How to tell if preserved chillis are still good?
I grew dozens more chillis than I was able to use this year so rather than throw them away I preserved them in a mason jar. I didn't have a lot of time to do it so I looked online and an article (which I can't find now) said I could just preserve them in vodka - I cleaned the mason jar with boiling water, washed, chopped and de-seeded and de-stemmed the chillis, then put them in and covered them in vodka.
They've been sitting for around a month now (I haven't had much cause to use them yet) and the other day I moved the jar and the liquid inside splashed up to the top and I noticed that some of it escaped past the rubber seal. So now I'm kinda worried that the jar isn't sealed properly and that instead of being preserved they're just rotting in there.
Is there any way to tell for sure? They don't smell anything other than spicy.
Best Answer
Alcohol is a disinfectant, so any bacteria sitting around for a month in vodka have been thoroughly killed...
The only thing to worry about is that if some of the chillies were not completely submerged all of the time, you might have a slight problem. The symptoms to look for is discolouring: look for brown / black spots / extremities.
If not: no worries: they're still good.
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How long do preserved chillies last?
Store the chillies in a cool, dark place. The chillies will last for about 3 months, but are best consumed within the first 2 as they soften in texture the longer they sit in the oil. Alternatively, you may prefer to store them in the refrigerator.How can you tell if chillies are spoiled?
How to tell if chili peppers are bad or spoiled? Chili peppers that are spoiling will typically become soft and discolored; discard any chili peppers that have an off smell or appearance.How long do dried chillies last?
To keep dried chiles fresh and keep out insects, store them in an airtight container in the pantry or cupboard or, even better, in the freezer. That's what Bayless does at home. They'll keep for up to a year, but for the fullest flavor and potency, use them within three to six months.Do chillies expire?
Dried chili peppers, ground peppers, and crushed peppers don't exactly expire or go bad. When dried peppers have gone bad, it means they lost their flavor, color, and potency. It's not likely to make you sick if you consume any kind of dried pepper that's expired.HOT CHILLI PEPPERS 🌶 Preserved in OLIVE OIL Italian recipe - how to do at home @l'uomo di casa
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Answer 2
As Fabby notes in their answer, alcohol is an excellent preservative. As long as your peppers are fully submerged, it's extremely unlikely that they could rot or spoil in any way. (If they aren't, there's a risk that mold or something could grow on the exposed parts, but even that's fairly low if all the surfaces have been at least temporarily in contact with to the vodka.)
What might be a bigger concern is that capsaicin, the chemical that makes chili peppers taste hot, is soluble in alcohol. After soaking the peppers in vodka for a month, it's likely that a significant fraction of the hotness and flavor has diffused from the peppers into the liquid, leaving you with a jar of chili-infused vodka and some noticeably less-hot-than-before peppers.
Not that that's necessarily a bad thing at all, mind you. There's lots of tasty things you can make with chili-flavored vodka, and the peppers themselves might be just the thing for something that calls for something a little softer and less spicy than they'd be when fresh. But something you should keep in mind when deciding what to use them for.
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