>That was my original thought, but the flakes are processed pretty heavily, and the flavor profile can change from being dried. It's like using dried peppers as opposed to fresh to make a hot sauce. Don't see a lot of people tossing dried ghost peppers or dried carolina reapers into their mash, ya know? Yeah the dried flakes are a different flavor profile, but I think you could get a lot of flavor out of them by soaking/rehydrating them in a mixture or neutral White vinegar and a little neutral oil that's emulsified with some sodium citrate (food grade emulsifier) to extract the flavor and capsaicin. The hydrated flakes can then be blended, milled or ground fine in a mortar and pestle to give the sauce some body and the rest of the flavors. I'd be careful of adding salt as sodium citrate will definitely add some saltiness to the mix as it is just another sodium salt after all. I might have to try this as well since it does sound like a nice option to have for hot sauces.