"Lynn from Fargo Ografmorffig" > wrote in message
...
On Mar 31, 10:14 pm, "Jebediah Kornworthy"
> wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I have a question regarding chili peppers. I love chipotle but
> when you buy the ground mix it is too hot for me. I cannot eat hot food
> any longer because of the medication I am taking, sooooo, I want to tame
> it
> down a bit.
>
> Here is my thought. I want to buy some whole Chipotle peppers
> and devain and deseed them myself. Since the peppers are dried I was
> wondering if there is any special tips or advice I could garner? Do you
> devain and deseed them dry or do you rehydrate them? I don't want to
> rehydrate them myself. Maybe a small knife or X-ACTO knife?
>
> So have any of you tried this? Did you have any waste? Your thoughts and
> suggestions are greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Jeb

Chipotle peppers are red jalapenos that have been dry roasted and
smoked. They are already dry when you buy them. You CAN buy ground
chipotle. I've had pretty good luck using it. Start with a tiny
amount say 1/8 teaspoon in a cup of tomato sauce. Taste (just a
couple of drops will do) and you will know how powerful the chile is.
The smoky flavor will still come thru at small quantities. I buy my
chipotle at my supermarket in bulk. An ounce will last me quite a
while (cooking for one).
Lynn in Fargo
amybody else have a way to "test" chile strength?

Sure, same way to test the seasoning of any dish, taste!

Penzeys sells naturally smoked paprika, has great depth of smokiness with no
heat.... I'd think enough to satisfy the degree of smokiness desired with a
small amount of any hot pepper would be quite satisfactory... allows one to
add the two factors separately... add a little at a time and taste as you go
That's the one thing I never liked about chipotle, in order to have enough
smokiness the dish needs to be too hot, at least for me... I don't have the
powdered but I have a bunch of whole chipolte, will probably last me
forever... to me it's tantamont to cheap chili powder that contains too much
salt. To me the ratio of heat to smokiness of chipolte is way off the scale
to the hot side. And I grow jalopenos... there is no way to know the degree
of heat without tasting and every pepper is different, even off the same
plant. Some years I've grown jalopenos and they've been so wimpy you could
eat a bunch out of hand, other years they're so hot they're deliriously
dangerous... and all grown from the same seed, go figure. Obviously has a
lot to do with the weather and how long each is left on the plant.