The Flamin’ Hot ‘custody battle’ continues… Self-proclaimed ‘inventor’ Richard Montañez and his former employer, Frito-Lay were back in court last week as the battle entered a new round of appeals and counter claims. Millions in ‘compensation’ could be at stake…
‘Inventor’ Richard Montañez (l); Flamin’ Hot Cheetos (r)…
The whole Flamin’ Hot Saga has been unfolding for decades against a background of intrigue, claims and counter-claims, fan hysteria, and conspiracy theories worthy of America’s Most Disfunctional Families.
The seemingly perpetual court case(s) over who actually invented ‘Flamin’ Hot’ Flavour have always been of huge interest on the social media scene and in the mainstream media. Not just because there’s never been a phenomenon like it before or since in Snacktown. But also because the chili-fuelled, powdered-Cheddar-based seasoning is, by general acclamation, agreed to be unique.
What’s so special?
One feature of virtually all the reviews of Flamin’ Hot I’ve read researching this post is that no two reviewers can agree on exactly what makes the blend so beloved by such a wide range of chili heat devotées.
Some shared descriptives include, ‘piquante’ yet ‘creamy’, with just a hint of ‘mild, Malteser-like sweetness’ that throws the boldness of chili powder against a comforting, cushioning, pillowy fla-vour-shock absorber. But there is also that Cheddar Cheese Powder, which can claim some credit for creating the ‘creamy’ dimension.
And the majority of recipes for home-made, copy-cat FH blends also share about a dozen ‘key ingredients’ including both cayenne and hot chili powder, onion and garlic powder, citric acid or lemon pepper, buttermilk and Cheddar Cheese powder…
Other ingredients most folks who’ve tried to replicate the official Frito Lay flavour insist on include the strangely redundant duo of both salt and MSG.
Wide disagreement on the details
There are many other ingredients that Flamin’ Hot fans will tell you they’ve spent years sussing out, and are must-haves for them. At the same time, keep in mind that most of these are called for only in the more complex fan formulations, in microscopically small amounts, down 1/32 tsp. Some of the most-intricate recipes have ingredient lists exceeding 24 items.
The list on the official Flamin’ Hot Cheetos bag label may total closer to three dozen… But many of those are multi-syllabic, lab-and-factory words describing various commonly-used textur-izers, preservatives and other additives we would never use at home. But which are deemed neces-sary to extend shelf life and facilitate the machine-production of commercial products.
My take
A few points stand out as unaddressed, or at least unresolved in the whole mess over Flamin’ Hot seasoning…
First, Frito-Lay has always treated the official formula for it’s Flamin’ Hot seasoning as a guarded-in-the-vault affair, not unlike the Colonel’s 11 Different Herbs and Spices. There’s some cachet in that, as well as the promotional value of good mystery. And you don’t want the opposition to be able to say they use the exact same blend as you’ve built your own legendary brand on.
Second, by the same token, there’s a certain amount a manufacturer must disclose on the official back-of-label ingredients list. Which gives intrepid Indiana Jones-type culinary adventurers a jumping-off point on their quests for the Flamin’ Hot Grail. So be it…
Third, there are literally dozens of commercial knock-offs of Flamin’ Hot flavouring on the retail mar-ket. Amazon lists screen after screen of them. You’ll find more than one in most supermarkets, in the spice aisle. They vary in ‘heat’ level across the whole spectrum.
Fourth, knock-offs range in colour from Golden-orange-yellow to that deep Cheetos reddish-orange fans are all so familiar with. One problem there: Though tinkerers admit it’s easy to get that unique deep-orange colour, it requires one or more packets of Red Food Colour No. 40. Which nutritionists and enthusiasts agree is unhealthy, and may in fact cause cancer. In the end, whether you use it is up to you…
Fifth, price is an issue. Commercially made Flamin’ Hot clones range in price from around $5 to around $25, depending the ingredients they contain, the net weight of the package, and what it may cost to ship them.
Sixth, one online influencer who considers himself an expert cloner of commercial flavours, and even complete products, estimates it may cost as much as $25 to buy requisite amounts all the ingredients in his middle-of-the-road knockoff of the Flamin’ Hot blend. Unless you’re a confirmed, hopeless addict, I’m not sure making your own is a viable exercise…
~ Maggie J.