Matt Bray 
If your spice rack is anything like the norm, you likely have both chili flakes and chili powder hanging around. These are two spice stalwarts – kitchen cabinet staples – that bring a punch to dishes when you need it. But when should you use …
Do you love the fiery heat of chili peppers? The tingling sensation that comes from eating something spicy? For many people (including, of course, all of us here at PepperScale), spicy food is irresistible. But what makes us crave it so much? And why do …
As they relate to chili peppers, the terms genus and species are used to classify plants according to their characteristics. Whether you are an enthusiastic lover of hot peppers or a curious cook, it is a good idea to have an understanding of the science …
Scotch bonnet vs. habanero. Two close cousins that spice up the upper end of the Scoville scale. But how do they compare? How often can you find them at a supermarket? And how often do you see them in hot sauces and other spicy products? …
Cayenne and ancho peppers are both popular chilies used in Mexican cuisine. But how do they compare? Is one hotter than the other? Do they taste similar? Do they look alike? Let’s compare these two chilies so that you can make the best choices for …
What are cascabel peppers? Sure many dried chilies rattle, but none do so quite like the cascabel pepper. They keep their rounded shape when dried, which creates the perfect natural bell or rattle. Cascabel chilies are mild in heat (1,000 to 3,000 Scoville heat units) …
Two of the most heard words in the hot pepper world are chipotle and jalapeño. There are so many products surrounding these two chili types, products that tend to play up their differences. One’s smoky and earthy, the other bright and crisp. Yet, for the pepper scale uninitiated, …
While paprika is produced and used all over the world, this spice is most often identified with two specific national food cultures: Spanish and Hungarian. In both cases, the peppers used to make paprika have their origin in Central America but have taken on different …
Jalapeño peppers are known for their fresh, bright flavor and medium kick. Fresh jalapeños, of course, are the cooking go-to, though jalapeño powder is coming on strong as a spice rack alternative. This green powder has the same medium-heat and a surprising amount of flavor …
Habanero peppers are growing fast in popularity. You can now often find them right across from jalapeño peppers on grocery store shelves. But handling a wickedly hot habanero is a totally different experience than handling a barely medium-heat jalapeño. If you don’t follow some simple …