Review: New Hot Tamales Tropical Heat & What Does and Does NOT Go on Hot Dogs, Burgers, Fries?
Junk Food Nation, what a weekend it was. From all the LeBron fallout (I should’ve know that after I posted regarding LeBron’s tough decision making process that he would make his decision just to mess with me. It took 12 minutes. Blargh) to the rest of NBA Free Agency frenzy (HELLOOOOOO aging Paul Pierce) to the end of the World Cup (was anyone else struck by how tall the German keeper was next to Messi?), I felt like my brain was overloaded. Add on top of that me seeing my first Nissan GTR in person (WHOA) and watching the mind blowing sci-fi section film “Snow Piercer,” and I’m almost glad the weekend is over. My mind needs a break. *remembers that he’s an attorney* ….Oh right. Legal things to do.
Anyways, over the weekend, I pitched a question out there on Facebook and Twitter: Ketchup on hot dogs, yes or no? I did this because I was eating a hot dog for the first time in a long time, added ketchup and mustard to it, and then realized that I wasn’t sure if I’d ever eaten ketchup on a hot dog before. It had been THAT LONG. The reactions on both FB and Twitter were immediate: some people stating, unequivocally, NEVER PUT KETCHUP ON HOT DOGS, while others wondering who the hell DOESN’T put ketchup on hot dogs?
It got me thinking that a lot of people out there have VERY specific food tastes when it comes to basics like hot dogs, hamburgers, and French fries. I had a friend in high school that would dip fries in mayo ALL THE TIME. Grossed me out…until later on in life I saw fancy burger places serve fries with various flavors of aioli for their fries and learned that aioli was basically just an emulsion just like mayo.
So I wanted to ask YOU Junk Food Nation, to tell me in the comments below, the answers to the following:
- What do you put on hot dogs, and what do you believe NEVER goes on hot dogs?
- What do you put on burgers, and what do you believe NEVER goes on burgers?
- What do you dip fries into, and what do you believe fries should NEVER be dipped into?
I’m curious to see where you guys fall on these important issues. Personally, I think if you put mayo on a burger you should be throw from a window, but tell me if I’m wrong. Also, if you could, please put which state / country you’re from / living in. Maybe there’s some geographic bias? Let me know in the comments below.
Today’s junk food: New Tropical Heat Hot Tamales!
New Tropical Heat Hot Tamales: The Money Shot
Junk Food Nation, when’s the last time any of you ate Hot Tamales? For me, it’s usually sometime around Halloween, when someone has random fun-size boxes of them. I certainly never seek them out at a theater or what not. But that might all change with these New Tropical Heat Hot Tamales.
New Tropical Heat Hot Tamales
These New Tropical Heat Hot Tamales are not purely cinnamon, like their cinnamon originals. These have three fruit flavor: Mango Tango, Pineapple Picante, and Limon Fever. Sort of like Mike and Ike’s with a kick? Maybe…The press release calls them “a spicy fruit flavored variety mix” and that it is a “one-of-a-kind chewy, spicy candy that delivers a burst of heat with every fruity bite.” That sounds good.
New Tropical Heat Hot Tamales: 180 cal per pack
New Tropical Heat Hot Tamales: Colorful
New Tropical Heat Hot Tamales sort of look like Mike and Ikes, but they are spotted with “spice,”presumably. The colors of lime green, orange, and lighter orange designate the different flavors.
These days, the idea of mixing fruit with spice is extremely popular – you’re seeing it already with certain salsas and with cocktails. I still don’t love the flavor of jalapeno in cocktails – still to vegetable-y for me – but anything with pineapple and habanero? SIGN ME UP. I’m hoping these candies deliver.
New Tropical Heat Hot Tamales: Close up
I tried each flavor of these New Tropical Heat Hot Tamales separately:
Pineapple Picante – When I popped a few of these candies into my mouth, I tasted IMMEDIATE pineapple flavor. It was fake candy pineapple tasting, but the flavor profile was immediately recognizable. As I chewed, I got a tiny bit of burn on my tongue, but not much. Definitely more sweet than heat.
