Billy wrote:

> This provided a sturdy addition to the Roast Pork Loin.
>
> http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/...an-squash-soup
>
> Enjoy......we did!!

Did you at least cut the Scotch Bonnet chile in half, or was it just a
pointless addition to be removed later?

Bob

Christine wrote:

>> Did you at least cut the Scotch Bonnet chile in half, or was it just a
>> pointless addition to be removed later?
>>
>
> What would be pointless about removing it later? It would still give the
> soup a bit of heat..maybe more than a bit of heat, even if it were removed
> later. I don't see it as pointless... I probably would do that
> myself..just to get a bit of heat and some of the flavor..

Chile skins have a natural wax-like coating (called a "cuticle") which
protects them from the elements when they're on the plant. Putting a whole
chile into a soup will do nothing whatsoever for the flavor.

Bob

On Oct 15, 7:32*pm, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:
> Christine wrote:
> >> Did you at least cut the Scotch Bonnet chile in half, or was it just a
> >> pointless addition to be removed later?
>
> > What would be pointless about removing it later? It *would still give the
> > soup a bit of heat..maybe more than a bit of heat, even if it were removed
> > later. *I don't see it as pointless... *I probably would do that
> > myself..just to get a bit of heat and some of the flavor..
>
> Chile skins have a natural wax-like coating (called a "cuticle") which
> protects them from the elements when they're on the plant. Putting a whole
> chile into a soup will do nothing whatsoever for the flavor.
>

well, I did read this as "Squash Potage Fail"

spamtrap wrote:

>>>> Did you at least cut the Scotch Bonnet chile in half, or was it just a
>>>> pointless addition to be removed later?
>>
>>> What would be pointless about removing it later? It would still give the
>>> soup a bit of heat..maybe more than a bit of heat, even if it were
>>> removed later. I don't see it as pointless... I probably would do that
>>> myself..just to get a bit of heat and some of the flavor..
>>
>> Chile skins have a natural wax-like coating (called a "cuticle") which
>> protects them from the elements when they're on the plant. Putting a
>> whole chile into a soup will do nothing whatsoever for the flavor.
>
> well, I did read this as "Squash Potage Fail"

The soup might be good without the chile anyway; it's pretty easy to make a
tasty butternut squash soup. I just think that part of the recipe is silly
and pointless. If the soup were simmered for an hour or so (or if the chile
had been frozen), the chile's cell walls might break down to the point where
some flavor and heat could leach out, but I don't see any way that could
happen as the recipe is written.

Bob

Christine wrote:

>> Chile skins have a natural wax-like coating (called a "cuticle") which
>> protects them from the elements when they're on the plant. Putting a
>> whole chile into a soup will do nothing whatsoever for the flavor.
>
> Well..Martha Stewart seems to think that it does something for the
> flavor..as she recommends doing what I would do...cooking it in the
> soup, then removing it before pureeing. She didn't say that it needs
> to be cut in half...and she says it does add some heat.
>
> Maybe cooking it helps release the flavor..that is certainly a lot
> more than just the elements... I would think that cooking it would
> break down that coating...
>
> Maybe not.. But I have heard of doing this from many sources..so I am
> inclined to think that maybe it does add something to the soup.

marthastewart.com is usually a pretty good source for recipes, but I have
personal experience as well as science on my side, so I will continue to say
the web site is wrong.

Bob

Christine wrote:

>> If the soup were simmered for an hour or so (or if the chile had been
>> frozen), the chile's cell walls might break down to the point where some
>> flavor and heat could leach out, but I don't see any way that could
>> happen as the recipe is written.
>
> Have you tried it?

Have I tried putting undamaged chiles into soups? Yes.[1] Have I tried this
particular recipe? No. Why should I believe that there's something magical
about this recipe which will cause the chiles to behave differently than
they do in similar recipes?

If you want the Scotch Bonnet flavor, you have to cut the Scotch Bonnet
open. If you want to minimize the capsaicin while retaining the flowery
flavor of the chile, you remove the seeds and the membrane. That's pretty
elementary knowledge about cooking with chiles.

Bob
[1] Putting unbroken habaneros into soup for a diner to "find" can be a
pretty dramatic practical joke. Just make sure you've got some kind of
cooling drink available for the victim, so that the torture doesn't last
unreasonably long. Sweet lassi is one of the most effective drinks for that.

In article om>,
"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:

> Christine wrote:
>
> >> Did you at least cut the Scotch Bonnet chile in half, or was it just a
> >> pointless addition to be removed later?
> >>
> >
> > What would be pointless about removing it later? It would still give the
> > soup a bit of heat..maybe more than a bit of heat, even if it were removed
> > later. I don't see it as pointless... I probably would do that
> > myself..just to get a bit of heat and some of the flavor..
>
> Chile skins have a natural wax-like coating (called a "cuticle") which
> protects them from the elements when they're on the plant. Putting a whole
> chile into a soup will do nothing whatsoever for the flavor.

