How to Work With Chiles

Now that salsa is the most popular condiment in America, fresh chiles are more popular than ever. They can burn you, though, especially if you touch your eyes or sensitive skin after holding them. Follow these steps to protect yourself.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Groceries
• Rubber Or Plastic Gloves
• Cutting Boards
• Kitchen Utility Knives
• Tongs
• fresh chile peppers

1. Cut the flesh away from the body of smaller chile peppers with a sharp knife.
2. Cut away any remaining white rib membranes and discard them and the seeds. Use your knife, not your hands, so you don't touch the seeds or membranes. The flesh can then be diced or chopped for use in recipes.
3. For larger peppers, cut off the very top of the pepper, the part with the stem, and discard it.
4. Slice the skin of the pepper vertically and open it up.
5. Slice away the seed pod with your knife and discard it.
6. Cut away the white rib membranes and discard them. The flesh can now be cut for use in a recipe.

Tips & Warnings

• The insides of chiles, especially the membranes and seeds, can burn your skin and make it tingle. Try to use your knife more than your hands. If using your bare hands to handle chiles, don't touch sensitive skin anywhere on your body, especially your eyes, until you've washed your hands.
• Large pieces of trimmed chile can be roasted with the skin side over an open flame to blister it off.
• If handling peppers with tongs or a fork, be careful not to squirt any juice out.
• Unless you are very sensitive, it's usually not necessary to wear gloves when working with peppers, but it may be worthwhile when working with extremely hot peppers like habañeros (scotch bonnets).