A few choice selections from Don’s vast collection.

Don Mahnke

Before a World War II veteran taught him to cook at age 14, Southridge teller Don Mahnke says, his family’s meals were “pretty bland.” That’s certainly not the case anymore. Today, Don — a self-proclaimed “chilihead” — boasts a collection of over 500 empty hot sauce bottles.

The vet in question, a neighbor who went by Vito, was a horse-mounted cavalry sergeant who hated the meals produced by the regiment cook. “So he took on a lot of the cooking,” Don says. “His mantra was ‘If it doesn’t make you sweat, you’re not enjoying your food.’”

As a teen, Don learned how to use spices from Vito, but wouldn’t cultivate a true passion for heat until several years later.

A caricature done about 10 years ago, when Don’s previous employer wanted to show off its graphic arts department’s talents. “I use it for all social media — except LinkedIn,” he says.

“I was diagnosed with an ulcer at 22, and I asked my doctor if I should decrease the spice in my diet to avoid aggravating it,” he recalls. “She told me there was some research that indicated that capsaicin” — the chemical responsible for the heat in chili peppers — “was actually good for ulcers. My adventure began.” Five years later, he adds, the doctor told him the ulcer was gone.

Besides the possible medicinal benefits, what does he love about hot sauce? And is there such a thing as too hot for him?

“I love a hot sauce that has a flavor profile that complements the dish I’m making. Capsaicin is also an endorphin stimulant,” Don says. And he notes that while one of his favorite sauces is a blended mix containing some Carolina reaper — named the hottest chili pepper in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2017 — he isn’t interested in that pepper in its purest form.

“The Carolina reaper is about 2.2 million Scoville units. Scoville units are the measure of the hotness of a pepper. A jalapeño is about 8,000 Scovilles. The units mean it takes that many drops of water to neutralize the heat from one drop of the pepper. I would never attempt to eat a raw Carolina reaper,” Don says. “Also, I stay away from any hot sauce that contains capsaicin extract. Capsaicin extract is pepper spray.”

A few more empty bottles from Don’s collection.

He estimates he goes through a bottle of hot sauce every week or two and spends perhaps $250 to $300 annually on it. Though they were initially “not so hot” on it when he cooked for them, he jokes, his family has come to appreciate the heat.

“The nice thing about using hot sauce in recipes is that I can always add more or use something more intense on my portion,” he says. “There are actually times when my family has told me the recipe could have been hotter.”

Don’s go-to sauce is Ring of Fire XXHot Habanero Hot Sauce. “It is very flavorful, with a garden-fresh taste without too much heat,” he says. His least favorite is Tabasco.

And like any collector, he has hot sauces on his wish list too.

“Swamp Dragon 2nd Edition Private Reserve Rum Dragon would be a nice gift, but it’s doubtful I will ever see a bottle, much less own one,” he says, explaining that Swamp Dragon makes hot sauces with an alcohol base, rather than a vinegar base, which are great for ethnic cuisine. “It was $500 when released, and I believe they only made nine bottles.”