Chilli strength

corblimey

This weekend, I made a dish I make regularly. Usually, I put 3-4 birds eyes chillies in it and it blows my socks off. This weekend, the same amount of chillies but socks stayed firmly on. I know the bigger normal red chillies are, the less heat they hold, but the birds eye chillies are small, so I wouldn't have thought that was a consideration. I get mine in Tescos, so it might depend on how long they've been out the back or who their supplier is, etc.

Since I'd like to avoid playing a guessing game every time I use chillies, is it possible to get some that are consistently strong and work out for myself how many I can use, and then be able to stick with that number?

duploelabs

If you want to gauge a chilli before you add it to the dish, slice off the stalk and the very top of it and rub your finger on the exposed slice, dab your finger on your tongue and it should give you a gauge of how hot said chilli is and then how many you should put in your dish.

the_sonandmoon

I put what I assumed was a quite mild yellow chilli into a salad dressing this weekend. Half my family wouldn't eat it because it was too hot for them. TBH, it was a lot hotter than I expected it to be.

Dial Hard

duploelabs wrote:

If you want to gauge a chilli before you add it to the dish, slice off the stalk and the very top of it and rub your finger on the exposed slice, dab your finger on your tongue and it should give you a gauge of how hot said chilli is and then how many you should put in your dish.

I just lick the cut end of the chilli directly. Gives you a far better idea of how hot the chilli is and avoids the dreaded "chilli finger".

OP, it really depends on a huge variance of factors - the weather when the chilli was growing, how much water it got, how ripe it was when it was picked, etc. And,of course, the variety. Were these definitely birds eyes? Small Anaheims can look very similar but are much, much milder and are often the ones you find in generic "mixed chilli" packs. Mind you, the Aldi and Lidl ones usually include a Habanero too, so if you want heat, there's your answer!

Speedwell

Funny thing, but I get my most reliable heat out of dried Naga Jolokia peppers. It truly only takes a pinch, because they're so hot, but they have a delicious fruity-chile flavor under the astounding heat. They make divine hot chili oil, too, if you pour warmed oil over them in a jar and steep for a few weeks, and the oil is easier to use than the chile itself. I just put some in a black olive tapenade, yum.

Mellor

corblimey wrote: »

I know the bigger normal red chillies are, the less heat they hold,

That's not necessarily true .It's more a general guide, large sweet peppers are mild, jalepenos have a little heat, long red chillis are hot, birds eye hotter. But habeneros are bigger than birds eye, but hotter. And if one long red chilli is smaller than another long red, it may or may not be hotter.

I had a dish of fried, cheese stuffed jalepenos last night. A friend tasted a tiny bit and neary died. I was like, "they aren't hot at all you baby" as I ate through them. My GF was sharing them and agreed they were mild. At the end I got to the one my friend had nibbled. And picked it up to finish the plate. I bite into half of it and it blew the head of me. My GF had the other half and her eyes watered. I eat jalepenos all the time, and this was way hotter than any other I've had or any that came out on the plate. No idea why, chilli's can be random

OldBean

Chillies can be hard to gauge - lots can change depending on how/where they were grown, so it's probably best not to assume.

I find the easiest way to control heat is to lop off the bottom of the pepper, put a few holes through the sides and let it/them sit in the stew/chilli/curry until it's at the temp you're after, then just pull them out.

Also means I can serve my other half with not-so-hot stuff, and have a bit more fire in my own.