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Check out Jane Butel's Science of Chile Peppers.
Remedies for the Chile Pepper Bite
or Burning Mouth:
From "Peppers: A Cookbook," by R. Berkley, published
by Simon & Schuster, 1992.
"There are several remedies for the effects of eating a pepper
that is too hot for you, something that is usually discovered when it is too late.
(Eventually, you can build up tolerance to the heat of peppers, and will be able to eat
hotter and hotter chilis without having to resort to these cures.) Many people recommend
drinking tomato juice or eating a fresh lemon or lime, the theory being that the acid
counteracts the alkalinity of the capsaicin. Some people won't begin eating hot peppers
without a pitcher of cold water handy, though this is not the best idea. The capsaicin,
which is an oil, does not mix with the water but is instead distributed to more parts of
the mouth. More useful solutions include drinking milk (rinsing the mouth with it as you
sip) or eating rice or bread, which absorb the capsaicin. My own favorite retaliation
against attack by hot chili pepper is to simply eat another. And if that doesn't work, eat
another one........"
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chili pepper, chile
pepper, chilli pepper, or simply chile
Be careful when you handle any kind of chile
peppers. They contain oils which can burn your skin and especially your
eyes. Avoid direct contact as much as possible. Many cooks wear rubber
gloves while handling chilies, or or generously grease your fingers with
any kind of shortening (even the cooking sprays can help).
In any case, after you have worked with
them, be sure to wash your hands and nails thoroughly with soap and water.
Most Familiar Types Of Chilies:
Chili peppers are available year round and in the United States they are
mainly grown in California, New Mexico and Texas.
Anaheim: Very mild. Six to eight
inches in size and deep, shiny green. Often stuffed or added to salsas.
Ancho: Dried or fresh poblano
pepper. Dried anchos are flat, wrinkled, and heart shaped. They range in
color from very dark red to almost black. Anchos are mild to moderately
hot and often soaked and ground for use in sauces.
Cayenne: From four to twelve inches
in length. Deep green, yellow, orange, or red. Long, skinny, and wrinkled in appearance.
Hot in taste.
Cherry: Round and red like a cherry.
Sold fresh or pickled in jars, these peppers range from mild to
moderately hot.
Habanero (Scotch Bonnet): Typically
yellow-orange but they can be green, red, or orange. These peppers are
lantern shaped and typically about 2 inches long. The hottest pepper
grown commercially; intense fiery flavor; a unique floral flavor and an
extremely intense heat that affects the nasal passages
Jalapeno:
Most often green
when mature but sometimes red. They are very hot, with an immediate
bite. Use whenever recipe simply calls for hot chile peppers. They can be fresh or canned.
When smoked, jalapenos are called chipotles.
Poblano:
Poblano peppers
look like small bell peppers and are mild to hot
on the hotness scale. They can be fresh or canned.
Serrano:
Sold red or mature
green and about 1 to 4 inches in length. Moderate to very hot with an
intense bite. Can be found canned, pickled, or packed in oil with vegetables. Often served in
Thai or Mexican dishes.
Selection And Storage:
Fresh Chilies - Make
sure that they are firm to the touch and the skin is smooth. Once they are wrinkled, their
crisp texture and fresh flavor are gone. Use them as soon after purchasing as possible.
Otherwise store them for up to two weeks wrapped in a dry terry-cloth towel inside a paper
bag in the refrigerator or a cool dark place. Do not freeze.
To
select chiles for cooking, if you are searching for
milder chiles, always select ones that have broad
shoulders and blunt tips. For hotter chiles, select
chiles with pointed tips and narrow shoulders. This is
important because you can have up to 35 different
piquancies on one plant at a time.
Dried Chilies -
The best dried chiles are the ones that have been sundried. If possible, buy
loose, rather than packaged chile peppers so that you can examine them closely.
Dried chiles should have a rich (not dusty), uniform color, unbroken
skins and a slight flexibility. Don’t buy those with skin blemishes. Select chilies
that are still a little flexible and not dried to a crisp. Dried chiles
should be used within 1 year of production. Store in a cool and dry area
or in a very airtight container (tightly sealed jar or freezer bag) in
the refrigerator.
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Preparing Fresh Chile Peppers:
This
photo tutorial of preparing fresh chile peppers is courtesy of
Cynthia Detterick-Pineda of Andrews, TX.
Check out more of Cynthia's
Southwest Cooking Recipes.
To use fresh chile peppers in
your recipe, you want to remove the tough skin, the seeds
and the ribs.
Warning: Always wear gloves when working
with hot chile peppers (fresh, dried or roasted
chiles). Never touch your eyes when working with
chiles.
