How to Clean Jalapeños

If you have a passion for deliciously hot jalapeño peppers, you can incorporate them successfully into many of your favorite recipes. However, the first order of business is to learn to clean the fresh jalapeño peppers in preparation for cooking.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh jalapeño peppers
• Rubber gloves
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Paring knife

Instructions

1. Use a sharp knife to slice across the top of the pepper, as if you are removing the stem. However, only cut half way across, leaving the stem intact.

2. Slice lengthwise down one side of the jalapeño pepper, being sure to leave the pepper intact.

3. Open the jalapeño pepper carefully and hollow out the jalapeño pepper, removing the seeds with the tip of a sharp paring knife.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear plastic gloves to protect your hands from the hot jalapeño peppers. Raw, fresh jalapeno peppers are much hotter than cooked jalapeño peppers, and can burn the skin.

• Most of the capsaicin, which is the substance that adds the heat to jalapeño peppers, is located in the white ribs that attach the seeds to the inside of the pepper. Including more of this part of the pepper will increase the heat, and removing more will made the pepper slightly milder.

• Wash your hands thoroughly immediately after working with the jalapeño peppers.

• Never touch your eyes while you are cleaning jalapeño peppers. If you get any juice of the jalapeño pepper in your eyes, wash your eyes thoroughly with cool running water.