Mango Tango – I popped a few of these into my mouth, and again I got an immediate mango taste…but more than just mango, these candies tasted a lot like papaya and guava too. Very tropical in flavor. Again, like the pineapple, a small burn (not much). These probably had more burn than the pineapple variety though. Very tasty.
Limon Fever – I enjoyed these the most. When I chewed a couple of the Limon Fever candies, my mouth filled with the immediate flavor of sweet lime. Very citrus-y and powerful. The burn also was greater (to me) in this flavor than the others – it sizzled on my tongue. And the combo of lime and spicy tasted like a trendy spicy cocktail. VERY tasty.
All in all, I LOVED THESE. Yeah, they aren’t the spiciest things in the world, but to some they might be. I think the combo of sweet and heat was well done. I mean, fruit gummy jellybean-like candies are already good – but then make them tropical flavors AND add spiciness? Well executed combo. If you can find these, try these. A+.
PURCHASED AT: Sent to me, currently available in the Western US, and online at www.peepsandcompany.com
COST: This 1.8 oz bag retails anywhere from $0.69-$0.99
Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. I also have Google+!! Let’s hang out.
Sincerely,
Junk Food Guy
Discuss - 50 Comments
The all-American foods are where my kooky food preferences come out. If I eat burgers or hot dogs, they get slathered in mustard or hot sauce to mask the taste. Fries…I’m definitely a vinegar person, but if I’m eating them with chicken tenders I just use whatever dipping sauce I have for the tenders. Besides my distaste of most meats that walk, I also strongly dislike ketchup.
@Jessica: Wait, why are you trying to MASK the taste???
@Junkfoodguy, I ROYALLY hate ground beef and most sausage products…like I said, kooky food preferences. Every so often we get provided dinner at work and if it’s a burger or dog I tolerate it (free is free). But I avoid it when I can and mask the . I’m a chicken/turkey/seafood person.
@Jessoica: Ah, got it 🙂
The only acceptable condiment on my hot dog is ketchup. I have no problem with adding other things (onions, chili, pickles, cheese [if you’re in to that sort of thing]), but the addition of mustard on a hot dog makes no sense to me. Now if we’re taking brats, then I get adding spicy mustard, but not on your standard all-beef kosher hot dog.
Hamburgers have a little more freedom. Ketchup, of course, but also BBQ sauce – especially if there is fried onions and bacon on the burger. Mayo is an absolute no. Under no circumstances should anyone defile a hamburger with mayo.
Fries get dipped in ketchup or BBQ sauce. I like to add Old Bay to the ketchup for a little kick. Sticking with the no-go on the mayo.
And this will probably be unpopular but there is no place on my table for blue cheese. On anything. Burgers, fries, wings, anything. Moldy cheese. Yuck.
i agree with all of this except the brats part only because i don’t eat them. oh, and i’m in west virginia 🙂
@Kaitlyn – wait, NO mustard on anything???
@Steve B: Wait – so NEVER mustard on hot dogs?? Whoa
I want to be one of those “It’s America, we can put whatever we want on our food” guys, but with certain things I just can’t.
1)What do you put on hot dogs, and what do you believe NEVER goes on hot dogs?
Mustard. Sometimes also onions, sweet relish, tomato & cucumber wedges, celery salt, dill pickle slice, sport peppers. Never ketchup. Basically, 5-year olds put ketchup on hot dogs; children.
2)What do you put on burgers, and what do you believe NEVER goes on burgers?
I like different variations of burgers, toppings range anywhere from lettuce, tomato, onions, bacon, cheeses & cheese spreads, mushrooms, mayo, fried eggs, onion rings & BBQ sauce, Frisco sauce, sautéed onions, Thousand Island, Rance dressing, hot sauce (including accidentally Taco Bell Fire sauce + mayo,mmm), and jalapenos. But you know what never goes on my burgers? Ketchup by itself. Also do NOT like ketchup + mustard + pickles. Mayo is badly needed to tame all that. Not a fan of the pretzel bun at all,either. But a burger is an open canvas. It can be as simple or pretentious as you want it to be.
3)What do you dip fries into, and what do you believe fries should NEVER be dipped into?