Gloves will protect your hands,
but the capsaicin in the chile pepper sticks
to all it touches, and if you touch near your
eyes it will burn. Rinse well with copious
amounts of water. If the chile is too hot for
your taste buds, drinking milk is a sure way to
stop the burn. Sugar may also help.
Please don't learn this lesson the hard
way!
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Wash
the chile pepper first.
There
is no certain way to tell if a
pepper is hot by looking at it,
although I have heard many, many
wife's tales about dark spots,
cracks and anything else. But the
only sure way to tell is by
tasting. |
Slice the chile
pepper down the center with the tip
of your knife. |
You can see the
membranes and seeds here in these
two halves. The membranes are
where the capsaicin is stored. It is this
part of the chile pepper that
carries the heat.
The seeds are not as
hot, but since they are a part of
the membrane they do have a slight
bit more heat than the green outer
chile pepper. |
If you are simply
dicing your chiles, the easiest way
to clean them is to cut them into
quarters. Then you can simply slide
a sharp knife carefully down the
green outer part of the chile pepper
removing the white membrane and the
seeds.
If you are making a
dish which requires chile halves,
you can still clean them out easily
with a sharp knife run along the
inside edge to cut loose the
membranes and remove the seeds.
Just be very careful, as much as a
small cut from a sharp knife hurts,
it is much worse when it is touched
by chile pepper!
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Roasting Fresh Chile Peppers:
This
photo tutorial of preparing fresh chile peppers is courtesy of
Cynthia Detterick-Pineda of Andrews, TX.
Check out more of Cynthia's
Southwest Cooking Recipes.
Preheat the broiler of your oven. Wash and dry
the chile peppers. Remove husks from tomatillos;
wash and pat dry. Place chili peppers and
tomatillos on a baking sheet; broil 3 to 5
minutes each side until blackened. Remove from
oven. Place hot chile pepper in a bowl, cover
with plastic wrap or an airtight lid, and allow
to steam for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes,
remove chile peppers. Using a sharp knife,
remove stems, skins and seeds.
Warning: Always wear gloves when working
with hot chile peppers (fresh, dried or roasted
chiles). Never touch your eyes when working with
chiles. Please don't learn this lesson the hard
way!
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Fresh Chili
Peppers (I use whatever variety of
chili pepper I have available) |
Roasted Chili
Peppers |
Steaming Chili
Peppers |
Seeded and
Skinned Peppers |
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Roasted chiles can play many
culinary roles:
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Dice and mix with
scrambled eggs and
cheese.
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Saute with skillet
potatoes and onions.
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Slice and layer on
sandwiches,
quesadillas, and
burgers.
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Mix into your
favorite salsa
recipe.
-
Perk up store-bought
salsa.
-
slice and layer on
fried eggs or eggs
over easy, topped
with cheese and
briefly run under
the broiler to melt
the cheese.
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-
Use instead of (or
in addition to)
sliced tomatoes in a
grilled cheese
sandwich.
-
As a condiment: Mash
up diced chiles with
crushed garlic and
salt. Add to
anything you like.
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Stir into soups,
stews, and pasta
sauces to add depth
and complexity.
-
Dice and add to
stir-fries.
-
Add to meatloaf and
sloppy Joes.
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Preparing and Roasting Fresh Poblano Chiles: |
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Fresh Poblano Chile Peppers
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Roast the Poblano chiles
either in a
cast-iron
skillet over
medium high heat, under the broiler, or over an open flame (such as your
grill). Turn the chile frequently to prevent over cooking on any one side, and
let the entire chile pepper become charred and blackened.
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Remove from the heat and
place in a slightly damp towel, allow to cool. Cooling the chile in a damp towel
will help to loosen any skin that is still stuck on the chile pepper.
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Once cool, carefully peel the
skin from the chile pepper, remove the stem end, and slice open to remove the seeds.
Once this is done, dice the chile in 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch pieces; set to the side until
ready to use.
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Preparing Dried Chile Peppers:
This
photo tutorial of preparing dried chile peppers is courtesy of
Cynthia Detterick-Pineda of Andrews, TX.
Check out more of Cynthia's
Southwest Cooking Recipes.
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With a damp cloth or under running
cool water remove the dust and dirt
from the chiles.
To remove the seeds from a dried
chile, pull or cut off the stem,
split the chile lengthwise, then
scrape out the seeds with a spoon.
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In a large pot, place
chile peppers and cover
with hot (not boiling)
water and let soak for
approximately 1 hour
(don't soak more than an
hour and save the juice
to spice soups).
NOTE: Some people remove
the seeds and membrane
after the soak process.
