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How
to cook
chili
Tips
for Cooking with Chili Peppers:
Be
very careful when you are handling and cooking fresh chili peppers.
One of the peppers' most pungent compounds, capsaicin, can cause a
severe burning sensation if it touches your skin or lips, or comes
in contact with your eyes.
Because
of this, some people prefer to wear thin rubber gloves when working
with chili peppers. If you choose not to do this, make sure to
thoroughly wash your hands after handling them. Additionally, you
should wash your knife and cutting board after cutting these
peppers.
Capsaicin
primarily resides in the seeds and fleshy white inner membranes. If
you want to enjoy the pungency of peppers but minimize their heat,
you can remove these parts, although capsaicin is responsible for
much of chili pepper's healing properties.
There
is a range of "hotness" between pepper varieties and
sometimes also within the same varieties. Therefore, each time you
cook with them you may need to adjust the amount you use. Before
adding chili peppers to a recipe, taste a little piece to determine
the spice level, so you will know how much to add.
A
Few Quick Serving Ideas:
·
The
next time you make healthy sautéed vegetables, add some chili
peppers to turn up the spice volume.
·
Add
chili peppers to your favorite corn bread recipe to give it an extra
spark.
·
Add
minced chili peppers to yogurt and use as a condiment or dip.
·
Add
jalapeños to your favorite tuna salad recipe.
·
If
your curry dishes need a little extra zip, try adding some chili
peppers.
Purée
fresh chili peppers together with olive oil, garlic, coriander,
peppermint, and caraway. If you would like, add your own favorite
herbs and spices to this mixture to make your own version of
Harissa, a condiment popular in the some Middle Eastern and North
African countries.
Safety
Capsaicin
can irritate or burn your eyes or hands. Chili oil can stick to the
skin, so wash hands thoroughly after handling the peppers and be
cautious about touching your hands to your eyes. Be aware that
pepper dust from grinding dried peppers can irritate throat and
eyes. You can protect yourself by wearing a dust mask and goggles.
If
you find you can't take the heat, cool off with a glass of milk. A
protein in milk called casein can help douse capsaicin fire.
Here are a
few chili "secrets"
-
Chili that is bitter can be sweetened with a little
dark brown sugar. Just enough to kill the bitterness.
-
Chili that is too salty can be rescued by boiling a
peeled potato in the pot. The potato will absorb a lot of the
salt. Also, if your chili comes out way too thin, add some
instant mashed potatoes.This will also absorb salt and is an
easy way to stretch a pot of chili when an unexpected guest
shows up.

Copyright
© 2007 RedChiliRecipe.com
all rights reserved.
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