Matt Bray 
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 …
Crushed red pepper (a.k.a. red pepper flakes) are forms of coarsely ground chili peppers with the seeds left in. The chili peppers used to make the typical crushed red pepper include cayenne (most common), chile de arbol, or ancho. That said, there are many different …
In a well-stocked spice rack, there are typically a few fiery spices available. Two of the most popular are crushed red pepper and cayenne powder. They both will light up a dish, but is one better than the other depending on the dish? Is there …
What are rocotillo peppers? Like a habanero or scotch bonnet pepper in shape, the rocotillo pepper comes in much lower in overall heat. It’s really a mild pepper − just a wee bit hotter than the poblano on the Scoville scale (1,500 to 2,500 Scoville …
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 …
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