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Questions and comments from readers:
Question:
I enjoyed reading your
pictorial description of roasting and preparing fresh
peppers. I have used and enjoyed fresh peppers for
years. I recently read a recipe in a reputable magazine
for chili using dried chilies. They suggested roasting
them to enhance the flavor and grinding in a coffee type
grinder. Have you used this method, if not after the
soaking and peeling process how do you proceed with
making the stew? Thanks - Frances (4/0/08)
Answer:
Living where I live, on the border of New
Mexico and Texas, I think I must have prepared chiles in
just about every possible way. There is just something
about the taste of chile!
When chile peppers age they become red,
either while on the plant or after they are
picked. Anaheim Chiles are the most common variety found
dried and bagged in markets. By the way there are over
500 varieties of chile peppers (both sweet and
hot). Anaheim chile is also the kind of long green chile
that most markets carry.
There are a few differences in how you
prepare both fresh and dried chiles:
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All chile peppers can be eaten fresh
and raw. Most people don’t choose to eat the long
green or poblano variety without roasting them.
They are not as “meaty” as some other types of
chiles like jalapeņos.
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All chile peppers can be roasted.
Roasting helps to release the oils the peppers
contain (which can also increase the heat, so be
careful). Roasting also gives them a nice flavor
that goes well with many dishes. When chile is
roasted, both the red and the green are roasted with
the skin on.
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When
green chiles
are roasted, they need to be peeled since the
roasting will blister the skin. You might notice
the skin to be just a bit tougher after roasting
also, another good reason to peel them. Roasted
green chile can be used in salsas just like fresh
chile, or many other recipes that may or may not
require further cooking. We love putting roasted
long green chiles on hamburgers along with the
lettuce, tomato, etc.
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When
red
chiles
are roasted they don’t blister like their younger
counterparts, but they do brown. Many of the dried
chiles you buy at the market are already roasted
before then are packaged. You can usually find this
information on the bag, and it might be in small
writing so just look carefully. It is not possible
to peel the skin from red chile. When the chile is
drying the skin and the membranes join, so peeling
would be extremely difficult if not impossible.
To prepare roasted red chile you can
choose to either leave the seeds in or remove them.
Removing seeds would be done after they were roasted
and cooled, should they not come roasted. TO remove
them, just pull off the stem and the top will open up.
You can usually “shake” most of the seeds out, or you
can break open the pod and remove them that way.
The dried pods should be placed into a
large pot. Cover with hot water (not boiling) and let
them soak for about an hour. I have also simmered
chiles for 15 to 20 minutes then allowed them to sit for
another 20 minutes or so.
Drain the chiles once they are soft and
place them in a blender (food processors can also be
used, but then you can’t really add much more liquid
without making a big mess). Add about 3 tablespoons of
the water from the pot they were softened in, and pulse
on low several times, add a tablespoon of water at a
time as needed to make a paste of the chiles.VERY
IMPORTANT: Never place the blender top on over a hot
liquid unless you are keeping it secure with a protected
hand (a dish towel held over the top will keep it from
coming off).
The article you read about using a coffee
grinder is a great idea to prepare a small amount of
either very thick chile paste, or to make your own chile
powder. I have several coffee grinders in my kitchen
that have never seen any coffee beans. I use one for
grinding herbs, one for chile and one to grind and mix
spices for grilling marinade. Once you have used a
grinder for one item, it is better not to use it for
another unless the flavors will go well together.
To clean out a coffee grinder between
uses you can grind up a piece of fresh white bread.
This helps to remove any residue and aroma from the
previous grinding.
I hope this answered your question and
that I didn’t give you too much information or confuse
you. I really love my chiles! They are so versatile,
and really interesting in many ways.
If
there is anything you would like to see on the site, or
have any ideas please let me know. I would love to try
and help. -
Cynthia Detterick-Pineda
Question:
Wow!! What an interesting
article on the chili pepper!
Do you know what chili tepine is? I have a great recipe for
Navy Bean Soup but it states:
1
small cayenne pepper or chili tepine, pierced with
toothpick
I have never
heard of a chili tepine. - Connie (11/30/07)
Answer:
Also known as
Chiltecpin or simply Tepin - from the Nahuatl Mexican word
meaning "flea."
It is a type of
chile pepper. They are bright red and round but very small.
They are served on the side with tacos, soups and stews. Called
the "mother of all peppers," is thought to be the oldest known
of the
Capsicum genus, as well as the hottest wild variety
in the Americas even hotter than the habanero. They grow on the
rocky surfaces of steep slopes and are difficult to find because
they are usually protected by other shrubbery.
If you can’t
find these chile peppers, just substitute whatever pepper you
would like to use.
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