Hello Dave:Where is the capsaicin located in the chile pod, in the flesh or the seeds? Thanks,Edgar Hello Edgar:Neither. It is located in the placental tissue in which the seeds are lodged. It disperses during processing and spreads over the flesh and seeds, giving illusion of the seeds being the location of capsaicin.Dave
First Steps to Becoming a Pro
Hi Dave!Not sure if you can help me, but I am helping my mother in getting her salsa marketed. She and her two sisters are excellent cooks and have a very vintage flare. Anyways, she makes an excellent salsa, which everyone loves, and I would like her to try selling it. We have a product name and that’s about it. …
’Facing Heaven’ Chile Substitution
Dear Dave,You recommend piquin chilies as a substitite for the Sichuan "facing-heaven" chilies that people who’ve read Fuchsia Dunlop’s excellent Sichuan cookbook Land of Plenty frequently seek. However, based on her description of the "facing heaven" varietypopular in Sichuan Province, the piquin is not a good choice. She specifically says that authentic "facing heaven chilies" (chao tian jiao) are not …
Bugs in Chiles
Hi Dave:Have you ever heard/ seen insects getting into commercially dried chiles? I thought the dried chiles would inhibit any bugs but I just opened a commercially sealed package of dried chiles and there were what looked like webs attached to the chile pods and weird "stuff" in the package. I’ve never seen such a thing before. I know pasta …
Extra Strength Capsaicin Cream
Dave,Where can I get capsaicin cream at more than usual .1% strength? I need something strong against the leg pain. Which company makes the stuff?Thanks, BudHello Bud:Most companies take the safe road, with relatively low strength cream. I would advise that you make your own–it’s quite easy and you can adjust the heat to your liking.Infused Habanero Salve2 tablespoons habanero …