CONCEPT 32: CHILE HEAT RESIDES IN THE PITH AND SEEDS Flashcards
Besides heat, what can chiles add to a dish?
Depth and complexity.
What two basic forms are chiles sold in?
Fresh and dried.
As with bell peppers, green chiles are pick before they are _______.
Ripe
Red, orange and yellow chiles are picked when they’re fully ________.
Matured
What colors are dried chiles?
Red, brown and black.
When are dried chiles generally picked?
When they’re fully ripe.
Which chiles tend to have more concentrated flavor, fresh or dried?
Dried
Chiles get their heat from a group of chemical compounds called _________.
Capsaicinoids
The best known capsaicinoid is _______.
Capsaicin
Most of the capsaicin is concentrated where?
The inner whitish pith, with progressively smaller amounts in the seeds and flesh.
What are the effects of capsaicin on the mouth?
Can cause painful burning on the tongue and a short lived inflammation of the mouth.
Chemesthesis is the perception of ______, _______ and _______.
Pain, touch, heat.
Are some chile varieties 10 to 100 times hotter than others?
Yes
Can the same variety produce specimens with a wide range of heat levels?
Yes
How do climate conditions affect capsaicin?
Chiles grown in sunny, arid weather undergo a lot of stress, and stressed chiles produce more capsaicin than chiles grown in temperate climates.
Two compounds responsible for a majority of chile heat.
Capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin.
The measure of heat is also called what?
Pungency.
Rating for the heat of chile peppers.
Scoville units
How were Scoville units traditionally detected?
Extracting the compound that produces chile heat with alcohol and adding it in tiny drops to a sugar solution until the heat is just detectable by sensory panelists; more sophisticated analytical instruments are used today.
Does appearance have anything to do with chile heat? Explain.
No, small chiles have no more heat than larger ones.
Does “corking” indicate chile heat?
No
What is “corking?”
The white striations visible on the skin of some chiles.
Are serranos generally hotter than jalapeños?
Yes, but heat levels will still vary considerably.
If capsaicin is produced mainly in the membranes/ribs, how do seeds let off some heat?
The seeds absorb capsaicin from the ribs because they are embedded in the pith.
TEST KITCHEN: CAPSAICIN IN SKIN, SEEDS AND PITH.
5 milligrams per kilogram of green jalapeño flesh; 73 milligrams per kg in seeds; 512 milligrams per kg in pith.
How do you remove seeds from dried chiles? Should you reserve them?
Break off the stem to open up the chiles and brush out any seeds. Dried chiles are generally quite intense; don’t usually reserve the seeds.
How do you know if a chile is good quality?
Tight, unblemished skin and flesh that’s firm to the touch.
Pablano appearance.
Large, triangular; green to red-brown.
Pablano flavor.
Crisp, vegetal.
Pablano heat.
1,000 - 2,000 Scoville units.
Pablano substitutions.
Anaheim, bell pepper.
Anaheim appearance.
Large, long, skinny; yellow-green to red.
Anaheim flavor.
Mildly tangy, vegetal.
Anaheim heat.
500 - 2,500 Scoville units
Anaheim substitution.
Pablano
Jalapeño appearance.
Small, smooth, shiny; green or red.
Jalapeño flavor.
Bright, grassy.
Jalapeño heat.
2,500 - 8,000 Scoville units
