Matt Bray, Author at PepperScale

7 Pot Douglah Guide: Heat, Flavor, uses

What are 7 Pot Douglah peppers? The 7 Pot Douglah (a.k.a. the chocolate 7 Pot) is without a doubt one of the hottest peppers in the world (923,889 – 1,853,986 Scoville heat units.) Though its looks and flavor provide a unique twist to the top end …

El Yucateco Ingredients: What Makes This Hot Sauce Tick?

by Matt Bray

The El Yucateco company was founded in 1968 in Yucatan, Mexico by Priamo J. Gamboa. The term “Yucateco” refers to people from the Yucatan. Gamboa’s company started as a small family-owned business that specialized in habanero-based hot sauces. El Yucateco sauces have gone on to become favorites among chili pepper fans as versatile condiments that can be used on a wide variety of foods. So what’s behind this delicious hot sauce? There are many options, but let’s take a closer look at the ingredients of one of its most popular varieties – El Yucateco Chili Habanero Hot Sauce (red).

Spicy Plum Sauce

by Matt Bray

A boldly fruity fiery dipping sauce…

Plum sauce is a delicious side to Chinese food, particularly anything that’s fried. Sweet, sour, and – in our case – fiery, this bold condiment really provides a real punch to fried egg rolls in particular.

Beyond Chinese, try this spicy plum sauce as a chicken tender dipper. The heat comes comes simply from common cayenne pepper powder, so it’s easy to control and adjust. This is an excellent alternative to your typical barbecue dipping sauce.

Ghost Pepper Nutrition: How Healthy Are They?

by Matt Bray

What’s in a ghost pepper, how much of it you’ll get, and what the research on capsaicin does and doesn’t show about cancer, blood sugar, cholesterol and safety.

7 Pot Primo Guide: Heat, Flavor, Uses

by Matt Bray

What are 7 Pot Primo peppers? What happens when two super-hots meet? Another hottie is born. The 7 Pot Primo is the fiery cross between the wickedly hot Naga Morich and the equally scorching 7 Pot pepper. This is a stable hybrid – having reached …

Anaheim Pepper Nutrition: How Healthy Are They?

by Matt Bray

Anaheim chilies have a mild and sweet flavor that works well in many foods. Being a larger pepper, they can be used in the same dishes for which poblanos are traditionally used, like the popular chile rellenos. And like other chilies, they are very good for you. Let’s break down Anaheim pepper nutrition to see just what makes them so healthy.

Spicy Sour Cream

by Matt Bray

A simple sour cream hack…

Sour cream and Mexican food often goes hand in hand. Sometimes there’s plenty of spice already in that Mexican meal, and other times…well you need a little something extra to amp things up a bit. It’s very simple to turn that sour cream you’re scooping right from the container into a topping that’s a little more fun. Our spicy sour cream recipe is as easy as it gets: just a little chipotle powder and salt and you have a delicious topper for those mild tacos or enchiladas.

We love using chipotle pepper because it’s not only spicy, it also has a delicious smokiness to it. But if smoky isn’t your thing, you can adjust the recipe using various levels of paprika and cayenne pepper powder. They can still bring some heat without that smoky undertone.

Trinidad Scorpion “Butch T” Guide: Heat, Flavor, Uses

by Matt Bray

What are Trinidad Scorpion “Butch T” peppers? A strain of the infamous Trinidad Scorpion pepper, the Trinidad Scorpion “Butch T” was once the hottest pepper in the world – holding the Guinness Book of World Records title in 2011. This is truly a global strain, …

An open jar of pickled pepperoncini in clear brine on a wooden shelf, with three peppers in a small speckled dish beside it

Pepperoncini Nutrition: How Healthy Are They?

by Matt Bray

What’s in fresh and pickled pepperoncini, how much sodium seven popular jars carry, what the yellow dye and sulfites are, and which health claims hold up.

Komodo Dragon Pepper: Fire Bringer

by Matt Bray

Slow-burn super-hot…

Scoville heat units (SHU): 1,400,000 – 2,200,000
Jalapeño reference point: 175 to 880 times hotter
Origin: United Kingdom
Seeds: Komodo Dragon seeds on Amazon

Blistering hot is the only way to describe the Komodo Dragon pepper. With a spiciness that rivals (but doesn’t quite beat) the Carolina Reaper, this super-hot chili is no doubt for extreme eaters only. Like the ghost pepper, it has a “sneaky heat”, a slow burn that allows a lovely fruity flavor to set before knocking your socks off. And unlike most other super-hots, the Komodo Dragon pepper has a place on the supermarket aisle – at least in the United Kingdom where it’s carried in Tesco supermarkets throughout the country.