One of the notes by a contributor suggests:

" Sliced 4 little notches into the Scotch Bonnet peppers"

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Christine wrote:

>> If you want the Scotch Bonnet flavor, you have to cut the Scotch Bonnet
>> open. If you want to minimize the capsaicin while retaining the flowery
>> flavor of the chile, you remove the seeds and the membrane. That's pretty
>> elementary knowledge about cooking with chiles.
>
> Not necessarily.
>
> I had a friend a quite a few years ago, who fixed a dish at my house.
> He loved hot foods, even though some of his friends didn't. He saw
> Scotch Bonnets/habaneros on sale in the market, and decided to buy a
> bunch of them and add them to the dish. He did add them whole. I
> know, I saw the dish.
>
> The dish without them (he had made it before) wasn't that bad. When
> he added them it was just too blasted hot, and I couldn't even begin
> to eat it.. Even whole, they added a ton of heat.
>
> Maybe other chiles don't..but these sure did.
>
> So, the heat (at least from my experience) does transfer.


Without knowing more about the dish, I can't comment, other than to say that
the chiles must have been damaged in some way in order to let heat into the
dish.

Try this: Put a whole habanero into your mouth. Let it sit there for five
minutes. You will observe *no* heat from it. The heat only comes out when
the cuticle is broken.

Bob

Christine wrote:

>> Try this: Put a whole habanero into your mouth. Let it sit there for five
>> minutes. You will observe *no* heat from it. The heat only comes out when
>> the cuticle is broken.
>
> That is not quite the same as applying heat to it, and cooking it. I
> would think cooking damages the cuticle and breaks it.

Sure, given enough heat and enough time. I just don't believe that the
fairly-brief simmer in the recipe is enough for that to happen.

Bob

On Fri, 15 Oct 2010 20:49:52 -0700, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

> On Fri, 15 Oct 2010 20:32:15 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
> > wrote:
>
> >If you want the Scotch Bonnet flavor, you have to cut the Scotch Bonnet
> >open. If you want to minimize the capsaicin while retaining the flowery
> >flavor of the chile, you remove the seeds and the membrane. That's pretty
> >elementary knowledge about cooking with chiles.
>
> Not necessarily.
>
> I had a friend a quite a few years ago, who fixed a dish at my house.
> He loved hot foods, even though some of his friends didn't. He saw
> Scotch Bonnets/habaneros on sale in the market, and decided to buy a
> bunch of them and add them to the dish. He did add them whole. I
> know, I saw the dish.
>
> The dish without them (he had made it before) wasn't that bad. When
> he added them it was just too blasted hot, and I couldn't even begin
> to eat it.. Even whole, they added a ton of heat.
>
> Maybe other chiles don't..but these sure did.
>
> So, the heat (at least from my experience) does transfer.
>
They were scotch bonnets! A little goes a long way with them.


--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

Billy wrote:

>> Well..Martha Stewart seems to think that it does something for the
>> flavor..as she recommends doing what I would do...cooking it in the
>> soup, then removing it before pureeing. She didn't say that it needs
>> to be cut in half...and she says it does add some heat.
>
> You can be well assured that Martha Stewart test kitchen prepared this
> dish a few dozen times eliminating ANY error in ingredient quantity
> and preparation. I use her method first and then make necessary
> adjustments to my taste level. Trust me....the pepper adds plenty of
> flavor, or maybe I am overly sensitive to the "heat".

More likely that you just IMAGINED it being spicy, since you expected it to
be.


> I would prepare this again, exactly as written.

Heh... because it wasn't spicy?

Bob

On Oct 15, 10:54*pm, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:
> Christine wrote:
> >> If you want the Scotch Bonnet flavor, you have to cut the Scotch Bonnet
> >> open. If you want to minimize the capsaicin while retaining the flowery
> >> flavor of the chile, you remove the seeds and the membrane. That's pretty
> >> elementary knowledge about cooking with chiles.
>
> > Not necessarily.
>
> > I had a friend a quite a few years ago, who fixed a dish at my house.
> > He loved hot foods, even though some of his friends didn't. *He saw
> > Scotch Bonnets/habaneros on sale in the market, and decided to buy a
> > bunch of them and add them to the dish. *He did add them whole. *I
> > know, I saw the dish.
>
> > The dish without them (he had made it before) wasn't that bad. *When
> > he added them it was just too blasted hot, and I couldn't even begin
> > to eat it.. *Even whole, they added a ton of heat.
>
> > Maybe other chiles don't..but these sure did.
>
> > So, the heat (at least from my experience) does transfer.

It does, but it takes quite a while.
>
> Without knowing more about the dish, I can't comment, other than to say that
> the chiles must have been damaged in some way in order to let heat into the
> dish.
>
> Try this: Put a whole habanero into your mouth. Let it sit there for five
> minutes. You will observe *no* heat from it. The heat only comes out when
> the cuticle is broken.

