Phil
One box, four products, one question: are they actually different from each other? A side-by-side breakdown of the Original, Extra Spicy, Extra Crunchy, and Sweet & Spicy from Fly By Jing.
The jar is almost entirely solids — beans, seeds, shallots, chili bits. Less oil than any other FBJ. Here’s whether that trade-off is worth it.
Phil tests Fly By Jing’s Xtra Spicy Sichuan Chili Crisp — a 6 oz jar with Sichuan peppercorn-forward heat that builds and sticks. Honest label read, texture notes, and a verdict on whether the extra heat is worth it.
Fly By Jing calls this a chili sauce, not a chili crisp — and the jar delivers exactly that. Thick, syrupy, plum-forward sweet heat with a clean ingredient list. Tier: GOOD.
Fly By Jing’s original Sichuan Chili Crisp has the best aroma and flavor complexity I’ve tested. The problem: the solids in the jar aren’t the crispy kind. An honest ingredient-first look at what you’re actually buying.
The Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp review that sets the benchmark. Ingredient breakdown, tasting notes, and an honest tier from Flavor Index Lab.
A practical guide to cooking with chili oil — which oil bases survive high heat, how to use chili oil in stir fry, marinades, eggs, and noodles, and what cookability means for product reviews.
Not all chili oils are the same. Here’s a breakdown of the five main types of chili oil from around the world — what makes each one different, and what to use each for.
Chili oil and chili crisp are not the same product. Here’s what chili oil actually is, what separates it from chili crisp, and how I evaluate what’s in the jar.
Salsa macha has been a fixture of Veracruz cooking for centuries. Here’s how a regional condiment made from dried chilies, oil, and nuts became one of the most talked-about ingredients in the world.