ThreeDJ16 Posted November 12, 2006 Report Share Posted November 12, 2006 Well, I was sending a PM to someone tonight and remembered a bunch of chile pepper tidbits that I thought might be nice to post. Many of you may already know most of this info, but I thought it would be nice to pass on for those who do not. - Never cut peppers under running water as the capsaicin goes airborne really quick and will get in your eyes and nose - argh - horrible personal experience taught me that one. - Capsaicin is not water soluble (it is oil soluble) so washing your hands really does not help that much; but if you use vegetable oil, lard or alcohol and rub your hands really good, then use soap to remove, it will get most of it off. Though gloves are the most effective and easiest - duh! - Whole milk works best for putting out the fire in your mouth. - Seeds are not the hottest part of the pepper (that is a myth). The capsaicin glands are located in the ribs and this is the hottest part of the pepper. If you want to reduce the heat cut out the ribs. The seeds are still hot as the they attach to the ribs. - With a few exceptions (habanero), the sharpest pointed peppers with narrow shoulder are the hotter within their variety. You can pick through the pepper bin at the grocery store and notice there are differences between peppers of the same variety. Looking at the shoulder and point can help you decide whether you want the hotter or milder ones. Very noticeable on serranos, jalapenos and cayenne. - Lastly, another personal experience one, take out the contacts before you mess with peppers or wear gloves as capsaicin will stick on the contacts when you take them out that night. It is not a nice surprise to wake up the next morning and put them in forgetting about the peppers the night before - arrrgh! Anyway, hope this helped someone! If you have anything to add, please do! -=Jasen-= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saucier Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 Chile If you run out of gloves and hand process a bunch of chile, and your hands are really, really burning... Refrain from using the restroom for awhile ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 Yep, and those oils that linger on your hands for a while, even after washing, can give others a wakeup call as well. Kind of puts a swerve on your moves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted October 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 Another tip when you have forgotten to wear gloves is to use vegetable oil and scrub your hand vigorously. Then use soap and water to remove the oil. The vegetable oil will pull some of the capsaicin with it when you wash it off. Not better than gloves, but at least a help. Today I made up a wonderful chile paste and thought about the fact that maybe it would be a good idea to post tips on working with dried chiles. The best way to use them is to soak them in hot water for 15 or so minutes to rehydrate them. I remove the seeds first (easier when dry) and cut them stem to tip in half. Once moist, carefully hold down one of the strips and with a sharp knife, scrape the inside meat away from the hard outer skin. Toss the skins as it is the meat you want. The skins are tough and don't bring a lot of additional flavor to the mix compared to the meat. For the paste I made up, I took 6 fresh jalapenos (seeds removed), 3 ancho, 6 de arbol chiles, salt, cumin and ground in a mortar & pestle till a fine paste was made. You can use a little olive oil to help keep the mixture moist to the desired consistency. This stuff is fantastic in salsa. -=Jasen=- Duh, just realized I had already posted the oil tip above. Oh well, it works so worth repeating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
