Matt Bray 
Scotch bonnets and jalapeños are two spicy peppers that come from different parts of the Americas: the scotch bonnet from the Caribbean islands and jalapeños from Mexico. But both have global popularity. So which is hotter than the other? How does their flavor and shape …
The Scoville scale rates chili heat from zero to the millions. Here’s how Wilbur Scoville’s 1912 test worked, how HPLC replaced it, a full heat table from bell pepper to Pepper X, and what the number still cannot tell you.
So cayenne-based crushed red pepper just isn’t hot enough for you? That’s ok. Habanero peppers can amp things up quite nicely. Habanero flakes can work anywhere you’d use generic red pepper flakes, with a couple of flavor twists. There’s an ever-so-slight hint of sweetness to them that you …
Canned jalapeños and fresh jalapeños are both used liberally in many Latin and Tex-Mex recipes. Each brings different qualities to a dish that you should keep in mind when choosing between them. How do they differ? Let’s compare the two. How do canned jalapeños differ from …
Most people file the cayenne as a hotter jalapeño, and that is the one thing it is not. These two sit at opposite ends of medium heat, one nearly mild and one nearly hot, but the heat gap is the easy part. The harder part …
What are sport peppers? Chicago wouldn’t be Chicago without sport peppers. These tangy, medium-heat pickled peppers (10,000 to 23,000 Scoville heat units) are a must for Chicago-style hot dogs (served whole on the dog) and just as tasty sliced for sandwiches, hoagies, and pizzas. They …
By many, chili paste and chili sauce are considered the same product. There are many variations of each from all over the world, so you will often see the same product described as both paste and sauce depending on the source. And it’s not a …
What are cheiro roxa peppers? Looking for an ornamental pepper with more to it than just looks? The cheiro roxa is a uniquely colored purple chili that many consider one of the prettiest peppers for landscaping. Plus, unlike most other ornamentals that lack flavor, the …
What are Devil’s Tongue peppers? There’s no hiding what to expect from Devil’s Tongue pepper – it’s all in the name. There’s a lot of heat here (125,000 to 325,000 Scoville heat units) that’s embodied in a twisted and folded habanero-like shape – like the …
Gochugaru is a form of dried chili that you will often see in Korean cuisine. It is what gives kimchi its red color. Red pepper flakes are the same product that is sometimes known as crushed red pepper. You might see red pepper flakes/crushed red …
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