Cayenne Peppers

If they are proper cayenne chillies you can use them green or just wait for them to turn red - which could take some time.

Cayenne peppers can be quite hot if you aren't used to them. The original ones from French Guiana are pretty hot but the Carolina ones are extremely hot.

Using them green they will be a bit cooler than the red but will have a slightly fresher flavour.

Some of us on here are chilli nutters and the Carolina cayenne would be considered fairly hot by us. I'm happy to eat them raw but I would never recommend it to anyone.

If you don't like them too hot (and I'm pretty sure yours will be the original so not quite so hot) then you need to cut them open lengthwise and, using a sharp knife, scrape the seeds and inner membrane from the flesh and discard it. That is the part that has the most heat.

Google 'Scoville Scale' to find out about how hot chillies are. The scale measures the amount of the chemical capsaicin in the chilli and this is what gives it the heat.

 

I admit that I'm a chilli head . Jalapenos are just sweet peppers as far as I'm concerned . Our favourite chilli that we grow has been identified at chilli festivals as looking very much like a short Tabasco (about half to one inch) but they all agree that it's hotter than Scotch Bonnet. I eat them raw, green or red, and mrs shiney also eats them raw but prefers them when she has 'pickled' them.

She does them in a way that isn't really recommended but we find successful. We don't let them dry first but put them in a little vinegar for a couple of hours and then take them out and put them on kitchen paper. Heat up some coconut oil (not too hot), put some chillies in a small jar and pour the oil over them, seal the jars and let them cool a little and then put them in the fridge. Once they are cold the oil solidifies and you can then just use a teaspoon to scoop out a small amount, as needed. We have found that they seem to keep indefinitely this way.

Funnily enough, the chillies seem to lose some of their fiery qualities but the oil is extra hot. So you can always just take a little of the oil to add to dishes.