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question on making pepper powder.

what i want to know is when making pepper powder do you remove the seeds or leave them in? i`ve only made powder from cowhorn and jalapeno peppers and at that heat level i leave the seeds in so there is no loss on heat. this year i have a larger variety and was wondering if the seeds affect the flavor. i already picked GIP`s brain on the serranos but i`m curious what everybody else does. 
 
I remove them.  The coffee grinder I use isn't really a grinder at all.  It has a couple of blades that spin about 9 gazillion rpm's that powders the dried peppers but leaves seed pieces that I don't like and I personally think they do cause bitterness.  I try to leave as much placenta as possible though.  
I have tried the mortar and pestle but the coffee "chopper" works better.
 
My eyes are burning as I type this because my dehydrator has a load of ghost and fresno peppers in it getting ready to get powdered. 
 
My other powders on the table are from Yellow morgua scorpions, JCGS, more fresno's and Aji Mango's.  I need to buy more shakers!
 
Edited again to correct that damned auto correct!!!!!
 
I lose a lot of seeds in the process of prepping for the dehydrator. By putting the cut side down, I lose a lot more in the dehydrator and when removing the pods from it. Especially with a little bouncing and banging around as they dry. I don't worry about too much about what's left but hunks of seed in powder seriously annoy me. I use a heavy-duty food mill type of grinder and knock them down to 40 mesh. Seeds-b-gone.
 
DaQatz said:
Seeds also add a lot of fiber, and tend to only add bitter or nutty tones. Removing the seeds (NOT THE PITH) will make you powder denser, and stronger.
when you say stronger do you mean flavorwise or heatwise?
 
Tybo said:
I remove them.  The coffee grinder I use isn't really a grinder at all.  It has a couple of blades that spin about 9 gazillion rpm's that powders the dried peppers but leaves seed pieces that I don't like and I personally think they do cause bitterness.  I try to leave as much placenta as possible though.  
I have tried the mortar and pestle but the coffee "chopper" works better.
 
My eyes are burning as I type this because my dehydrator has a load of ghost and fresno peppers in it getting ready to get powdered. 
 
My other powders on the table are from Yellow morgua scorpions, JCGS, more fresno's and Aji Mango's.  I need to buy more shakers!
 
Edited again to correct that damned auto correct!!!!!
what brand/model grinder do you use and are you happy with it?
 
Myself, unless they're pubescens I usually leave them in, but like DWB says, just the process of halving them and running them through the dehydrator will cause the vast majority of the seeds to drop/shake out. 
 
I use a coffee grinder (spinning blade type) and it works great for me grinding up the remaining seeds to the point they're visually/texturally indistinguishable. I have the best results not overfilling it and tilting it a little sideways to get the best grind. Plus always grinding immediately after stopping the dehydrator so there's no rehydration from ambient humidity.  If I were to feel it worth the effort to de-seed them, I probably wouldn't worry about getting every last one out, trusting in the process to "eliminate" the remainder one way or another.
 
I could definitely see making a premium powder and removing all the seeds and trying to get just the tasty flesh in the powder, but that's beyond the effort I've put into it and I've been happy with my general use powders.
 
luvmesump3pp3rz said:
what brand/model grinder do you use and are you happy with it?
 
The brand and model is Mr. Coffee IDS77.https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-Electric-Settings-IDS77-RB/dp/B000BRLXUI
 
I'm not really happy with it.  The top twists off of the container part and where these come together is a loose fit.  When operating the grinder, the air gets filled with fine pepper dust and if I'm not wearing a mask it gets pretty rough.  Especially with hotter peppers.  
We've had this thing for a long time and no longer buy coffee beans so it got repurposed for making powder.  
I would like to get something better but for now I make do.  (Hacking and sneezing and all)
 
CaneDog said:
Myself, unless they're pubescens I usually leave them in, but like DWB says, just the process of halving them and running them through the dehydrator will cause the vast majority of the seeds to drop/shake out. 
 
I use a coffee grinder (spinning blade type) and it works great for me grinding up the remaining seeds to the point they're visually/texturally indistinguishable. I have the best results not overfilling it and tilting it a little sideways to get the best grind. Plus always grinding immediately after stopping the dehydrator so there's no rehydration from ambient humidity.  If I were to feel it worth the effort to de-seed them, I probably wouldn't worry about getting every last one out, trusting in the process to "eliminate" the remainder one way or another.
 
I could definitely see making a premium powder and removing all the seeds and trying to get just the tasty flesh in the powder, but that's beyond the effort I've put into it and I've been happy with my general use powders.
 
What brand/model do you use?
 
Tybo said:
What brand/model do you use?
 
I use this one for peppers - https://www.amazon.com/Proctor-Silex-E160BY-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B00006IUX5 
 
I also have this one I use for other stuff (never used it for peppers) but based on performance I think it would work well too. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WF86ZIG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
The Proctor-Silex has good overlap of the cup and nothing seems to get out while grinding - still can get annihilated being careless when pulling off the lid though.  The grind button is the white overlapping tab coming down from the lid on the right of the picture and it's really ergonomic for holding the grinder in your hand and tilting it to different angles while grinding to get a good grind.
 
I thought it looked kinda cheap and breakable and had my doubts at first, but it's held up well for years.  Ain't pretty though.
 
Take your dried pods. If they were not cut in half first then lightly crush/break them open.
 
Put them in a impact resistant container with a metal ball, key or marble.
 
Seal and and shake the hell out of it.
 
Most of the seeds will get knocked loose and end up in the bottom. You wont have nearly as many when you grind the peppers.
 
ShowMeDaSauce said:
Take your dried pods. If they were not cut in half first then lightly crush/break them open.
 
Put them in a impact resistant container with a metal ball, key or marble.
 
Seal and and shake the hell out of it.
 
Most of the seeds will get knocked loose and end up in the bottom. You wont have nearly as many when you grind the peppers.
i`ll give that a try, thanks.  :cheers:
 
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