bring up something like MSG and the fact that it may be hiding in there somewhere, and you’re gonna examine the ingredients closer to determine that, then hell, do it!
Sorry to get irate, but damn, I tried to make my point in a clear way and be nice about it, but everyone’s so hung up on the damned MSG and Xanthan gum itself.
That and a lot of ass smooching.
Ok, I’ve said my peace. The pictures were purty. The review sucked. Maybe that’s all I needed to say to begin with.
[Comment ID #109452 Quote]
LOL Perhaps that was all you needed you say DK. -Lars-
7.25 out of a possible 10.
The reviews written by manufacturers that use a rating scale are very interesting to me.
Question for Lars. How do you rate your own sauce? Is it a 10?
[Comment ID #109460 Quote]
Tracy, I use a 40 point scale, divide the total points into 40, then move the decimal point over one place to the right. This gives me the average I use for the rating. Not sure where it came from, but it seems like a fair scale to me.
I think that I do have really good sauces. Are they a 10 in my book? Maybe a 9 or so. lol It’s probably impossible to make a ‘perfect’ sauce. There is always going to be someone out there who doesn’t like ‘something’ about your sauce. So these ratings are kind of like movie ratings. take them with a grain of salt. I like people to decide for themselves what they do or don’t like about a product they may have purchased or were swayed into purchasing based on something someone said about the product. Which is another reason why I tend to probably give out ‘way too much information’ when I do these reviews. 😉
I have enjoyed doing the reviews thus far. I have 2 more typed up that will probably be published sometime soon.
I’m having some issues using wordpress. Anyone else who posts to HSB through wordpress, send me an e-mail. I have a question about the ‘publish’ function. As in, where it resides in wordpress because I can’t find it! lol -Lars-
[Comment ID #109461 Quote]
Lars – I e-mailed you earlier. Hopefully you got it.
JUNGLE JIM’S UPDATE…..I THINK I HAVE THIS RIGHT… JJ’S THE FIRST RETAIL STORE TO SELL ( 100% PURE BIH JOLOKIA POWDER ) 1OZ PACKAGE AND SOLD 3 IN 1HR AFTER PUTTING THEM OUT.
[Comment ID #109463 Quote]
DAMN! I can’t wait until harvest! 🙂 I need to head out to the farm and get an update on my Bhut’s and Naga’s….
So has anyone searched lately for any updated info on DNA testing to verify if all these chilies are one in fact the same chile?!?
After seeing those mutated Naga’s posted from Dave DeWitt’s news letter. And in case you haven’t seen them yet…
I have a few plants here at my home growing. One of the 3 plants is very odd, as well. Almost mutant-like. The plants I started from seed, came from New Orleans, which origianlly came from the UK. So I’m thinking that this ‘Dorset Naga’, is the unstable strain of the entire Jolokia ‘family’ here. Hmmm, maybe.. lol -Lars-
I put the HTML in the post so you could see the images of the mutant bhut’s, I guess HSB doesn’t allow the images? -Lars-
[Comment ID #109466 Quote]
Post it in the forum area, you should be ok
Lars,
Thank you for the great review! I am glad to hear you enjoyed that sauce so much. The only note is that the contact info you gave is for our Australian site. Our US contact information is as follows:
The Chilli Factory
2060-D Avenida de los Arboles #743
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
http://www.thechillifactory.us
805-551-8384
All of the products are made in Australia, and are distributed to our site in the US. Any order for delivery in North America will come through The Chilli Factory USA’s site.
We look forward to reading the reviews on the rest of our flavors.
SETTING THE WORLD ON FIRE!
Now for the turbo supercharge review . . . Its a 9/10 for heat in my book goes good on corn chips.
[Comment ID #109452 Quote]
Hey Lars, from a manufacturers point of view the ingredient list and food additives are something I look at closely. No disrespect meant to DK.
I’ll help everyone out here, next time do some research. MSG is considered a allergen. So here is the basic rules when listing as a ingredient.
Ingredient Listing
Under current FDA regulations, when MSG is added to a food, it must be identified as “monosodium glutamate” in the label’s ingredient list. Each ingredient used to make a food must be declared by its name in this list. Now this is FDA regulation, USDA regulation is much stricture.
While technically MSG is only one of several forms of free glutamate used in foods, consumers frequently use the term MSG to mean all free glutamate. For this reason, FDA considers foods whose labels say “No MSG” or “No Added MSG” to be misleading if the food contains ingredients that are sources of free glutamates, such as hydrolyzed protein.
So in basic terms there is natural Glutamate in several items, breads,cheeses and so on, many people confuse this as MSG, it’s not.
Hopefully this makes sense.
[Comment ID #109506 Quote]
Blane is so smart. That’s way he sits at the front of the SB.
[Comment ID #109516 Quote]
since i am a bada$$mofo, does that mean i am the hood orniment of the SB 😀
Good info Blane, except for one point (maybe two- I did/have done quite a bit of research 😛 You have the text correct about the way it must be listed but it is **NOT** an allergen by FDA. Actually, it is listed on their GRAS list- Generally Regarded As Safe. There are only the “big 8” for actual listed allergens. Just because there are specific requirements for a way something must be listed, doesn’t mean it is considered an ‘allergen’.
[Comment ID #109535 Quote]
Yes/No, it’s classified as a flavor enhancer, but larger operations are starting to treat it as a allergen because of several side effects people are having… That is how we have it stated in our IQC program, so I mis-spoke calling it a allergen…. But running it past our FSIS Comliance officer (USDA) they do consider it a allergen. If I switch products on one of the processing lines that used MSG and the next product does not, a wash out is completed before the next run….
We have battled this both ways with no positive result, how some regulations are stated are not how they are often enforced.
By the way thanks for the compliment 😉
Blane is so smart…………….I keep telling everybody
He said if I keep telling every one that he will let me ride in the front seat of the SB
[Comment ID #109537 Quote]
Well if anyone would know about the hassles of dealing with *both* the FDA and USDA it would be you! I can’t imagine the nightmare that would be 🙂 One of these days there’ll be a court case find it’s way through the system that challenges the conflicting and often contradictory ways that the volumes of food regs are enforced.
[Comment ID #109480 Quote]
You are quite welcome! As you can tell, I really did like your sweet chilli sauce! The bottle is EMPTY! 🙂 -Lars-