What do you think when you hear “GE”? For me, it brings back a fond memory of angrily screaming at my husband in the middle of a SEARS because there was no way I was paying that much for a washing machine. For you, it might be the many references to the company in 30 Rock or a beloved dishwasher that you remember from your childhood home (beloved because you don’t have one anymore and have to do everything by hand). But that’s all about to change. Why? Because GE, maker of fine home appliances, military engines, and aviation systems is now in the hot sauce business. There’s only one catch: their hot sauce is so hot it has to be encased in material used to make jet engines. (Not even Hillary Clinton would keeping this stuff in her purse.)
The hot sauce, called 10^32 and released in limited edition, is made of two of the world’s hottest peppers — the Carolina Reaper and Trinidad Moruga Scorpion. The sauce, The Daily Dot reports, is meant to represent “absolute hot,” which translates to “the hottest temperature matter can withstand without breaking down.” That’s why it’s encased in jet engine metal and also why I chose not to ask my editor — who received some in the mail — to try it with his lunch. Because, you know, that just sounds painful.
[I tried it anyway, with refried beans in a corn tortilla. It was hot, but not “ruin your day” hot. The flavor was good too. Not too vinegary — a little hit of sweetness! -ed]
Here’s a video of The Daily Dot’s Selena Larson trying it. Look how unhappy she looks. It’s almost like she’s trying to get through the video as quickly as possible so she can douse her entire head in milk (which is the best way to stop the heat. Water just spreads it around!)
The sauce won’t be making its way onto mainstream store shelves anytime soon (you can get it from Thrillist or at The Heatonist in Brooklyn) , but it’s meant to begin a conversation about GE’s products and how they work.
“In hot sauce, it’s all about the heat. In jet engines, it’s all about the heat,” Doug Decesare, a GE global research manager in its aerothermal and mechanical technologies group, told CNBC recently.
So that’s why it’s encased in jet engine material. But the sauce really is hotter than what you’d normally consume, even if you’re a foodie thrill-seeker. According to sauce creator Steve Seabury (of Hot River Sauces) it’s the hottest sauce he’s ever made. “It’s like a 10-pound hammer coming at you. Put it against my hottest sauce from the High River line and this is twice as hot,” he said. Seabury also added that the sauce “represents his appetite for destruction,” which might make you think twice before putting it in your mouth (although it’s sure to inspire some people to do “the GE hot sauce challenge” on Youtube).
But for GE, it’s not about destruction; it’s about teaching the public about how much heat a jet engine can handle and how GE’s tech is making strides in turning hotter burning engines into a reality:
