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Pepper drying problems
- Thread starter Slagathor
- Start date
+1 Boy do I love chipotles! I'd like to try and smoke some Jamaican red scotch bonnets this year! I need more heat than the chipotles. Sometimes I get a real hot one though (rare though
). However, they are the raisins of the pepper world. I also love using smoked chiles in my sauces. A six pack of Guinness or two would do me well while smoking my peppers 
.It's look like I had problem wtih drying my chilies.
This is (aligator head) with "dust". It looks like dust.
Question is: Is this OK for eating (cooking)?
If it's dust and not mold, it's fine. I use a wet paper towel to wipe off the dust of dried chiles that have collected dust. Was it lying around for awhile? Looks like dust to me.
It's look like I had problem wtih drying my chilies.
This is (aligator head
Question is: Is this OK for eating (cooking)?
even though this is 12 yrs. old, it came up on google. since i painfully read through the thread, i thought i'd add some info.
first, your cannot dry unripe (green) chiles. they will rot like just leaving them on the counter. and any viable seeds your get from them is a matter of luck. they can only be dried in a dehydrator or oven. the oven gives you weird cooked dry stuff. let your chiles ripen until they are some variant of red.
ripe (red) smoked-until-dried jalapenos are chipotles, most often re-hydrated and canned in chile paste. other ripe chiles are normally sun dried, either stems strung together in bunches (larger ones) or just laid out (small ones.) do not damage the skin in any way. by allowing the plant to die (dehydrate) all of the ripe chiles will dry also.
back to the green chiles: cut the stem area off. cut in half. remove seeds (bitter) and veins (hot--leave if hot is good.) in a dehydrator, dry at 125 degrees until dry (time depends on the amount of moisture.) they cannot be over dried. the chiles can be ground into a powder or used in what ever way you want. since they are unripe, skins will not be a problem.
red chiles: red chiles can be dehydrated also. do not damage the skin in any way. with the skin intact, they take longer. ripe chiles can be over dried. leave them dry, but pliable, like what you see in the store.
processors and blenders have caused lazy chile use, leading to the skin problem. the skin of a dried red chile will never re-hydrate to become palatable--they just float around in pieces. we have learned to tolerate the skins and spit then out. in the good days, re-hydrated chile used to be cut open and the pulp scraped from the skin and used, with the skin discarded. it is easier than it sounds. but it is unnecessary work.
grind your chiles to a powder instead. the result is the same. the skins become brittle enough to grind into the powder. to make fresh ground chile, "super" dry them in the oven at 250 degrees for 10 mins. let cool. grind in a spice grinder. use as they used to use pulp. the result is the same.
Let me first note that I am NOT disagreeing with what you're saying!
When my Ag dept. wanted to review my process for the powders I use for my candies, the state lab that does that told me that I MUST heat them to over 165 degrees if they are to be used as a food product. (see https://thehotpepper.com/threads/process-inspection.76754/post-1767330 ) I went to the Chile Pepper Institute to get alternative guidance and they told me the same thing. When I asked about ristras, they said that ristras are sold for decorative purposes and not for consumption.
I was always under the impression they were sun dried too. But based on what I'm told "officially", they can't be, legally.
If you have info to help me make my case that sun-drying is ok, I would love to see it!
salsalady
eXtreme Business
cJ, thanks for your comments on this 'ghost' thread and it is good to hear even 12yo threads are popping up on gooogle. 
to THP!
I have dehydrated .... LOTS .... of pounds of chiles. I use a dehydrator with a fairly good thermostat and always cut the chiles and usually run them thru a food processor slicer to facilitate quick drying. I run the unit around 105F. Here's something to consider for ghetto dehydrators...
I have put a very few cayenne or thai type chiles from our small garden harvest just out on the counter in our very dry summer area to dry and for personal use. But none of the thick flesh peppers like jalapenos.
HFF, I wonder if the 165F requirement is like what processing hot sauces to a minimum heat is to kill any Nasties that might be in the product. Drying fresh chiles, grinding, and selling, there is nothing to 'kill the nasties' that could be harboured on the chiles and mixed in to the powder after they are dried and sold.
When drying chiles in the dehydrator, the higher temps, like over 130F, cook the chiles and darken the flesh. When drying an orange habanero, I want the dried chile and resulting powder to be Orange, not some dark roasted orange. Temps over 105-110F seem to bake the peppers instead of just drying them.