Personally, I dip my fries in mayo. 2nd favorite is tartar sauce. Sometimes malted vinegar, French onion dip, or honey mustard, or Arby’s sauce, ranch dressing, BBQ, sweet n sour or apricot sauce. But never, ever ketchup. Ketchup is the most vile thing there is. I can tolerate it mixed in mayo & sauces, but never on its own. I also do not like McDonald’s fries at all. Citing inconsistency in experiences (piping hot,lukewarm,cold soggy pile of oily fries,oversalted) they just don’t taste like any other french fry. Plus as we know, they do not rot.
Junk Food Guy, I take it you don’t like the Whopper or Big Macs? Funny, I love mayo on a burger but detest it on roast beef or sausage.
@MP: Yeah, wasn’t a fan of Big Macs. I liked Whoppers – but I used to add MORE ketchup. I don’t MIND mayo on burgers…I guess for me burgers are already so fat laden that adding mayo (which is essentially fat) seems too…decadent? Indulgent? Makes everything so shiny with fat/grease…. I dunno.
@JFG: Mayo is a texture thing; especially with fries. Plus it makes a nice sauce once the tomatoes marinate in it. Honestly I see no difference between full fat mayo & light and light mayo is my go-to.
And of course you know I’m in Chicagoland so there’s that anti-ketchup sentiment. Restaurants reluctantly have ketchup on hand but not without a sneer! 😛 Some places even wear anti-ketchup logos on their shop uniforms.
@MP: I’ve GOT to see one of these anti ketchup logos!
@JFG: Here you go! This is on the Vienna beef site; which is a popular dog here:
http://www.viennabeef.com/history-of-the-chicago-hot-dog
This shirt example I was citing is from a Sunday 10pm show on WGN, hosted by Brittney Payton (daughter of Walter Payton) & some other guy:
http://chicagosbesttv.com/brittney-payton/3525/chicagos-best-hotdogs-jimmys-red-hots/
Two short videos with references to ketchup:
http://chicagosbesttv.com/ted-brunson/3528/chicagos-best-hotdogs-murphys-red-hots/
http://chicagosbesttv.com/western-suburbs/2793/chicagos-best-hot-dogs-ginas/
This is one of my favorite shows 😛 Personally I prefer a steamed dog if I do Chicago style, then grilled if a low-key version.
@MP: Ah, the Chicago dog. Love it
On hot dogs, I put on sauerkraut and ketchup. I am not averse to anything specific.
Burgers – fried egg and mushrooms . Ketchup
Fries – ketchup and hot sauce
I generally put hot sauce on everything, little embarassing but makes me happy. If I could afford it, I would do the same with truffles.
You know what sucks about truffles? Not a damn thing!!!
@Marc P: I LOVE HOT SAUCE. I could put Franks on anything
Mustard on hot dogs only. Maybe sauerkraut if I’m up to it. I used to be ketchup only on burgers but now either or is fine. As for fries? Mayo is great, but I’ve found I like to dip them in tartar sauce! Weird I know. But it’s perfect when you have fish and chips.
@Sarah: You’re the second person who likes fries in tartar sauce! Whoa….
Mustard on hot dogs; never ketchup. I also like dill pickle slices and shredded cheese.
No mayo on hamburgers. I also don’t like onions at all, so I personally don’t add onions to anything. I love dill pickles, so extras of those. I’m happy with ketchup and mustard, but prefer a spicy BBQ sauce or A1 Bold (or whatever they call it now).
No mayo for fries. Ketchup, other sauces, or just salt and malt vinegar works for me.
@Michelle: HMMMMM A1 Bold. Haven’t tried that on burgers…..must try!
Yeah, I’m not getting involved in this minefield…I will say that I stopped using relish once I realized how awesome the sweet pickled banana peppers I can every year taste on a hot dog, though.
So you liked Snowpiercer? Debating seeing it.
@Dana: Love banana peppers. For me they go on everything
Yeah Snow Piercer was mind blowing. Would love to know what you thought.
these hot tamales have been out for years…
@Chris: Hot Tamales yes, Tropical Heat, no.
@Chris – I stand corrected! Mea culpa – apparently these were released in test fashion in 2012.
