preservation Drying Peppers... with a break???

troy71mo

troy71mo

Hi all,
 
Last Saturday, I washed and cut some Habaneros, Scotch Bonnets, and some Cayenne and started dehydrating them over night at 95 degrees in an effort to make some powder. 
On Sunday, I got called away and didn't know how long I was going to be so turned the dehydrator off.
I got home today (4 days later). They had started dehydrating but definitely needs more time.
The peppers were left in the dehydrator the whole time on the counter.
 
My question, are these still ok to continue or should i toss them and start over with new ones? IE, will the flavor be ok, will I get sick if I eat them, etc
 
Thanks,
Troy
 
 
Did you cut them in half? I would suggest that, and if there are no signs of mold you are good to go. I always cut them in half for two reasons: 1. To get any of the ones with internal mold in the garbage. You can't see the mold but about 1 in 30 peppers has it. 2. They dry MUCH quicker.
 
I would also suggest turning up the heat on your dehydrator to at least 115º F. I just dried a FULL dehydrator at 135º F because I was in a hurry. It took about 10 hours.
 
I did cut them in half. 
And they weren't rotten or moldy when I checked them.
I turned it on this morning at 95, next time I will dry at the higher temperature.
 
This is my first drying experience. I will be buying a grinder tonight (probably a coffee grinder) to make powder this weekend. Then experiment with mixing the different powders and tasting them. This is going to be fun!!
 
Thanks for the tips on the higher temperatures.
 
troy71mo said:
I did cut them in half. 
And they weren't rotten or moldy when I checked them.
I turned it on this morning at 95, next time I will dry at the higher temperature.
 
This is my first drying experience. I will be buying a grinder tonight (probably a coffee grinder) to make powder this weekend. Then experiment with mixing the different powders and tasting them. This is going to be fun!!
 
Thanks for the tips on the higher temperatures.
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Just be aware the powder is very fine in a coffee grinder so allow it to settle after grinding before removing the lid. 
 
Another tip would be make sure the peppers are real crispy when you grind them. The powder will be finer and won't have a tendency to cake up. I use a coffee grinder too. It is a nice one but only cost $20. Krups I think. Another tip, you can be real careful, but it really helps to buy a $20 respirator. All it took was to get one good huff that I could feel burning in my lungs for 3 days to go out and spend the money. Tom
 
My experience is the slap chop device works better than a grinder. If I'm making powder I run them through the food processor and then spread that goop out onto the dehydrator screen and grind that up. Gets it dryer. Putting partially wet pods into an electric burr grinder is a good way to end up having to buy another one. And with the high humidity here, I just simply have better results with finely chopped flakes. But since I do a lot of garlic also, I have a hand grinder I got off amazon for like $25 that when it cakes up I just wash it, set it out to dry and do it again. With peppers, if it cakes up I can just set the depth of the grinder to wider and keep on powdering. It gets it fine enough.
 
D3monic said:
 
Awe that lessons a fun one to learn... I did on reaper x moruga flakes. 
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haha yes it is, I remember some years back my first time making Bhut powders, the lessons you learn are priceless, I caused my family to evacuate the house lol, its all fun and games until you mace your whole family ;)  Investing in a gas mask  is also good advice
 
I totally agree to err on the side of caution! Gloves, respirator, even safety goggles!
 
One trick I found that minimizes air born nuclear dust is to wrap the coffee grinder in a plastic bag, I use leftover supermarket bags for economy reasons, closing it tightly during grinding then letting it sit for a few minutes to 10 minutes if you prefer. After carefully extracting the grinder (Remember, the dust is inside the bag!) remove the cover and carefully pour the powder into your preferred container.
 
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