Hotness is the new hottness – you heard it here first. There’s something about hot sauce in its many incendiary incarnations that inspires a certain fire in the belly among people everywhere. And so read on as we bring you a world of hurt.

Nine times out of ten, the first word that will pass a pair of burning lips is Tabasco. Pepperheads everywhere consider this the sine qua non of seasoning, and rallymatt is so dedicated to the stuff he goes whole hog and buys it up by the gallon, which our very own NOTCOT appreciates on a more ironic level: “The idea of having this sitting on a shelf - maybe next to a shot glass. All alone. Seems amusing enough to have to get a GALLON jug of the stuff.” Jonathanwhite likes the stuff just fine … with a little doctoring. “I make our house hot sauce by mixing equal part of Tabasco and chilpotle peppers. It sits on our table next to the salt and pepper, the kids call it ‘dad’s ketchup.’” Take that, Heinz.

...continued: Hot Stuff Coming Through

We promise to stop posting about hot stuff when we run out of bloggers who do so. Currently, we’re projecting that for winter of 2012. We just love that there are kerjillions of food-focused bloggers out there who share our passion for fiery foods and the ingredients that make them. Erin of Erin’s Kitchen calls out one of our all-time favorites: Harissa. This Middle-Eastern spice (really more of a condiment) pumps up a wide variety of dishes, and is more fragrant and complex than most hot sauces. Erin’s favorite comes in a convenient tube, so you can use it in small quantites and not spoil the rest.

Obviously, we are not alone in our obsession with all things incendiary. It stands to reason that so many food bloggers choose their sites as a platform to pursue their particular fetish, and spiceophiles are more than passionate about their fiery lusts. But the thing is, how can you truly know which sauce is the best until you line them up, all in a row, and taste them one by one? Dawna at Always in the Kitchen and her evidently masochistic circle of friends did exactly that. While there may be no one clear winner, a few had their collective mercuries rising, and others left them tepid. We tip our hats — and sip our waters — in the direction of Dawna’s fire-breathing crew.

Perhaps it’s counterintuitive, but we love hot food in hot weather. Maybe it’s the searing pain on the palate that makes us forget the oppressive heat of summer. Whatever the case, we need some serious pepper to stand up to the heat wave that’s got us in its grip. The masochists fellas over at The Hot Zone rate this Scotty B’s Devil’s Drool a 9 on heat and 8 on taste, and these guys know from hot stuff. Plus, we just plain like the name.

I know I do. But Hot Sauce Blog has got a penchant, nay a passion for all things culinarily incendiary. The whole site is mouth- and eye-wateringly chock-full of chile-based chatter. Be sure to check out their numerous reviews of hot sauces, lest you waste valuable time and money on subpar sauces. They’re all put to the test on crackers, eggs and, um, pancakes and rated accordingly. Hotness is the new hottness — you heard it here first.

We love a nice hot cup of tea in the morning, but hate waiting until it’s cool enough to touch to drink it. Kitchen Contraptions spotted this double-walled mug that keeps contents hot yet is cool to the touch. How very ThisNext — hot stuff for cool people.

Here in San Francisco, summertime usually means breaking out the parka, but we’re currently gripped by a heatwave that has us up in the 80s. That may not sound too bad, but for most of us pasty-white fog lovers, it’s enough to make us wilt like hothouse flowers. I’m grateful, then, for the SudsPundit’s guidance on a collection of hot-weather-friendly lagers.

We’re all about the little things that make life better, and SudsPundit’s making the world a happier place for hot-weather endurers everywhere.