Chemists measure chilli sauce hotness with nanotubes

www.physorg.com ^ | 05/08/2008 | Source: Oxford University

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Wife and I were at a resort in Ixtapa and we took note of a guy eating halapenjos, crunching them up like carrots. He put a little salt on each pepper to soften the sting...

[Wonder Warthog]

"I think this particular technology’s claim to fame will be: Cheap, quick, easy, disposable.........."

Yup. And them's the same things that have been claimed for "lab-on-a-chip" technologies, with minimal success in the real world. Lots of grant money been spent to "make it happen" though--not very successfully.

[Graybeard58]

If you eat jalapeños daily, eventually they will be "mild" to you.

Jalapeños have a nasty taste to me. I use habeneros and cayennes in my salsa.

[Graybeard58]

The little orange habanjeros are hotter than Thai peppers. I dry these and grind them to add heat to my chili, soups, ribs, etc.

I have 72 habenero plants in the ground now. So far I've been fortunate that the rabbits seem to be leaving them alone this year. They are fond of stripping young plants but haven't been to bad since a few more cats have moved into the neighborhood.

[Red Badger]

I eat Jalapeños straight from my garden in season. Especially good with fried chicken.........

[Graybeard58]

I eat Jalapeños straight from my garden in season. Especially good with fried chicken.

I'll never know since I hate chicken too. Actually I don't "hate" jalapeños, I've eaten them pickled and they are not too bad.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Lets see...72 plants, each producing 30 or 40 little cherry bombs. Yeah, about 2500 peppers should cover my annual requirements.

[uglybiker]

Top of the scale.......

Plus 1!

[Graybeard58]

Your assessment is close to my actual figures. Last year I had 60 plants that yielded 2,280 peppers. Sounds like a lot but when dehydrated they made about 6 dry quarts of crushed flakes.

In past years I have planted a few of the red variety and found their yield to be much less than the orange ones.

[Graybeard58]

I know, I’m strange - I actually kept count.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I go for the dried and ground into flakes routine too. My stash from last year is still about a half pound so I won't bother planting any this year. I cut the little peppers into slices and let them dry in our screened porch. I think dehydrators drive off some of the important volatiles and might reduce the pungency.

[B-Chan]

Here’s a secret that may help you win a bar bet. If you are ever challenged to eat a Habanero whole, you can beat the heat with grease. Good old Mexican manteca ( = lard — the kind tortillas are cooked in) is basically similar to Vaseline, especially if it is slightly cold. Just mop up some lard with a tortilla and tumble it around in your mouth for a minute or two prior to eating the chile. If done properly, this will allow the lard to form a capascum-proof protective layer over the mucous membranes in your mouth; you can then quickly munch the chile with no ill effects. Follow up with a dry tortilla, which will absorb and neutralize any remaining acid in your mouth, and water, to flush the acid-laden tortilla crumbs down your throat.

Of course, if you can swallow a Habenero whole, without chewing, you can win the bet without pre-larding your mouth. Expect some digestive fireworks later, though!