| |
How Hot Is It?
The Scoville Rating System
for Chile PeppersNext time you're in the bulk herb section buying chile, look for the Scoville Rating System numbers next to "cayenne." Those little numbers measure the fire of peppers in standardized "heat units," AKA how many capsaicinoids are in a chile pepper. Ready to spice up your chili?
Capsaicinoids are powerful alkaloids in the wall of a pepper which are released by cutting (or chewing). The more you cut, the hotter it gets. So... you want your pot of beans to have a little heat? Cut a jalepeno in half and throw it in. Want your salsa really spicy? Take that jalepeno and chop it up fine before you add the tomatoes and garlic. Uh-oh. Too much?Some folks like to eat something sweet to cool the fire. But in my experience, dairy products work best, especially sour cream or a small glass of whole milk. Always wash your hands, knife, and cutting board thoroughly after cutting hot peppers. There is nothing worse than rubbing your eye, and THEN remembering you didn't wash up properly. Here are the numbers for some common peppers listed in order of their Scoville Rating for heat units (hu): | Pepperoncini | 100 - 500 | | Anaheim | 500 - 1,500 | | Poblano | 1,500 - 2,500 | | Banana Pepper | 2,000 - 4,000 | | Jalepeno | 2,500 - 8,000 | | Serrano | 7,000 - 25,000 | | Chilipiquin | 30,000 - 60,000 | | Thai Bird Pepper | 50,000 - 100,000 | | Habenero | 100,00 - 325,000 | | Red Habenero | 225,000 - 577,000 (!) |
Back to Cayenne
Back to Cooking with Herbs for Health and Flavor
 Back to Real-Foods.net Home Page
|
