shawn wrote:
> You know I find it strange. Some times I can easily handle habaneros,
> and other times I find Jalapenos too hot. I will say that I got a
> bunch of dried habaneros a few years back and found that those weren't
> that hot, and made a nice addition to a pot of chili.

Fresh, canned and bottled jalapeños vary in their heat factors. Just
like apples, there are sweet McIntosh and bland McIntosh. I think it
all depends on the suppliers' suppliers and where the peppers were grown
and how the growers pampered their crop. There are also more than one
variety of jalapeños, if I'm not mistaken.

> I'm one that believes in adding chilis (powder or fresh) to a dish for
> the taste and not just going for the burn. It reminds me of this Thai
> place I used to go to with a bunch of guys I worked with. One day an
> Indian guy (by ethnicity since he was either total raised in the USA
> or mostly) went with us. They served most dishes with a variety of
> heat levels from no heat, to a 1 (low heat) up to a 5 (crazy hot.)

I'm just a Tabasco kind of guy, from my Bloody Mary to my huevos
rancheros. Anything stronger than Tabasco requires more beer and that's
not good for business.

> Me and this guy ordered the same dish, but I got it at a 1 and he went
> for a 5. He said that the heat doesn't bother him. Needless to say
> that was way too hot for him. LOL. It was funny looking at the two
> plates as mine just had a slight tinge of brown too it and his was
> totally brown due to the spices. I tried a bit of his dish and the
> spices just overwhelmed the taste of the dish. That's why I stuck with
> my level 1 heat since it provided some spice while still allowing you
> to enjoy the taste of the underlying dish.

There are dishes in the Philippines where hot peppers are the main
ingredient. Never tried them so I can't comment, but man, those are
things you don't want to sniff!