Hot peppers add flavor and zing to any recipe. People who love hot peppers and the potent heat they bring are called "chiliheads" (not to be confused with the tailgating margarita lovers known as "parrotheads"). Chiliheads are always on the lookout for things to do with their peppers. However, before you start chopping away at that habenero, there are a few steps you must take.
Instructions
1. Pick peppers that have a good pepper shape. Make sure they feel firm to and have a glossy skin.
2. Store your fresh peppers in the refrigerator wrapped in paper towels. This decreases the moisture that can ruin a pepper. Keep dried peppers in an air-tight container; if you put them in the refrigerator, they'll last longer.
3. Wash your peppers before using them. Be careful not to touch your eyes or nose when handling the peppers. If you use a dishtowel to dry them or scrub them, be sure to wash it after you use it.
4. Put on gloves, unless a burning pain in your hands sounds like a good excuse to drink margaritas with the neighborhood parrothead. If you don't have gloves, secure a couple of plastic sandwich bags over your hands with rubber bands.
5. Remember that peppers are hot because they have capsaicin in the veins of the pepper and the seeds. Get rid of the center of the pepper to cap your chili recipe off at five alarms.
6. Be creative. Peppers aren't just great in chili and salsa recipes, they make excellent hot sauces, too. Some farmers also use hot peppers to keep insects from eating their dried grains. Other people have found that hot pepper can cure or alleviate a variety of ailments, including sinus headaches, migraines and stuffy noses.
Tags: your hands