How to Identify and Use Hot Peppers

Many people the world over have adopted hot chili peppers and integrated them into new dishes as well as traditional fare. Hot chili peppers come in about 25 legitimate varieties. However, increased interest in experimental hybrid growing has led to hundreds of variations of the traditional hot chili pepper. Learn how to identify varieties of the hot chili pepper and how to use them in your own unique dishes.

Instructions

1. Identify heat levels of chili peppers with a Scoville chart (see Resources). Capsaicin is the chemical present in hot peppers that generates heat. Pure capsaicin on the Scoville chart rates 16,000,000, while the hottest chili pepper rated on the scale, a Naga Jolokia, measures in at around 1,000,000. The Scoville chart is based on a system designed by Wilbur Scoville, a chemist who worked for a Parke-Davis pharmaceutical company. The method originally used by Scoville was workable at the time (1912), but today we use a more scientific method. The name Scoville is still used for the process in honor of his contribution.

2. Hot peppers come in many shapes and colors. A typical chili pepper is deep red, long, curved and comes to a tapered tip point. Jalapenos are green and fat. A habanero, which rates higher on the heat scale than a chili or a jalapeno, is small, pumpkin-shaped and varies in color from orange to deep red. Due to a high level of cross breeding, peppers often share shape and color characteristics. Sometimes peppers are named for a style of preparation. Chipotle peppers, for instance, can be any variety of pepper (usually jalapenos) that has been smoked. You can recognize a chipotle by its dark red or brown color. Peppers are more easily identified by categories or regions than by shapes and colors.

3. Separate your chili pepper plants from other plants when you grow them. Pepper plants have a tendency to transfer their heat characteristics to nearby plants. A traditional green pepper (0 rating on the Scoville chart), if planted next to jalapenos or habaneros, can come out of the garden with a slight heat kick of its own.

4. Use your chili peppers in a variety of ways. Pepper plants are hearty. They grow quickly, require little care and produce a lot of chili peppers. Besides eating them fresh from the garden, try running a string through several chili peppers and hanging them in the sun. These sun-dried peppers can be crumbled up over dishes or added in the cooking process. You can also pickle whole chilies in a mixture of salt and vinegar. The jarred peppers will keep indefinitely and get hotter with time.

5. Don't forget the medical benefits of hot chili peppers. Chili peppers do not cause stomach problems. In fact, chili peppers have been shown to have a soothing effect on the digestive system, sore throats and other ailments. You can relieve severe toothache pain by grinding dried chili peppers into a powder, stirring a couple tablespoons of the powder into water and rinsing with it. Chili peppers are also a high source of calcium and vitamin C.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear gloves when working with chili peppers, and never touch your eyes until you've washed your hands.

Resources

• Uncle Steve's Hot Stuff
• Health Benefits of Chili Peppers