Matt Bray 
Peppers contain a lot of water and they will dry up quickly or rot if you fail to store them correctly. Keep in mind that for any storage method used on produce to work, you need to start out with fresh produce. Whether they are …
What are Hatch peppers? A lot of big flavor comes out of one tiny village in New Mexico. The town of Hatch (population ~1,600) and the Hatch Valley region are home to some of the most coveted chili peppers on the market. Known as Hatch peppers, …
No kitchen is complete without paprika. It’s a spice rack staple – the fourth most popular spice in the world. It’s found right next to salt and pepper in many a cabinet. But what is paprika really? It’s made from dried and ground peppers that are part …
If chilies could have doppelgangers, there’d be solid reasons to think that the pepperoncini and the banana pepper are the case in point. Their looks – even their heat – are so similar that even for some produce professionals telling them apart is tricky. But …
Botanically speaking, fruits are the seed-bearing pods on flowering plants. Chili peppers fall into this category; in fact, as nightshades, the peppers themselves are technically fruits in the eyes of a botanist. Other nightshade fruits include tomatoes and eggplants. As with all other fruits, there …
Whether it’s that devilish Rooster Sauce made by Huy Fong Foods or a homemade variety, Sriracha is about as popular as they come among hot sauces. Right there on the shelf with Tabasco, it’s a staple in nearly every grocery store and widely available in …
If you’re like many spicy food fans, hot sauce is a staple in the kitchen. And you likely put it on just about anything. If you tend to use a lot of hot sauce, should you be worried about its calories? Does hot sauce have …
Names don’t come any bigger in the world of hot sauce than Tabasco and Sriracha. One’s an American staple with more than a century of history, the other a comparative upstart that’s captured the imagination of a generation of foodies. But how else do they …
There are quite a few ways that you can wind up with an overly spicy salsa. For one thing, many recipes will tell you to use a certain quantity of chopped jalapeño peppers but omit the fact that jalapeños can vary wildly in heat. This …
Guajillo and ancho peppers are two dried Mexican chilies that are typically reconstituted in water or ground to powder when used in Mexican or Tex-Mex cuisine. Despite many similarities, guajillos and anchos have quite a few different properties. Which pepper is hotter? How easy is …