How to denature a pepper
Sep. 22nd, 2013 01:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
killing_rose in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
omnomnomYesterday, I discovered ten different peppers in our fridge. (Not counting the sweet bell peppers.) Eight of some long and red and pointy variety. One that looked like a jalapeno. One that looked like a red version of a jalapeno.
Now, if you are a pepper fanatic, this would probably be a great state of affairs. As we have three in the house (myself included) who don't handle spice nor capsicum all that well...
Well, the peppers from our CSA have been collecting.
Last week, with an orange variety of pointy-long-pepper, I discovered that I could get it mild enough for my house to handle it cooked. Yesterday, I started the same process with the ten peppers.
When it was one pepper, it was easy enough to just let the two sides denature, and it was pretty quick. With multiple, they're still denaturing.
So with one pepper. First, find gloves, and put them on. Then:
*Take the top off, split in half, and de-seed and pith. Wash it under warm water, while popping all the bubbles. (According to the source I originally went off of, this is where the capsicum is located, so it won't properly denature if you don't do this.)
*Then chop it up, put it in a glass measuring cup, and pour enough whiskey over it to cover. (You can do this with any alcohol, apparently; JD is the one form of booze we can all agree on. So.)
*Leave it to sit about an hour to three. Taste it; when it's mild enough for you, it's done. Pour off the whiskey and, if you have someone who LIKES spice/capsicum, hand it to them to drink.
With a larger batch of peppers, the process still starts the same. Except, when you chop it up, put it in a canning jar. I filled a quart jar full. As I'm cheap and not wasting that much booze, stick to about 2 shots, and rotate the jar.
I've had it right side up, upside down, and am currently rotating it side to side. It's definitely taking longer than if you do this pepper by pepper, but it's about 75% of the way to house-edible, and my housemate really likes the flavored whiskey.
I will caution that if you don't handle capsicum well, large amounts of processing should probably be handed off to someone who does, as I could not breathe by the time I was finished yesterday.
Now, if you are a pepper fanatic, this would probably be a great state of affairs. As we have three in the house (myself included) who don't handle spice nor capsicum all that well...
Well, the peppers from our CSA have been collecting.
Last week, with an orange variety of pointy-long-pepper, I discovered that I could get it mild enough for my house to handle it cooked. Yesterday, I started the same process with the ten peppers.
When it was one pepper, it was easy enough to just let the two sides denature, and it was pretty quick. With multiple, they're still denaturing.
So with one pepper. First, find gloves, and put them on. Then:
*Take the top off, split in half, and de-seed and pith. Wash it under warm water, while popping all the bubbles. (According to the source I originally went off of, this is where the capsicum is located, so it won't properly denature if you don't do this.)
*Then chop it up, put it in a glass measuring cup, and pour enough whiskey over it to cover. (You can do this with any alcohol, apparently; JD is the one form of booze we can all agree on. So.)
*Leave it to sit about an hour to three. Taste it; when it's mild enough for you, it's done. Pour off the whiskey and, if you have someone who LIKES spice/capsicum, hand it to them to drink.
With a larger batch of peppers, the process still starts the same. Except, when you chop it up, put it in a canning jar. I filled a quart jar full. As I'm cheap and not wasting that much booze, stick to about 2 shots, and rotate the jar.
I've had it right side up, upside down, and am currently rotating it side to side. It's definitely taking longer than if you do this pepper by pepper, but it's about 75% of the way to house-edible, and my housemate really likes the flavored whiskey.
I will caution that if you don't handle capsicum well, large amounts of processing should probably be handed off to someone who does, as I could not breathe by the time I was finished yesterday.