Ketchup and mustard are my go-to for oth hot dogs and burgers. I’m in agreement with the anti-mayo party. I like to out basalmi vinegar on my burgers, and I have been known to add hot sauce to my burgers from time to time.
Sweet relish has no place on my hot dogs or burgers–only dill pickles, please. Cole slaw on a burger can be quite tasty, and I enjoy adding chips to my burgers/sandwiches for an added salty crunch.
@Deanna: LOL, who DOESN’T love chips on sandwiches?
First off, I can’t stand people who try to tell you what you shouldn’t eat, if you like things a certain way, enjoy it that way.
As for hot dogs, I don’t like mustard, so I tend to go with ketchup or BBQ sauce. Hot dogs and eggs seem to be the only thing I add ketchup to. But I prefer chili on onions on my hot dogs, no cheese though.
I think burgers are a blank canvas, and nothing should be off limits. As far as the basics, if it’s a good quality beefy burger all I need is mayo and onions. Unlike some around here, I think mayo is the perfect beef enhancer. I also love grilled onions and mushrooms on my burger. I don’t mind cheese on my burger (except American) but I can always go without it.
For fries, I’m German so it’s definitely mayo as the choice. But yes, tartar is good too, as is ranch (especially a southwest ranch like at Buffalo Wild Wings or Long John’s), BBQ, honey mustard and some other things. Not a pepper guy, so I keep hot sauces, jalapenos, and banana peppers off.
And those hot tamales sound pretty damn good, might have to try them.
@Sascha: THIRD person to like tartar sauce on fries….interesting
So I’m from Southern California, and am a HUGE fan if backyard bbqs, baseball, and football games where generally condiments are limited for hot dogs and burgers. I don’t think there is anything that should not go on food, to each their own.
My personal favorites:
Hot dog: ketchup, mustard, relish, chopped onions.
Burger: anything goes, I really enjoy gourmet burgers with fancy things like provolone, grilled onions, and aioli but I also love just a well cooked burger topped with the basics. I have in n out within walking distance as well, home of the animal style hamburger 🙂
Fries: sriracha, tarter sauce, malt vinegar, any dipping sauce from red robin, hot mustard from mcdonalds, ketchup, or melted cheddar/mozz on top. Not all at the same time, that would be gross.
Go chargers!!
@Sarah: In n Out is king, I agree. Hot mustard on fries? I’m going to have to mull that one over.
I’m from mighty Minnesota and I like just ketchup and mustard on my dog.
Burgers? Hmm. I guess it would be sharp cheddar and thick, rich BBQ sauce.
As far as fries go I’m as versatile as a coked out stripper. Ketchup. Mayo. Ranch. BBQ sauce mixed with Ranch. But probably my favorite is sweet and sour sauce.
To bad you didn’t ask for pizza toppings because that’s my all time favorite subject, along with reincarnation, totalitarianism and luxury handbags. On my pie I fancy baked potato, cheddar cheese, green onions and bacon, dipped in sour cream. WHERESTHEPIZZA!
@Rocketgirl: Minnesota? What’s your take on who makes the best Juicy Lucy?
When I was in Chicago last year, I had a Chicago dog as a late afternoon munchie. No ketchup served on it!
I wished I had been able to go–there was a $1.99 foot long hot dog place at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. If you’re hungry or want to say you’ve had one, these foot long dogs will fill you up!
@Elisa: I got a random super long hot dog at New York New York the last time I was in Vegas. The quality wasn’t great 🙁
Well clearly I am more liberal with condiments and toppings; I say put whatever the hell you want on your hot dogs and burgers. The more options the better! I get really disappointed when there are no pickles provided though (pickles are not popular here). I take that philosophy for most food in general, mix it up, add stuff.
Except I really, really hate mayo so I will not have it near any food of mine.
In the UK people seem to love mayo and always have it on everything, especially fries. Often they mix mayo AND ketchup – gross. Also popular is “curry sauce” which is disgusting and bears no resemblance to curry – people love it on fries, burgers etc.
@TroutPoutt – CURRY SAUCE! Tell me more!
Actually, Tropical Heat aren’t new.
I know I’ve had them at least as early as last summer when I bought them while traveling in Philadelphia and again in Denver October 2013 because the girl I was staying with there thought I was disgusting for buying them.
