Matt Bray 
Experts differ in how they define heirloom varieties. In most cases, heirloom vegetables (like heirloom peppers) come from varieties that are at least 50 years old. This means that a variety has to be around for at least 50 years before it can get the …
Storing dried chili peppers – whether chipotle, ancho, or another – is usually only necessary if you have far more than you can use in a few months. The drying process does extend the life of peppers considerably — they won’t spoil as quickly — …
Smoked paprika is made with the same chili peppers as sweet paprika, but they are smoked first. To make smoked paprika, the chili peppers are smoked for between 10 and 15 days over an oak fire. The smokiness and moderate spiciness, combined with other flavor …
At one point, chipotle pepper was among the more obscure Latin American spices, at least outside Latin America. These days, it’s common in well-stocked kitchens, and the name is familiar to many (in particular, thanks to the popular restaurant chain.) Chipotle peppers are simply jalapeño …
Hot paprika can be either hot Hungarian paprika or hot smoked paprika from Spain. The Spanish and Hungarian versions are interchangeable, but you may not have an easy time finding either in the average American grocery store. If you are trying to replace either type …
Chili powder seasoning consists of various ground spices and at least one herb. This spice blend was invented as a convenience product for American cooks. It encapsulated the flavors of Mexican cooking in one mixture and saved cooks the trouble of seeking out multiple spices. …
Gochujang is one of the beloved ingredients in Korean cooking and offers a distinctive taste. Sambal oelek is a traditional ingredient in Malaysian and Indonesian cooking that has been co-opted by Westerners as a spicier alternative to sriracha. The two chili pastes have a lot …
Tabasco hot sauce is easily the best-known American hot sauce; it has been around since 1868 and has been popular for most of that time. Made from tabasco peppers grown on Louisiana’s Avery Island, Tabasco sauce is a versatile condiment that you can use to …
There’s arguably no spicy condiment more popular than Sriracha across the globe, but its chili paste cousin – sambal oelek – is doing its best to carve out its culinary niche worldwide. These are two fiery flavors, but when the line is drawn in the sand, …
If you’re like us, you love a spicy chili. And that’s often a default state for many chilies, simply from the spices used in many recipes. The chili powder used in most chilies may include cayenne peppers, ancho chilies, or pasilla chilies, to name a …