Do roasted and unroasted peppers taste different after slow cooking in soup all day?
I love red bell peppers. Is there a taste difference if I roast them before chopping and adding them to soup or beans that slow cook for 4-6 hours? Am I just cooking them before cooking them again or does roasting (under my broiler, then peeling) produce a unique taste that I wouldn't get from just simmering them for hours?
Best Answer
The roasting process doesn't just heat the peppers, but the high, dry heat also causes a bit of both scorching and carmelization of the sugars, so I would expect there to be a bit of different flavor, even if both get cooked to the same consistency in a subsequent process.
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Why do roasted peppers taste different?
The roasting process doesn't just heat the peppers, but the high, dry heat also causes a bit of both scorching and carmelization of the sugars, so I would expect there to be a bit of different flavor, even if both get cooked to the same consistency in a subsequent process.How does roasting peppers change the flavor?
Cooking peppers makes dishes hotter because the peppers break down while cooking and releases more capsaicin into the dish. The spiciness is then spread out throughout the dish, so it gives the sensation of an overall spicier meal.How do you get the bitter taste out of pepper soup?
Did You Know: Your pepper soup will have a bitter taste if you use too much of the peppersoup spice blend. To rectify this simply add more water to the broth.Why are my roasted peppers bitter?
That's because most bitter compounds in food break down with heat. The bitterness doesn't go away completely, but it is lessened. A few ways you can use this to your advantage: Saut\xe9 before using in fajitas, fried rice, etc.Does Cooking Vegetables Destroy Nutrients? How to Cook Veggies Properly
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Answer 2
Roasted red peppers would add some subtle sweeter flavor and some smokiness depending how you roast it (over grill, wood ... )
But depending on the actual recipe it might just not make a big difference.
Also when roasting peppers like that, you will remove the outer skin which is hard to do with un-roasted peppers.
Answer 3
Having done some extensive testing on various chili recipes it is fair to say that roasted peppers do taste 'different' than unroasted. That difference is more noticeable if you also peel the peppers after roasting as the peel itself is something of a 'flavor barrier'. 
This page has a good tutorial on how to roast and peel red bell peppers, but the technique is good for any pepper I have tried. For my part, I prefer to open the peppers and clean out the spines and seeds and membrane before roasting and peeling. With hotter peppers this amplifies the flavor affect of the roast because it clears away most of the 'heat' (capsaicin) allow you to really taste the pepper and not the heat.
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