Italian Sausage Question

[simplicity]

Some pasta recipes specify Italian Sausage without stating which type.

My market has three kinds, sweet, mild, and hot.

Are there guidelines that should determine my choice or it it just a matter of personal preference like most breakfast sausages?

 

[Jeekinz]

Usually it sweet unless specified. I'm not too fond of the sausage my butcher makes so I usually just buy the packages at the supermarket. It could also be personal preference.

 

[Andy M.]

What he said ^^^^

The recipe is actually leaving you some flexibility in choosing.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Since the husband & I enjoy spicy food, I nearly always buy the hot - even if the recipe specifies sweet. To be perfectly honest, most commercial brands of "hot" Italian sausage aren't really all that hot anyway. (And since I'm always buying turkey sausage anyway, my brand selections are somewhat limited.)

 

[auntdot]

I gotta agree with Breezy, most of what purports to be Italian hot sausage just isn't very picante (spicey), at least to us.

You can always buy hot and sweet and mix them. You have to try them and find out what you like.

It certainly is personal preference as is all cooking, IMHO.

 

[simplicity]

Thanks for your responses. Looks like a tie to me.

Guess I'll make a big pot of pasta, using sweet sausage in half, spicy in the other half and invite the neighbors to take a taste test.

 

[john a]

Picked up some hot Italian sausage from the butchers (They make their own and it's very hot) the other night. Fried it up and simmered in sauce for a couple of hours then refrigerated it for two days. Reheated it last night, added a salad with olive oil, balsemic vinegar, and red wine vinegar dressing, and a crusty hard roll.

 

[LadyCook61]

Picked up some hot Italian sausage from the butchers (They make their own and it's very hot) the other night. Fried it up and simmered in sauce for a couple of hours then refrigerated it for two days. Reheated it last night, added a salad with olive oil, balsemic vinegar, and red wine vinegar dressing, and a crusty hard roll.

that sure looks good.

 

[Robo410]

sweet is the norm, but if you and your family like hot sausage, go for it! or mix half of each (what I generally do)

 

[GB]

I do as Breezy does. The hot that I get in the market is not noticeably hot and I tend to like the flavor of the hot ones better.

 

[buckytom]

agreed that sweet is the default, unles hot is specified.

i like my hot sausage hot, and my sweet with extra fennel seeds.

if you want your hot sausage hotter, roll in powdered cayenne before browning or grilling.

for the extra fennel seeds, there's not much you can do unless you want to be a nutcase and use a chopstick to push them in the open ends, or break it open and add to a patty or crumble. don't push them through the skin or all of the juices will leak out.

 

[Jeekinz]

for the extra fennel seeds, there's not much you can do unless you want to be a nutcase and use a chopstick to push them in the open ends, or break it open and add to a patty or crumble. don't push them through the skin or all of the juices will leak out.

- You must be a nutcase. BT's Custom Links.

 

[buckytom]

i likes my sausage to an almost unnatural level.