How to Make Hot Horseradish

If you want to make hot horseradish, the best route to take is to prepare your own fresh horseradish. When dealing with this unpeeled, fresh root, you have the opportunity to completely control its flavor and, more importantly, its level of heat. Whether you want ground horseradish with a little heat or you're a glutton for punishment who likes to have their taste buds rocked, you can control how hot your horseradish turns out during preparation.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh horseradish
• Peeler
• Blender or food processor
• Five percent white vinegar
• Measuring spoons

Instructions

1. Wash the horseradish root, then peel the root to expose its white interior. Cut it into smaller pieces to fit into a blender or food processor. A meat processor is also suitable for a blender, arccording to nutrition specialist Janet Hackert. If you don't have any of these machines, you can dice it by hand.

2. Add vinegar after the horseradish has blended to the desired consistency. It is during this stage of preparation that you can control the heat of the root. Add vinegar immediately after blending for mild horseradish. Wait three minutes for a noticeably hotter flavor, according to Hackert. Horseradish.org, a website devoted to the root, states that oils known as isothiocyanate are released when horseradish is ground. Vinegar stops this reaction and stabilizes the flavor. Hackert suggests adding two or three tablespoons of vinegar for each cup of horseradish. Add salt to taste.

3. Put the mixture into jars or other storage containers and refrigerate. Freeze the horseradish for long-term storage. Refrigerated horseradish will maintain a quality taste for four to six weeks, while frozen horseradish can last over six months, according to Global Gourmet's Judy McCann.

Tips & Warnings

• If you dice the horseradish by hand, be quick because timing is critical. You run the risk of not being able to stop the intensity of the heat at the stage you would like for it to be.

• Fresh horseradish, once ground, can be extremely potent in smell. Make sure to prepare the root in a well-ventilated area.

• When the root is peeled and exposed to air, it will darken and subsequently develop an off-flavor, according to Hackert. Don't spend too much time waiting for horseradish to get hot once preparation begins.

References

• University of Missouri Extension: Horseradish: Keeping it Hot All Winter
• Horseradish: Facts About America's Favorite Root
• Global Gourmet: Preparing a Horseradish Root

Resources

• Taste of Home: Double Hot Horseradish Mustard Recipe