Pepper? I don't even know her.

Since we’re focusing on hot-n-spicy this month, we won’t bore you with the details about your everyday ordinary don’t-melt-your-face peppers. Instead, we want to share a couple of good-to-know tidbits with you about the ones that might make you cry.

The scientific term for peppers is Capsicums and there are hundreds of variations. Peppers are categorized by their heat level and that heat/spiciness is determined by their level of capsaicin. Way back in the olden days, a clever fellow by the name of Wilbur L. Scoville came up with a test for determining the rate of intensity of heat produced by a pepper based on its capsaicin concentration. For the scientific breakdown and techno-jargon check out:

http://ushotstuff.com/Heat.Scale.htm

They have a handy not-to-hot pepper scale and it may frighten you to know that habaneros are only half-way up that list!

Some of the “medium” heat peppers you might be familiar with are Jalapeno, Rocotillo, Chipotle, and Wax (banana pepper).

from Peppers: A Cookbook (1997)

Some of the more commonly used “hot” peppers include Cayenne, Habanero, Serrano, and Thai.

from Peppers: A Cookbook (1997)

One of the cool things about capsaicin is that it’s so potent it retains its heat strength through most every cooking method.

If you want to control the heat intensity of the pepper you’re cooking with, removing the seeds will help some, but the highest concentration of capsaicin is actually in the ribs and so you should remove them if less heat is desired.

When cooking with peppers, it’s best to wear protective gloves because the oils will get into your skin and can cause irritation. If you do get it on your skin, do NOT rub your eyes or other sensitive parts of your body because you will be in pain…trust us, we know from experience.

When it comes to eating peppers, most people know that cold water is NOT the answer to soothing the flames that burst from your lips, the reason being that capsaicin is actually an oil and since oil and water don’t mix it just exacerbates the matter. Milk (rinsing with it as you sip), bread or rice will absorb the oil nicely and bring you back to a tolerable level of comfort.

There are a number of cookbooks available that focus on peppers, but one of TCC’s favorites is “Peppers: A Cookbook” (Robert Berkeley, 1997). It’s got a great intro with pepper photos (see above) and about 50 recipes divided by the type of pepper dish it is: Mild, Warm, Medium, and Hot. If you can find it, it’s a great book to add to your collection.