Matt Bray, Author at PepperScale

Growing Hot Peppers Indoors: Light, Warmth, Pots And Pollination

How to grow hot peppers indoors: which peppers suit it, how much light and warmth they need, pots, watering, hand-pollinating the flowers, pests, and bringing outdoor plants inside for winter.

Poblano Pepper Nutrition: How Healthy Are They?

by Matt Bray

Commonly used for dishes like rajas con crema and chiles relleno, Poblano peppers are large and heart-shaped. Many cooks see them as ideal for stuffing because of the sturdiness of their walls and the mildness of their flavor. Most poblanos clock in at about 2,000 on the Scoville scale, which makes them a little milder than the jalapeño. When dried, poblanos are called ancho chilies. Uses for ancho chilies include as the main ingredient in sauces for enchiladas and in some moles. Like most other chili peppers, poblanos are considered highly nutritious and contain many compounds that support health.

Who Invented Hot Sauce? Why There Are Three Answers

by Matt Bray

Nobody invented hot sauce. People in Mexico were grinding chilies into sauce around 6,000 years ago, the Aztecs are the first whose sauces anyone wrote down, and the bottle on your table is a nineteenth-century Louisiana story that is still argued over.

A small dish of ground cayenne pepper and a heaped measuring teaspoon with a little spill on a worn wooden board, beside three fresh red cayenne peppers and two dried ones

Cayenne Pepper Nutrition: How Healthy Are They?

by Matt Bray

What’s in a teaspoon of cayenne, how much vitamin A and C you get from it, and what the research on weight, blood sugar, ulcers and your heart does and doesn’t show.

Tandoori Masala Spice Mix

by Matt Bray

A delicious and surprisingly versatile Indian spice…

If you love the exotic flavors of Indian cuisine, then you’ll certainly love using a tandoori masala spice mix in the kitchen. This seasoning is delicious and surprisingly versatile. You can use it, of course, for the traditional Indian yogurt-based tandoori marinade. But try it as well sprinkled on vegetables (we love it on fried potatoes). Or use it as a simple meat rub, as a burger spice, or even as a salad seasoning.

Paprika provides a little simmering heat, but there’s some additional cayenne pepper powder in the recipe to up the spiciness. Feel free to use whole spices that are ground fresh rather than spice rack powders. They’ll provide a more aromatic and flavorful spice mix.

If you like exotic seasoning with a little heat, don’t miss some more of our favorite seasoning recipes: berbere spice mix, harissa seasoning, and ras el hanout. Or turn the ever-popular Sriracha sauce into a delicious spicy seasoning with our Sriracha powder recipe.

Jalapeño Nutrition: How Healthy Are They?

by Matt Bray

Jalapeños are popular in the United States (and around the world) largely because of their moderate level of heat and their relatively mild flavor. But did you know that there’s a lot to be said for jalapeño nutrition as well? These Mexican peppers contain significant amounts of several nutrients that help to improve your health, along with giving your nachos and salsa a tasty spark. Let’s break down the many jalapeño benefits.

Chilly Chili: The Family-Friendly Ornamental Pepper

by Matt Bray

Beautiful and very mild…

Scoville heat units (SHU): 1 – 1,000
Jalapeño reference point: 2 to 8,000 times milder
Origin: USA
Seeds: Chilly chili on Amazon

Behind the beauty of most ornamental peppers lies intense heat, but not the Chilly Chili. These peppers are closer to a bell pepper in spiciness than a jalapeño, making their beauty very family-friendly in comparison. If keeping your edible garden “colorful yet mild” is key, this hot pepper is a perfect choice. The Chilly Chili plant’s bright bunches of yellow, orange, and red peppers really are a standout, both in containers and outdoor gardens.

Freezing Bell Peppers: A Step-By-Step

by Matt Bray

How to freeze bell peppers raw or blanched, how long they keep, whether to freeze them whole or roasted, and how to cook with them straight from the freezer.

Bell Pepper Benefits: How Healthy Are They?

by Matt Bray

There are more bell pepper benefits than you may know…

Bell peppers often get less attention among peppers because they do not contain capsaicin, the substance that makes hot peppers hot and that provides a range of cancer-fighting benefits. Despite their inability to make your eyes water, bell peppers do provide their own set of compounds for enhancing health. Their nutrients include minerals, vitamins and a range of antioxidants. These health-boosting compounds are essential for the treatment and prevention of certain serious diseases.

Here are some of the many bell pepper benefits and how they can improve your health:

Chipotle Ranch Dressing

by Matt Bray

Ranch dressing all amped up…

For those that love the creamy tang of ranch dressing, get ready for a taste bud revolution. Chipotle ranch dressing takes what’s best with ranch and layers in heat and a hint of smoke. It turns an everyday salad into something bold.

This touch of Tex-Mex serves more than simply salad, too. As a veggie dipper, it’s delicious. We especially love the chipotle pepper smokiness paired with the sweetness of carrots. And if you’re having buffalo wings, try chipotle ranch instead of the regular plain Jane dressing for a little extra fire.