Wikipedia says 2012 (and the revision was added in Nov 2012):
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hot_Tamales&diff=615843970&oldid=523926453
Here’s a blog from Sept ’13 that says at the time they were only available in a couple chains: http://www.collectingcandy.com/wordpress/?p=11239
@Chrissy – Thanks for setting the record straight! I guess they were in test markets since 2012. Interesting.
New follower here, love the blog. Really sad that these candies are only available in the Western US. Boo. Expecially because I love all flavors of Mike N Ikes!
Ok, funny story about hot dogs. I’m a mustard-only gal. But I remember a long time ago when we moved to Chicago (from the east coast) my father going out shortly after moving to our small town north of the Chicagoland area. He found a place to get hot dogs and ordered three with everything on it. Being from the east coast, he expected “everything on it” to included mustard, ketchup and relish. Possibly kraut. What he got was a Chicago Dog. Needless to say, he was shocked at seeing a hot dog with mustard, relish, onions, pickle, tomato, sport peppers & celery salt – especially since my father would eat anything. Unfortunately, not so much for my mom and I. Thankfully he kept the three Chicago Dogs for himself and brought us back the hot dogs he knew we would like. But the only thing I don’t like nowadays with a Chicago Dog – “Nuclear Green” relish. WTH? Seriously, where does this color green come from? Regular relish, please. LOL.
@Kelly – it’s just green food dye on the relish. Probably just for show / to improve the pale color.
@Kelly: Thanks for being a new reader! You might be able to find these Hot Tamales if there is a Peeps store near you 🙂
That’s a funny story re: Chicago dogs. I need to see this nuclear green relish 😉
No, Eric; curry sauce is awful. As far as I can tell, it’s vegetable stock cubes mixed with a spoonful of curry powder. Super salty and just gross. I have tried it a grand total of twice after being forced by others who were eating it; never again. Plus this is how it looks:
http://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/chips.jpg
@TroutPoutt: HMMM. I’m not completely turned off by how it looks. But Veggie stock in concentrate on fries doesn’t sound that appealing. I’ll agree to your judgment on this
Eric, if you’re intrigued by curry sauce, then you should try to find Curry Ketchup, it’s a much better product.
http://www.germandeli.com/Hela-Scharfer-Curry-Gewrz-Ketchup-400ml-Hot-Curry-Sauce-13-5oz.html?gclid=Cj0KEQjwxZieBRDegZuj9rzLt_ABEiQASqRd-lfvShUm_BoCz_N_Vy4yLOmGk9kiI-xoiUy27vPx21caAqxO8P8HAQ
@Sascha: INTERESTING….
Q. What do you put on hot dogs, and what do you believe NEVER goes on hot dogs?
A. I like BBQ sauce and hot sauce; Ketchup….ehhhh save it for the kids at summer camp.
Q. What do you put on burgers, and what do you believe NEVER goes on burgers?
A. While I despise mayo as a spread on anything, Miracle Whip better be slathered all over my burger. Eric, I am not afraid to fight you on this one; Lettuce, in my not-so-humble opinion should never occupy space on a bun.
Q. What do you dip fries into, and what do you believe fries should NEVER be dipped
A. If available, I dip my fries into horseradish sauce(think Arby’s); Vinegar on fries…….no thanks.
@A mean Bill: MIRACLE WHIP? NOOOO
But Arby’s Horsey Sauce is awesome.
Shoutout to Eric for the bag of Hot Tamales that I ate for breakfast….in lieu of my daily supply of dietary fiber found in Post Raisin Bran. I must say I was pleasantly surprised, for the first time ever I had to segregate my Tamales, and continually reference the bag to figure out which tangy/spicy treat was complimenting my taste buds at the moment. Spicy enough to satisfy my Hot Tamale craving and a refreshing Mike and Ike twist all at once, what more could I ask for? Except for the bold “limon” flavor, I’m not sure that I could distinguish the flavors from each other without the color-coded picture. In the end, I wound up just eating them like bag candies are meant to be, haphazardly dumped into my massive hand from a ragged, incisor-created slit in the bag.
@A mean Bill: Glad you enjoyed them!