Spicy food is a lifelong adventure.
Fear strikes, but after that moment passes, you kind of dont hate what just happened.
Spiciness doesnt always translate to Carolina reaper levels of heat.
Here are a few ways to explore spicy food with a heat that works for your palate.
Sometimes the finished dish will become spicier as it ages (watch out for those leftovers).
To get your feet wet and test the spicy waters, I suggest starting withchili oilor hot sauce.
Many chili oils, like chili crisp and salsa macha, contain big flakes of dried chilis.
Those can pack quite a bit of heat.
The orange oil floating on top, however, is mild.
Just spoon off it off and swirl it in to introduce an edge to your dish.
This oil has a delightful warming tone, with a hint of peppery bite.
Work your way up to the crisp part later.
Hot sauce is a mainstay condiment thats prevalent in most grocery stores.
Its great for dabbing on a finished dish, and easy to control the amount and where it goes.
Use these two items as finishing sauces.
A finishing sauce is something youd use on the plate, after the meal has cooked and been served.
Then it’s possible for you to taste it, and assess the situation.
If its too hot, mix in some of the unadulterated meal to dilute the heat.
If its tasting great, add your finishing sauce as you go along.
Keep in mind that spice usually builds.
Dont dial up the heat right away, you might regret it halfway through.
I dont love eating whole chilis, but I wont say no to a jalapeno popper.
(I enjoythe visual for this listof peppers by Scoville unit.)
The spicycapsaicin resides in the membraneand seeds.
Discard this if youre avoiding most of the heat, or if its an especially spicy pepper.
Approach whole dried chilies, chili flakes, and ground chili powder with caution.
Assess your dishs spiciness level from there.
Do this over low heat, and be careful not to burn them.
The smoke will leave you coughing uncontrollably, and youll have to air out your house.
This will help the heat leave your mouth.
(Sure, itll head to your belly next, but thats all part of the adventure.)
