J - Jalapenos

I love cooking with hot peppers.

Jalapenos are probably the most popular hot pepper due to their adequate heat level and availability at the grocery store. So, what's with me saying "adequate" heat level? Have you ever gone to a restaurant and ordered a "hot dish?" I don't mean the waitress. Restaurants like toning down heat so most anyone can tolerate even a spicy dish. For that reason, you won't find a habanero hamburger or a scotch bonnet seared steak but you will find jalapenos a plenty.

Mexican and Thai restaurants are the exception.

Hot peppers are unique in they contain capsaicin. Capsaicin is produced as an oil within the reproductive membrane of the pepper. Capsaicin bonds with all types of tastebuds on the tongue and gives the feeling of burning. The higher the capsaicin level, the more burn. Yes, people like a safe burn for the same reason they like the thrill of a rollercoaster. The best part - you get an adrenalin rush.

Long before people were busy with jobs and kids and little league practice, a man invented a means of measuring the level of capsaicin in a pepper. Mr. Scoville's methods were later enhanced with computers and high-tech wizardry and we got a nice Scoville chart for determining the heat of a pepper variety. I've listed just a few common peppers with their heat level.

0-100 Scoville Units includes most Bell/Sweet pepper varieties.
1,000-2,000 Ancho & Pasilla peppers
1,000-2,500 Cherry peppers
2,500-5,000 Jalapeno peppers
5,000-15,000 Serrano peppers
30,000-50,000 Cayenne & Tabasco peppers.
100,000-350,000 Scotch Bonnet & Thai peppers.
200,000 to 300,000 Habanero peppers.
Around 16,000,000 is Pure Capsaicin.

Note the Scotch Bonnets and Habaneros overlap.

I thought Jalapeno's were hot until I stumbled upon a version of this chart. I discovered I was a wimpy pepper eater - AND I WANTED TO TEST THE LIMIT!

If a Jalapeno is rated at up to 5,000 Scoville units, why would anyone in their right mind eat a Habanero? Beats me, I'm not in my right mind. In fact, it's a good question. Each pepper has it's own distinct flavor. I fancy a scotch bonnet pepper with it's high heat and amazingly fruity flavor. This pepper rippens as a beautiful orange or red round wrinkly pepper. As a bit of an aside, the 3000+ hot sauces available on the market blend peppers with complimentary flavors to bring an unexpected bouquet of flavor. Bouquet of flavor? Scotch bonnets, for example, might be blended with orange juice to enhance the citris flavor. Fact is, a 200,000 Habanero can have a great flavor in addition to the heat.

Peach salsa is a great way of discovering jalapenos. I found a simple recipe that called for peaches, jalapenos, red onions, cilantro, tomatoes, and a few spices. I hit the farmer's market for the fixings and then went to work. I made two amazing discovers. First, salsa tends to reduce down to about half of it's original volume within the first 24 hours of refridgeration. Second, cilantro makes a difference. I didn't have any when I made the recipe and figured it was probably just for looks. But then the salsa had a very oniony, vinegary taste - I thought it just needed more time. After four days in the fridge, the taste was still way off. Then I ran out and bought some cilantro, diced it, and mixed it in. IMMEDIATELY, the taste of the salsa changed. Gone were the strong vinegar flavors and suddenly I could taste all the individual flavors of the tomatos, peaches, etc.

A final note about peppers and heat...I love Taco Bell because it's fast and cheap. One day I found my refridgerator had every heat level of Taco Bell "hot sauce...mild to FIRE. I lined them up and started comparing ingredients. The difference between the FIRE sauce and the HOT was garlic. Who would have though garlic could bring up the heat? Enjoy you next hot dish but don't think peppers are the only way to bring the heat.