Q: Hello Dave,Last night I was at a bar and the bartender threw out a claim that I had to question. She said the reason jalapeños are spicy, and differently spicy than most other chiles, is because there are tiny particles within the jalapeño that cause very tiny lacerations on the tongue and inside of the mouth when eaten. And …
Heat Scale Consistency in Commercial Products
Q: Hi Dave, How do commercial salsa (big names in particular) and hot-sauce producers ensure that their products’ heat levels maintain some degree of consistency? This arises from having purchased a major salsa from a supermarket in the "medium" degree, as to not burn out my coworkers. Some saw the jar and said, "No thanks, too hot" and some said …
Purple Areas on Pods
Q: Dear Dave,I started growing peppers in my backyard this summer, and although I’ve made a few mistakes (such as planting seeds as late as April), I’ve been successful in growing a few jalapeños. However, there are many dark purple areas on the pods’ surfaces. Those areas started to appear in August, if I recall correctly, and I can’t say …
How to Remove the Heat
Q: Dear Dave,I have a suggestion to share with you on how to remove the heat from peppers. I’ve done this with very, very hot habaneros and it removed up to 90% of the heat from them.How it works: 1. Remove stem, seed, and "placenta" from peppers.2. Place peppers in a small bowl and cover with milk.3. Heat the milk …
Dave’s Fave Hot Sauce???
Q: Dave,First of all, I want to tell you that you have the best fiery-foods site on the web. Second of all, I would like to know what your favorite hot sauce is. Mine is either CaJohns Ace or Wildpeppers Red Savina and Garlic.Sincerely, Bernie A: Hello Bernie:Thanks for your compliment–we are trying hard! I am very fickle about a favorite …