S

Spencer F.

Founder

Spencer is the founder of Sauceur, a community-driven platform for rating sauces and discovering the best pairings. He started Sauceur out of a genuine obsession with condiments and a frustration that no good tool existed for tracking what he'd tried and what actually worked on what food.

Articles
Mumbo Sauce (Mambo Sauce): History, Taste and What to Put It On
Where mumbo sauce came from, what it tastes like, how the styles differ, and what to put it on.
November 4, 2026
Buffalo Sauce: Where It Came From and What's in It
Almost everyone knows the Buffalo wing came from a bar in New York in 1964. Here's the full story: three versions of who invented it, a rival claim, and what's actually in the sauce.
October 28, 2026
How Hot Ones Put Small-Batch Hot Sauce on the Map
From a YouTube interview show built around chicken wings, Hot Ones became an unlikely platform for small-batch hot sauce makers. Here is how it started, how its sauce business works, and what it actually did for the industry.
October 21, 2026
Buldak Sauce: The Rise of a Global Spice Challenge
Where Buldak sauce came from, how a Seoul chicken restaurant led to a global spice challenge, how hot it is, and which bottle to try first.
October 18, 2026
Dumpling Sauce Ideas You Haven't Tried, Matched to the Dumpling
Six dumplings, six sauce combinations that actually work. From gyoza to pierogi, here is what to mix and why it makes sense.
October 12, 2026
Japanese Mayo vs American Mayo
Kewpie and Hellmann's aren't the same product with different branding. Here's the chemistry behind why each mayo wins in its own context, and where the swap actually costs you.
October 9, 2026
Thai vs. Vietnamese Fish Sauce: How They Taste and What to Use Them On
Thai and Vietnamese fish sauces share a shelf and a category name. The differences in sugar content, fermentation method, and nitrogen grade determine where each one wins.
October 7, 2026
Light, Dark, Tamari, Shoyu: Which Soy Sauce Do You Actually Need?
Most kitchen cabinets stock the wrong soy sauce or too many of them. Here is the honest breakdown of light, dark, tamari, and shoyu: what each one actually does and which ones you genuinely need.
October 4, 2026
The State That Taught America to Love Heat
Louisiana didn't just popularize hot sauce. The state invented the template every American bottle follows, shaped by Gulf Coast geography, a pre-refrigeration preservation tradition, and two centuries of Cajun-Creole kitchen culture.
September 30, 2026
Pizza Sauce vs. Marinara vs. Pasta Sauce: You've Been Using the Wrong One
They're not interchangeable. Here's what makes each one different and why reaching for the wrong jar actually makes your food worse.
September 28, 2026
How Sriracha Is Actually Made: The One Factory, the Seasonal Peppers, and the Town That Sued
One factory. One harvest. One harvest a year. Here's how every bottle of Huy Fong Sriracha in the world actually gets made — and what happened when the chain broke.
September 24, 2026
Is Hot Sauce Actually Good for You? Here's What the Research Says
Hot sauce now markets itself as a health food. The research on capsaicin is real — here's what it actually shows, and where the gap is between lab doses and your bottle.
September 22, 2026
15 Types of Mustard, Explained: From Yellow to Chinese Hot
From mild yellow to sinus-clearing Chinese hot mustard. A geographic tour of all 15 types, their origins, and what to actually pair them with.
September 16, 2026
The 5 American BBQ Sauce Styles Every Griller Should Know
Kansas City, Texas, Memphis, South Carolina Mustard, Eastern Carolina: five completely different sauces, one word. Here's what makes each style distinct and which bottle to actually buy.
September 10, 2026
Hot Sauce on Ice Cream Is a Real Thing. I Tried It So You Don't Have To.
It sounds insane. It's not. Here's the science behind why some hot sauces belong on your dessert, the exact pairings that work, and a few other weird combos that will make you rethink your condiment drawer.
August 28, 2026
Fermented vs. Vinegar Hot Sauce: What's Actually Different
Two categories of hot sauce, two different chemistries. Here's what fermentation and vinegar actually do inside the bottle, and how to use each one.
August 25, 2026
Lao Gan Ma vs Fly by Jing vs Momofuku: Which One to Buy
Three chili crisps, three very different products. Lao Gan Ma, Fly by Jing, and Momofuku explained — what makes each distinct, and which to reach for.
August 20, 2026
Best Zero-Sugar BBQ Sauce to Buy at the Grocery Store
Nine zero-sugar BBQ sauces worth buying, plus one reduced-sugar impostor. What each sweetener actually does on the grill, and which bottle to grab.
September 8, 2026
The Best Sauces for Chicken Nuggets, Ranked by Someone Who Thought About It Too Much
Frozen chicken nuggets are having a real moment. They deserve better than the same three sauce packets from the bottom of a takeout bag.
July 13, 2026
5 Sauces to Complement Your Summer BBQ
A burger, a hot dog, and a bowl of mac and cheese walk into a backyard. Here's what should be sitting next to each of them.
September 5, 2026
10 Surprisingly Good Taco Sauces
Ten unexpected bottles that belong on your taco night — trust us on this one.
July 8, 2026