Q: Dear Dave,Where can I buy some pure capsaicin? Or, if you can’t buy it, how could I extract it from the chile? –Rob A: Rob:Pure capsaicin is a deadly poison and you can’t buy it. You cannot extract it, either. The closest you can get is The Source from www.originaljuan.com–Dave
Marinated Red Jalapeños
Q: Hi Dave,About four years ago I was served some marinated red jalapeños in a restaurant. They were great… slightly sweeter and milder than the typical marinated green jalapeños. I finally was able to find out that it was an experiment by ConAgra, and had just been discontinued. Since then I’ve been trying to find another source, or to get …
Plant Vigor
Q: Hello Dave:I started growing chile pepper plants about a month ago now. Most of them seem to be doing quite well except for my Red Savina and Hawaiian sweet-hots. I know these have long growing seasons, but are they slow starters?–Michael A: Hello Michael:The rate of growth of chiles varies widely among varieties and individual plants. This is called …
Simply the Hottest
Q: Hi Dave, I want to know which chile is simply the hottest. There has been a lot of argument between the Red Savina habanero, the Chocolate Brown habanero, the Tezpur, the tepin and the Scotch bonnet. –Rob (fellow hothead) A: Hello Rob:Tests at New Mexico State showed that the Chocolate Brown habanero was the hottest of the varieties you …
Can Beer & Bread Reduce the Burn?
Q: Dear Dave,I was hoping you could solve a friendly argument about capsaicin—technically about how to best control the burn in your mouth after eating it. I have someone telling me the answer is beer and bread. Although I don’t disagree with the bread part, I do disagree with the beer aspect. I read that all carbonated drinks (including beer) …