Different Types of Hot Peppers for Cooking

There are a variety of hot peppers for cooking with varying heat indexes. They not only add heat to your food, but lots of flavor as well. What some people may not know is that most of the heat in a pepper lies within its seeds. If you want to lessen the heat, just remove the seeds.

Jalapeño Pepper

Jalapeños are the most typical type of pepper that consumers use to make their food hot. Red and green are usually the standard colors for this pepper.

Serrano Pepper

The Serrano pepper is very similar to the Jalapeño pepper, with the exception that it is much hotter. The best way to gauge the heat index is through the pepper's size. The smaller the pepper, the hotter the taste.

Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper has a deep reddish color. It has also been used as a natural healing medicine for several centuries.

Thai Pepper

Thai peppers are cultivated and grown in Thailand and are considered very hot peppers. They are also the smallest of all the hot peppers.

Rocoto Pepper

Rocoto peppers are extremely hot and can be easily confused for bell peppers, because their looks and size are virtually the same. Red and green are the standard colors for this pepper.

Habanero Chili Pepper

Habanero chili peppers are considered the hottest within the pepper family. They will definitely add a little sweat to your brow and pack a wallop to your throat. They're small in size and come in various colors.