Hot sauce · Louisiana, 1920

Frank's RedHot

450 Scoville heat units

The sauce in the original Buffalo wing. Cayenne, vinegar, garlic — nothing clever.

What this rung gets you A whole basket of chips and salsa, no water

Frank's RedHot sits at 450 SHU — rung 3, Glow.

How hot Frank's RedHot actually is

Frank's RedHot is roughly 11 times milder than a jalapeño. Growing conditions move any published figure several-fold, so read it as the middle of a range rather than a promise.

On the twelve-rung ladder

It sits on rung 3, Glow, which spans 450 to 1.2K SHU. Warmth that lingers a few seconds after you swallow. This is the level most "mild" restaurant options sit at.

Training to this rung is what gets you: A whole basket of chips and salsa, no water.

Comparable heat

Anything here burns at roughly the same level, which is what makes them interchangeable when you are training at this rung.

Common questions

How hot is Frank's RedHot on the Scoville scale?

Frank's RedHot measures about 450 Scoville heat units. That is roughly 11 times milder than a jalapeño.

Where does Frank's RedHot sit on the ladder?

Rung 3 of twelve — Glow, covering 450 to 1.2K SHU. Warmth that lingers a few seconds after you swallow. This is the level most "mild" restaurant options sit at.

What stops the burn from Frank's RedHot?

Dairy. Capsaicin is fat-soluble, so water spreads it rather than removing it; the casein in milk, yoghurt or ice cream lifts it off the receptor. A spoonful of sugar held in the mouth measurably helps too. Starch — rice or bread — physically carries it off the tongue.

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Eating Frank's RedHot is rung 3 of twelve

A whole basket of chips and salsa, no water — that is what rung 3 gets you. Scoville Ladder gets you to rung 3 on a schedule rather than a dare: a heat to train at tonight, rest between, and a target that moves with the burn you actually report.

Find your rung See the twelve rungs

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