Everything Bob wrote in this thread is correct. You have to cook an
intact chile for quite a while to breach its protective coating. The
earlier mentioned prank could work well with chiltepin peppers because
they're small.
An idea, Fiery Surprise Chili. I should grow chiltepins next year.
>
> Bob

--Bryan

On Oct 15, 10:36*pm, Dan Abel > wrote:
> In article om>,
> *"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:
>
> > Christine wrote:
>
> > >> Did you at least cut the Scotch Bonnet chile in half, or was it just a
> > >> pointless addition to be removed later?
>
> > > What would be pointless about removing it later? It *would still give the
> > > soup a bit of heat..maybe more than a bit of heat, even if it were removed
> > > later. *I don't see it as pointless... *I probably would do that
> > > myself..just to get a bit of heat and some of the flavor..
>
> > Chile skins have a natural wax-like coating (called a "cuticle") which
> > protects them from the elements when they're on the plant. Putting a whole
> > chile into a soup will do nothing whatsoever for the flavor.
>
> One of the notes by a contributor suggests:
>
> " Sliced 4 little notches into the Scotch Bonnet peppers"

That would definitely do the trick, while still making it easy to
remove the whole chile. I'm going to remember that.
>
> --
> Dan Abel

--Bryan

On Sat, 16 Oct 2010 05:55:54 -0700 (PDT), Bryan
> wrote:

> Everything Bob wrote in this thread is correct. You have to cook an
> intact chile for quite a while to breach its protective coating. The
> earlier mentioned prank could work well with chiltepin peppers because
> they're small.
> An idea, Fiery Surprise Chili. I should grow chiltepins next year.
> >

That's real adult of you.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On Sat, 16 Oct 2010 05:55:12 -0400, Mr. Bill > wrote:

> Trust me....the pepper adds plenty of
> flavor, or maybe I am overly sensitive to the "heat". I would
> prepare this again, exactly as written.

You can always add more heat, but you can't take it away. When they
publish a recipe, it's going to be as mild as humanly possible because
most Americans think black pepper is "spicy".

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On Sat, 16 Oct 2010 05:59:05 -0700 (PDT), Bryan
> wrote:

> On Oct 15, 10:36*pm, Dan Abel > wrote:
> > In article om>,
> >
> > One of the notes by a contributor suggests:
> >
> > " Sliced 4 little notches into the Scotch Bonnet peppers"
>
> That would definitely do the trick, while still making it easy to
> remove the whole chile. I'm going to remember that.
> >

Another stupid man trick. Use less hot chiles and leave them in.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

Christine Dabney wrote:
>
> On Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:32:12 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
> > wrote:
>
> >Chile skins have a natural wax-like coating (called a "cuticle") which
> >protects them from the elements when they're on the plant. Putting a whole
> >chile into a soup will do nothing whatsoever for the flavor.
> >
> >Bob
> >
>
> Well..Martha Stewart seems to think that it does something for the
> flavor..as she recommends doing what I would do...cooking it in the
> soup, then removing it before pureeing. She didn't say that it needs
> to be cut in half...and she says it does add some heat.
>
> Maybe cooking it helps release the flavor..that is certainly a lot
> more than just the elements... I would think that cooking it would
> break down that coating...
>
> Maybe not.. But I have heard of doing this from many sources..so I am
> inclined to think that maybe it does add something to the soup.

It would be very difficult for a fresh chile to survive the picking,
packing and washing (at home) processes with a completely undamaged
cuticle.

Dropping whole chiles into a soup or stew, and then removing them later,
is a common practice. It is less heat than cutting up the chile, but it
does provide some heat.

Arri London wrote:
>Christine Dabney wrote:
>>
>> "Bob Terwilliger" wrote:
>>
>> >Chile skins have a natural wax-like coating (called a "cuticle") which
>> >protects them from the elements when they're on the plant. Putting a whole
>> >chile into a soup will do nothing whatsoever for the flavor.

>>
>> Well..Martha Stewart seems to think that it does something for the
>> flavor..as she recommends doing what I would do...cooking it in the
>> soup, then removing it before pureeing. She didn't say that it needs
>> to be cut in half...and she says it does add some heat.
>>
>> Maybe cooking it helps release the flavor..that is certainly a lot
>> more than just the elements... I would think that cooking it would
>> break down that coating...
>>
>> Maybe not.. But I have heard of doing this from many sources..so I am
>> inclined to think that maybe it does add something to the soup.
>
>It would be very difficult for a fresh chile to survive the picking,
>packing and washing (at home) processes with a completely undamaged
>cuticle.

Protecting from the elements does not include cooking... pickling is a
form of cooking.

>Dropping whole chiles into a soup or stew, and then removing them later,
>is a common practice. It is less heat than cutting up the chile, but it
>does provide some heat.

All produce/plants have a protective covering/coating of some sort but
does not protect against cooking/freezing. One of the best methods
for flavoring long cooking dishes is to leave the aromatics whole so
that they will release their flavor over protracted time and build a
multi-layered depth of flavor... with very long looking it's
beneficial to apportion and add the aromatics
periodically/continuously. Of course keyboard kuticles are immune to
all elements except Kryptonite! LOL-LOL