Many questions:

19 years ago

I'm trying to work my way up to the ability to eat really hot chiles, but it's going slowly. I'm growing Jalapeno and Habanero 'Caribbean Red' and would like to be able to use a fairly bountiful crop. I have some questions on potential uses.

1. What processing methods reduce, at least somewhat, the heat? Cooking, grilling, dehydrating, steeping in oil, etc.. I'd like to learn which of these work well for both putting up the peppers, and possibly reducing their capsaicin levels.

2. Do peppers dehydrate well? I use a lot of store-bought hot pepper flakes in my food, and would like to try my hand at making some of my own. I have a very good industrial-sized dehydrator, with ample space and good time/temperature controls. What's the procedure for drying Jalapenos and Habaneros for storage, cooking and flake making.

3. At what points in the development of a pepper fruit does the capsaicin level off, or rapidly increase? I picked two of the Habs yesterday, which were large, but still pale green, and not showing any signs of redness. In cutting one of them up for use, I was surprised at the intensity of the fumes alone. I noticed them first at the back of my throat, which started getting scratchy and irritated. I took a tiny piece of the fruit's outer wall and placed it on my tongue, and the heat was intense, but not painful. I took a slightly larger piece, and chewed it up, and the heat was more intense, but still not painful. The flavor was glorious, and I want more of it, but can only take so much heat so far. Does the fruit get hotter with more ripeness, or does the capsaicin develop earlier?

Thanks in advance.

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Comments (7)

willardb3
19 years ago
snip
1. What processing methods reduce, at least somewhat, the heat? Cooking, grilling, dehydrating, steeping in oil, etc.. I'd like to learn which of these work well for both putting up the peppers, and possibly reducing their capsaicin levels.
snip

Vinegar is a solvent for capsaicin, Put chiles in vinegar and let sit for a couple of days....drain vinegar, repeat. This is a good way to make pickled chiles.
John__ShowMe__USA
19 years ago
And pickled chiles when dehydrated make excellent flakes and powder with a taste all it's own. Can't believe that isn't being sold commercially.

The easiest way to reduce heat is to slice the pod in two and remove the seeds and placenta. (yes, I know there is no heat IN the seeds)

I dehydrate at 125Â°F and no higher than 130Â°. This gives me good color and doesn't cook the capsaicin. (some of us want HOT) Cut pods in half lengthwise and place cut side up on dehydrator tray. Thicker fleshed pods like jals should be sliced another time or two. Test for doneness by taking a single piece and run through your food chopper or coffee mill and see if it powders (or flakes) to your satisfaction.

Heat and air destroy capsaicin. Simmer your pepper sauce on a stove and it will get milder.

Heat and sweetness increase as the pods get ripe.
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trfanatic
19 years ago
John,
are you sure that heating reduces the capsaicin? ALL the hottest pepper sauces I have ever eaten had been cooked.

Ravi
John__ShowMe__USA
19 years ago
> are you sure that heating reduces the capsaicin?

Ravi,

Yes.

jt
donn_
Original Author
19 years ago
I'll try the vinegar treatment. SWMBO wants to try the drained-off vinegar in salad dressings.

We're also going to try grilling the Habs to see if it makes them more tolerable, and there's a few in the dehydrator right now, along with cherry tomato halves, sliced tomatoes and sliced onions. You can imagine the smells coursing through the house.

The heat..I've read you can build a tolerance by gradually increasing the amount and heat of those eaten. The first Jalapeno off the bush was my first attempt. I chewed up a 1/8th" thick cross section, including placenta, and it was painful. I stepped it back to just the hull, in increasingly larger pieces, and I'm much more able to handle it. I find I enjoy hot peppers more if the heat doesn't overcome the flavor.
John__ShowMe__USA
19 years ago
> I find I enjoy hot peppers more if the heat doesn't overcome the flavor.

Me too. And I think most chile-heads would agree. One definately builds a tolerance over time & come to really enjoy testing the limits for the rush. For me the last couple years the strong flavor of some C. chinense is more objectionable than the heat. More and more I seek the heat. Grow some C. baccatums if you want to experience good flavor and good heat w/o being overwhelmed by either.
donn_
Original Author
19 years ago
C. baccatum = Aji's? I'll add them to the research list. I'm definately going to increase the number of varieties I grow next year.

This year, I'm more interested in learning how to deal with the various methods of processing and storing the crops.

I have friends who can pop a Hab, chew it up and swallow it, and show no evidence of heat. No sweating, no runny nose, no hacking and wheezing. After this weekend's first experiments with them, I'm flabbergasted. I added a few 1/8th" dices to an omelet this morning, and they lit me up. Bald spot sweats, runny nose and eyes, and general numbness in the tongue and gums. This is from a green, unripe pod, and I hear there are much hotter peppers out there.