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Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

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Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#201

Post by Dylan16807 »

squokko wrote: post #83
PheonixPharts wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I prefer more flavorful chiles, with less spice. As someone with a fairly high spice tolerance, I've found a strong correlation between heat and flavor . I think anyone coming from a culture that eats spicy food will agree. I had a batch of habaneros I grew last summer that were both the most spicy habaneros I've had, and by far the most flavorful. I've also had some very tasty ghost peppers (when used in moderatio…

Your palate has been desensitized and can only taste flavor with heat. Spend 2 months with zero capsaicin and it will reset.

> Your palate has been desensitized

I could imagine this.

> can only taste flavor with heat

This doesn't make much sense. Can you elaborate on how this effect would work?

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#202

Post by nightshift1 »

yashap wrote: post #98
tptacek wrote: post #11

The reason I took away from this: large agricultural producers of peppers bred towards a "low heat, low variance" standard, away from a "high variance" standard that produced frequent hot jalapenos. Low-heat-low-variance is better for mass food production, because producers can just dose the capsaicin directly, which is something they can't do easily when every pepper is a wildcard. There are second-order effects, li…

> Have you noticed that you're way more into brussels sprouts now than you were when you were a kid? If you're a GenX-er or a Millenial, that's because today's (delicious) sprouts aren't the same plant as the (gross) sprouts of yore. This is an oft-quoted fact, and it’s true that modern brussels sprouts are less bitter, but that’s far from the whole story. The popular preparation used to be boiling or steaming, and m…

Not everyone tastes them the same. There is a gene that makes you taste more or less the bitterness of PTC (phenylthiocarbamide)

https://www.centreofthecell.org/blog/science-questions/why-d...

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#203

Post by throwup238 »

bobthepanda wrote: post #147
ethbr1 wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm just a little bit older than the US bacon craze, which was born out of unsold pork bellies, themselves a consequence of the late 1980s "Pork: the other white meat" campaign (itself a response to healthier, leaner chicken's rise). There's no way to produce a loin without a belly, etc. So ironically, the US turned to more UK-like pork cuts in the 1980s, and then advertising turned it back to full-fat pork belly bac…

i kind of wish i had experienced grocery shopping back when all the weird cuts were cheap. these days, if anything what I would've considered off cuts growing up (wings, oxtail) are now more expensive than other parts in my area. I saw oxtails for $20 a pound the other day.

They were cheap off cuts because almost no one wanted them. Oxtails got popularized by celebrity chefs so theres a lot more demand than the supply can handle now.

Here in SoCal there’s such a large population of immigrants that use neck bones and chicken feet for stock that even those cuts have risen in price relative to the rest of the country. It’s gotten to the point where rib eye roasts and new york steaks are only a dollar or two a pound more expensive than meat for stock at my local halal market.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#204

Post by dheera »

bb88 wrote: post #121
anthomtb wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When using hot peppers I remove some of, or all, of the seeds and pith. You can greatly control the amount of heat this way since the seeds and pith have the most concentrated capsaicin. Maybe habanero is too potent for that strategy but it works well on jalapeno, serrano, and whatever they grow in Hatch, NM. (and it should be obvious but wear disposable gloves if you do this, unless you want the worst wank of your l…

I also remove the membrane on the flesh too. Capsaicin dissolves in alcohol, so I tend to wipe everything down with 70% IPA minimum with a paper towel before sending it into the dish washer.

Isopropyl alcohol is a really bad idea for food. I'd suggest a drinkable alcohol instead, like a vodka or something.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#205

Post by SantalBlush »

PheonixPharts wrote: post #63
jseliger wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Less spicy is actually good. I prefer more flavorful chiles, with less spice. Mark Miller's conversation with Tyler Cowen is good on this subject: https://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/mark-miller/ . Chiles are actually fruits and, combined judiciously, create a lot of complex flavors. Excess spiciness overwhelms the flavor. And people who want absurdly spicy peppers, can get them: ghost chiles, carolina reaper…

> I prefer more flavorful chiles, with less spice. As someone with a fairly high spice tolerance, I've found a strong correlation between heat and flavor . I think anyone coming from a culture that eats spicy food will agree. I had a batch of habaneros I grew last summer that were both the most spicy habaneros I've had, and by far the most flavorful. I've also had some very tasty ghost peppers (when used in moderatio…

In my opinion, habaneros have the best flavor out of any chili. Once you get hotter than that, they don't really get more flavorful. I've tasted Carolina Reapers a few times, and they just had this grassy vibe that wasn't very appealing. The very hot ones don't seem bred for flavor, just record-breaking heat.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#206

Post by [deleted] »

dheera wrote: post #66
jseliger wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Less spicy is actually good. I prefer more flavorful chiles, with less spice. Mark Miller's conversation with Tyler Cowen is good on this subject: https://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/mark-miller/ . Chiles are actually fruits and, combined judiciously, create a lot of complex flavors. Excess spiciness overwhelms the flavor. And people who want absurdly spicy peppers, can get them: ghost chiles, carolina reaper…

I really wish we could have a habanero that is 1/4 as spicy. I LOVE the flavor of habaneros but their spiciness prevents me from putting too much. That said on the flavor/spiciness scale a lot of the Chinese varieties are excellent. The chili peppers used in Sichuanese cuisine are actually not that spicy compared to habaneros or Thai chilis, which allows it to be possible to dump a bag full into a dish and it gives i…

[deleted]

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#207

Post by loud_cloud »

Many of the people in this threat at quoting their younger years. i didnt hear anyone quote,

> Taste Bud Density: Children have more taste buds than adults, and these are more sensitive. This heightened sensitivity can make certain flavors, especially bitter ones, more intense for children. The number of taste buds decreases as people age, which can lead to changes in taste sensitivity and preferences.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#208

Post by fuzztester »

magicalhippo wrote: post #130
yashap wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Have you noticed that you're way more into brussels sprouts now than you were when you were a kid? If you're a GenX-er or a Millenial, that's because today's (delicious) sprouts aren't the same plant as the (gross) sprouts of yore. This is an oft-quoted fact, and it’s true that modern brussels sprouts are less bitter, but that’s far from the whole story. The popular preparation used to be boiling or steaming, and m…

> The popular preparation used to be boiling or steaming, and many people still find that gross with modern varieties. What is wrong with people? They're delicious, and an absolute must along side a reindeer roast with a creamed mushroom sauce, or similar. Steamed of course. Though I did learn the hard way as a kid that they can be rather harsh on the stomach when raw...

:)

>What is wrong with people?

De gustibus ...

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#209

Post by [deleted] »

dylan604 wrote: post #142
yashap wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Have you noticed that you're way more into brussels sprouts now than you were when you were a kid? If you're a GenX-er or a Millenial, that's because today's (delicious) sprouts aren't the same plant as the (gross) sprouts of yore. This is an oft-quoted fact, and it’s true that modern brussels sprouts are less bitter, but that’s far from the whole story. The popular preparation used to be boiling or steaming, and m…

The preparation concept is huge. Growing up way back in the day, industrial canned spinach was absolutely disgusting and pushed on all forms of school cafeterias. They even tried to influence its liking with a cartoon character. Many many years later, fresh spinach was made available and I find it delicious. How anyone thought that mushy slop from a can was ever considered edible is beyond me.

[deleted]

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#210

Post by bb88 »

coffeebeqn wrote: post #143
bb88 wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also remove the membrane on the flesh too. Capsaicin dissolves in alcohol, so I tend to wipe everything down with 70% IPA minimum with a paper towel before sending it into the dish washer.

70% IPA? That’s a serious beer

Sounds delicious, if a bit punchy.
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