Mike and Diane’s Gourmet Kitchen

Three things you need to know about the Ring of Fire salsas that come out of Mike and Diane’s Gourmet Kitchen:
1) They are the only commercially available salsa that taste homemade and that’s a win right there.
2) They use really fresh, top drawer ingredients. Sadly other salsa vendors use standard grade ingredients and then mask it with heat. Not these pepperheads!
3) They seem to be the only company that knows how to make a decent habanero salsa. Fresh habaneros have what some describe as an earthy (even a good and dirty) flavor component and it’s very challenging to work with. Most salsa makers use sweetness to offset the hot dirt thing going on – but not Mike and Diane. They have a secret and while I’m not gonna spill the beans here I will say that it’s theirs is the only habanero salsa (besides my own) that I will eat.
Above and beyond that they are great, warm people and surround themselves with a fantastic crew. My online orders for their products have been handled cheerfully and promptly and Mike even reached out to me with a personal thank you note the last time I ordered. For the win! They just launched some new web sites and they are drop dead gorgeous and highly functional. It’s all there now. Do yourself a favor and try everything they sell. You will be glad you did. Oh and while I’ve not been to their brick and mortar location in El Cajon, my wife has and she said it was great. It’s nice how their bottles fit perfectly in a Christmas Stocking you know?

Big fan of Ring of Fire. Mike and his wife Diane are good people.
There kitchen is amazingly clean, along with there fresh ingredients. Anytime I’m in the area I stop by and grab a few bottles. Ask about the ring of fire jerky when your in there.
Kudos for a great product and amazing customer service!

Amazingly good hot sauce. I buy a bottle every year as a stocking stuffer for my husband. I haven’t tried anything yet that I didn’t like. Plus it’s a local business :)

Mike and Diane are great people who produce a great product!
I absolutely LOVE the XX Hot Habanero Sauce and the Steak Sauce! Oh, and the Garden Fresh…
I met the creators of this sauce at the annual hot sauce festival in Old Town this year. They make their product by hand and in relatively small batches.

I was introduced to Ring of Fire several years ago when it was demo’d at a store in the mall that just sold hot sauces (since closed down — darn it). I was able to sample several brands of sauce. Hands down the Ring of Fire product line, including their many variations of hot sauce, steak sauce, BBQ (now discontinued) and their beef jerky, is the _​best_​hot sauce I have ever eaten. It isn’t about the heat — it is about the first-​class flavor. All of their products are ‘hand-​made’ in small batches. If you want it hot, keep putting it on and it will get you. Their tag line «So hot it’ll burn you twice» is reality, so be warned. If you want the flavor without the heat just put on a little and you will not be disappointed. It is so good it is addictive (I drive several towns over or order online). It is laden with spices and garlic, so beware of your breath afterwards, but it is SO worth it.

Locally made Hot Sauce that it sure to leave a «ring of fire».
Ring of Fire was being demo’d at Bates Nut Farm today and I was sold after the first dipped cracker. First off this is a little different Habanero sauce than I’m used to. I’m used to the bright orange stuff they sell at the grocery stores. This has more of a finely blended salsa texture. The ingredients are vinegar, tomato, onions, habanero, garlic, serrano, spices, salt, and sugar.
What does this all mean? A great Dipping sauce! Also good on mac-​n-​cheese and mixing in with salsa.
— Something locally made that would make a great gift.

I haven’t Unilocaled in a while and it’s because we’ve been eating in more. Every few weeks, I’m asked to cook. My repertoire is small, but there are a few dishes that I’m great at. In fact, it’s commonly acknowledged by me that I make the The World’s Greatest Tacos™. And I concur.
I don’t want to give away my secret recipe, and frankly, I’m able to adapt to most situations. No lettuce? I’ll make do. No tomato? Not a problem. But there are 2 key elements that I must have:
First, yellow (not white) corn tortillas hand fried in oil, turning out piping hot delicious shells. It’s best to eat within 5 minutes of taking the shells out of the oil.
Second, Ring of Fire Garden Fresh salsa from Mike and Diane’s Gourmet Kitchen. It’s pretty spicy for some, but I like things hot and this is really mild to me. But it’s not the heat that matters, it’s the flavor that comes from the onion, garlic and special blend of herbs. Garden Fresh is the perfect salsa to put on tacos.
A couple office mates recently ordered up some Beef Jerky from Mike and Diane’s website. Awesome stuff. Lots of flavor and lots of heat. And that reminded me that I need to restock my supply of Garden Fresh sauce as I’m almost out. And without Mike and Diane’s The World’s Greatest Tacos™ would just be tacos.
I’ve seen Mike and Diane’s in specialty food stores, but I usually order it online. On their website, it’s free shipping with 6 bottles. That’ll take me to the end of 2008. And I order some of their spicy beef jerky. It’s xmas, I’m treating myself. :)