How does one tell if a jalapeno is spicy?
It seems like it is always hit and miss when it comes to eating jalepenos. What are some ways to tell if the jalapeno is hot or not, besides tasting it?
Thanks.
Best Answer
The only way to test for capsaicin besides tasting is chemical testing, namely liquid chromatography. Problem is, the same kind of chili can be quite different in heat, even on the same bush it can be quite different from my experience. No idea why, though.
Here is one tip on how to check the heat of a chili without actually eating part of it, but still cutting it apart: Cut through the chili below the stem, touch the membranes, touch your tongues, feel the heat. http://www.chow.com/videos/show/chow-tips/78517/how-to-test-the-heat-of-your-chiles
You can adjust the amount of heat a chili adds to the dish by removing the white membranes. Just add the colored flesh, check for heat, and add membranes until the desired spiciness is obtained. Capsaicin is only produced in the white mebranes in the center. It may move inside the fruit, though. Areas closer to the membranes will be hotter (like, the seeds), than other parts.
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Quick Answer about "How does one tell if a jalapeno is spicy?"
Check out the white lines An older pepper with lots of white lines is indicative of the pepper being spicy. Doc Hotties explains that the white lines are the spiciest parts of the pepper because they are where all the capsaicin — what causes the burning sensation — accumulates.How can you tell if a jalapeno is spicy?
Look for Stretch Marks The older the pepper, and the more stress the plant has been under, the more white lines you'll see, and the hotter the pepper will be. The smoother the pepper, the younger, less stressed, and milder it is. Left on the plant (and even after picked) green jalape\xf1os will eventually turn red.Which jalapeños are hotter red or green?
Is a red jalape\xf1o spicier than a green jalape\xf1o? It typically is. The additional ripening on the vine means more capsaicin in the pepper itself.Why are my jalapeños not spicy?
Capsaicin is water-soluble and when jalape\xf1os are added to a dish during cooking, that capsaicin disperses throughout watery sauces and dishes leading to a slightly less spicy pepper on the plate. An even less spicy scenario for those jalape\xf1os is combining them with dairy as a cooking ingredient.Are big or small jalapeños spicier?
For a Spicy Jalapeno Size: Smaller peppers can often be spicier. Striations: The more tiny brown striations the better! This shows that you that the jalapeno plant wasn't getting enough water while it was growing \u2013 hence a hotter pepper. Jalapenos can also develop more striations as they mature.The Trick to Picking a Really Spicy (or Less Spicy) Jalapeño Pepper
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Answer 2
Look for the white strecth marks it indicates the jalapeño is old and has endured more stress, it appears that being older and endure dry times increases something in their inner oil that makes them more spicy, of course there's no scientific evidence for this and each jalapeño vary its level of hotness but on average I have picked them like this and they never fail to turn me red
btw the color has nothing to do
source: trust me I live in mexico
Answer 3
The hotter the pepper the more small dark lines on the outside!
Answer 4
If it's a great big shiny Jalapeno, chances are it's a Texas A&M mild Jalapeno (TAM). Very popular with farmers because yield is good, and fruit is pretty. Stores lik3e it for same reasons. Organoleptically speaking, you may as well get a bell pepper. They're not hot. Usually best to kick it up a notch with something like Serranos, they're about as hot as old style jalapenos. Hot jalapenos will be smaller than TAMS, and have some brownish stripes that many people who don't know their peppers find offensive.
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