I want to get a good idea on how to store peppers. I want to store dehydrated and not dehydrated peppers but I have no clue how they will stay the most fresh, what do you guys do? Oh and where do you guys store your ground pepper and pepper flakes?
D3monic said:For ground peppers I just use a variety of containers, I have a few shakers, a woozy bottle, little ziplock baggies.
I'm storing some dried pepper halves in a large ball jar for now, not sure how well they will keep but as long as they aren't exposed to sunlight they should keep all winter.
Some people freeze fresh peppers for use later or for sauces but after freezing cell structure breaks down and they get mushy when heated/defrosted. Keep that in mind.
I may end up drying and vac sealing a bunch of peppers as well for grinding later in winter.
As for fresh peppers they probably keep longer in the fridge than on the counter but I usually have a big bowl of peppers on counter for when i'm cooking.
Spicy Joe said:I dehydrated and ground a ton last year, stored dehydrated peppers in 1 gallon bags, and I freeze 4-6 of them in vacuum sealed bags.
I've got peppers 3 yrs old in there and draw them out 1 small pack at a time for salsa.
I always roast my peppers then grind them to mush so it doesn't matter how they look, lol.
This season was bad for me so I'll not be putting up a whole lot like last year - always a bright side - I can use up a lot of what I do have and hope to re-stock next year!
Hybrid Mode 01 said:I keep about a third of my pods dehydrated in quart mason jars in the basement. They keep really well that way and are more accessible than keeping them vacuumed sealed in the freezer. I keep another third or so of them in ziploc bags in the chest freezer. The remaining third I fire roast on the grill, freeze them individually on cookie sheets and store them in ziploc bags.
backyardpepper said:
Why do some people roast peppers on the grill? What does it do?
I roast all the peppers for my salsas... in fact, I roast the tomatoes and the garlic as well.... you can tell my salsa in a contest, I think from the colors also.... always darker, steamier...... moowaahaahaaaaaaa!Hybrid Mode 01 said:
Besides making the neighbors jealous, it mellows the sharp flavors of some chinenses and just adds a depth of flavor that's hard to explain. Imagine the comparison between a raw vs. fried onion or between a raw vs. grilled steak. It really helps develop the flavor.
The majority of chinense pods I use in everyday cooking are fire-roasted. I use the dried ones for convenience and the raw ones for pickling or making jelly, but for almost everything else, it's gotta be flame kissed!
edit: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/42145-roasted-pepper-porn-pure-and-simple/?hl=%2Broasted+%2Bpepper+%2Bporn
that's what I do, just don't put too much into one bag, otherwise you'll have to use all of them at once..... I always do 4 - 6 peppers.... that way I only take out what I'm going to be using...FGpepperguy said:
D3monic said:NOTHING smells more heavenly than roasted garlic