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Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

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Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#241

Post by dendrite9 »

aegypti wrote: post #58
tptacek wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're just making a fermented hot sauce, why not just use serranos? The serrano is basically the consistently hot jalapeno you're looking from; it's just less plump and so less useful as a popper or whatever. And, of course, if you really wanted heat, you'd be using scotch bonnets anyways.

Each of these chiles have very different flavors friend. Serranos and jalapeños are much closer than habaneros but still cleanly separated by bitterness, brightness and acridity. Eg a grandmother’s salsa ranchera with jalapeño only is a much sweeter affair than when supplemented with serranos, and equally much less fruity than when pequins are used.

I don't think of cooked Serranos as too different from cooked Jalapenos as long as they haven't ripened too much and turned red. I made a large batch of pozole this weekend with jalapenos and it was disappointingly mild, I plan to add some serranos to the leftovers to bump the heat up a little bit.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#242

Post by SantalBlush »

ekidd wrote: post #228
SantalBlush wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets can have absolutely amazing pepper flavor: sweet, fruity and aromatic. The bell peppers I've had weren't even close. Alas, I don't maintain the heat tolerance to eat them.

+1. I almost mentioned Scotch bonnets, too. They're another excellent chili.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#243

Post by ahartmetz »

gweinberg wrote: post #181
magicalhippo wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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's "wrong with people" is they don't like eating poison. You can train yourself to like anything, but the bitter alkaloids that give brussel sprouts and such their nasty bitter taste are indeed a toxin. There isn't enough to be dangerous in modern varieties, but there was in their wild ancestors.

They are much less bitter if the plants had been exposed to frost before harvesting. My parents used to have them in the garden. Brussels sprouts in winter were nice.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#244

Post by bagels »

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.

Even frozen spinach is extremely unpalatable. Fresh spinach is great, saute of fresh spinach is also great.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#245

Post by mjh2539 »

burgerquizz wrote: post #85

Question to hot sauce lovers: I’m planning to go to mexico soon. any jalapeño sauce I should absolutely get?

Typically you order the dish and it comes with the sauce "baked in". The only time that you physically add salsa yourself is when you are eating tacos or a few other dishes, and even then, all of that is going to be prepared fresh, in-house. Even at home you prepare it yourself. The idea of buying a distinct sauce at a store to keep on your counter or in the fridge is kind of foreign.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#246

Post by semireg »

crazygringo wrote: post #227
LASR wrote: post #152

As a somewhat recent south Asian immigrant to the USA, I’ve always thought Jalapeños were meant to signify the lowest spice level. Only recently, I discovered its actual reputation is to pack a punch. I grew up with Thai chillies as to mean “the chilli”. I still put this stuff on anything that needs some chillies. And that really does pack a punch.

No, you're correct -- jalapeños have always been the least-spicy spicy pepper in an average US supermarket. It's just that they used to be spicier. But if you wanted something really spicy, you never bought jalapeños even in the past -- you went for serranos or habaneros if you could find them.

Are bell peppers not peppers? Surely a bell pepper is the least spicy.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#247

Post by coryrc »

kube-system wrote: post #235
mathattack wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes - mushrooms and olives on pizza used to be a crime against humanity. I don’t think Papa John’s invested in higher quality toppings.

I'm not so sure. I feel like the quality of fast food ingredients has gone up since the 90s. I have a couple of theories: I think consumer preferences have pushed in that direction (e.g. I remember McDonalds chicken nuggets used to have chewy gristle in them), and JIT inventories mean that ingredients can be fresher, and food science (e.g. additives and preservatives) has improved, and improved flavor along with it,…

> used to have chewy gristle in them

Chickens have gained significant breast mass in the last few decades (so much so it causes "woody breast") and, with increased supply, the price of breast meat (less gristle) has come down proportionally. Like the McRib, economics drives McDonald's decisions.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#248

Post by semireg »

easterncalculus wrote: post #111

Same thing with mustard. Mustard used to be spicy, then "yellow mustard" came out, then yellow mustard became mustard, then actual mustard became "spicy mustard".

If you buy mustard seed there is often yellow and red seeds. Use yellow variety plus turmeric and vinegar for your standard American mustard. Use red and vinegar and beer/wine for your brown mustards. In my experience there is little difference in heat, what matters is time to mellow. The older the mustard the less spicy horseradish/wasabi sensation. Perhaps it’s oxidation.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#249

Post by SoftTalker »

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…

I still think brussel sprouts are gross.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#250

Post by anotheruser13 »

maxerickson wrote: post #200
bastawhiz wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't mind steamed sprouts today, but I remember how utterly repulsed I was by them as a kid. The preparation doesn't make a ton of difference, in my opinion.

Overcooking will increase the bitterness, the preparation makes a ton of difference. I don't really recall how my mom might have cooked broccoli and such, but I certainly identified things she did cooking that were not ideal as far as outcomes (and I would say she was a reasonably good cook).

My mom bought Green Giant broccoli and cauliflower in a gluey pseudo-cheese sauce. It was as disgusting as it sounds.

I didn't like broccoli and cauliflower until I had them raw.

Of course, YMMV :)

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