Hmmm, now I am wondering about the dried chile powders I buy and use in hot sauces ... and more importantly... some seasoned salt blends.
Now-- after ruminating on this for a few minutes....I wonder if there is a way to dehydrate the chiles at a low temp to keep the color, grind to a powder, and then somehow seal or 'bake' the powder at 165F to fulfill the licensing requirement but keep the color and flavor. ??? thoughts?
I'm Thinking....putting in an oven proof baking bag (like the turkey roasting bags), maybe just a pan with tinfoil...??? there are more 'BoilBags', there are BBQ Rib plastic packages that are designed to be tossed in the oven at 350f to re-heat precooked ribs.
SL
to THP!I have dehydrated .... LOTS .... of pounds of chiles. I use a dehydrator with a fairly good thermostat and always cut the chiles and usually run them thru a food processor slicer to facilitate quick drying. I run the unit around 105F. Here's something to consider for ghetto dehydrators...
I have put a very few cayenne or thai type chiles from our small garden harvest just out on the counter in our very dry summer area to dry and for personal use. But none of the thick flesh peppers like jalapenos.
HFF, I wonder if the 165F requirement is like what processing hot sauces to a minimum heat is to kill any Nasties that might be in the product. Drying fresh chiles, grinding, and selling, there is nothing to 'kill the nasties' that could be harboured on the chiles and mixed in to the powder after they are dried and sold.
When drying chiles in the dehydrator, the higher temps, like over 130F, cook the chiles and darken the flesh. When drying an orange habanero, I want the dried chile and resulting powder to be Orange, not some dark roasted orange. Temps over 105-110F seem to bake the peppers instead of just drying them.
Hmmm, now I am wondering about the dried chile powders I buy and use in hot sauces ... and more importantly... some seasoned salt blends.
Now-- after ruminating on this for a few minutes....I wonder if there is a way to dehydrate the chiles at a low temp to keep the color, grind to a powder, and then somehow seal or 'bake' the powder at 165F to fulfill the licensing requirement but keep the color and flavor. ??? thoughts?
I'm Thinking....putting in an oven proof baking bag (like the turkey roasting bags), maybe just a pan with tinfoil...??? there are more 'BoilBags', there are BBQ Rib plastic packages that are designed to be tossed in the oven at 350f to re-heat precooked ribs.
SL
We discussed it on that thread Iinked. It was for the dry powders. The Chile Institute also said it was necessary for DRY WHOLE PEPPERS - which I've never heard of.
ok, then. to start, every lab rat idiot will cite 165F because that is the memorable number (applies to meat too.) and they are also paranoid enough to think that anything that gets near anyone will infect and kill them. the usda standard is not a single number. it is a range of temps and times. 165F is high temp range needing little time.
no matter what you do, any dried chile will not be free of some kind "nasty". the fact that it is dry, prevents nasty growth. growth requires moisture. drying is a preservation method. bacteria, etc. will start growing a short time after re-hydration. but all is safe since sufficient bad growth takes a while. sadly, it is not just bacteria, mold, etc. some "critters" can survive dehydration too. under certain conditions they can become active and mess-up your long term storage. this is rare, and unlikely with homemade products. you would see the damage prior to drying.
the super-drying at 250F takes care of the ag guy's problem, so i am still a fan of super drying and grinding.
habanero at 105F sounds great. must take a long time. again, they cannot be over-dried. habenero is not thick skinned, so super drying may not be needed (if they are very dry) to make a good ground chile. i do not think you will have color loss in 10 min. if you do super-dry them, but i am not sure. there are very few oils and sugars, so browning might happen in such a short amount of time. don't use any bag, as that will trap the moisture you are trying to remove.
i wrote, "other ripe chiles are normally sun dried." that however neglects the modern chile industry. sorry. nowadays, little is sun-dried. there are just too many chiles. once harvested, they are dried mechanically like the average kitchen dehydrator, but more science-like. they never reach 165F. nasty growth is more controlled, but critters are not. commercial products sometimes have problems (too little human interaction.) it is what it is. store carefully. again, super-dry and grind. if you see anything when you remove seeds and veins, toss them (unless you like or don't mind ground bugs.)
ristras are not dried chiles, but dryING chiles, so the gov'ment does not care what happens to them after you buy them. put them out in the sun to dry, and if properly formed, you will get dried chiles.
lastly, two things. try re-hydrating and scraping pulp, just to relive the good old days. next, i am surprised that this site does not recognize "chile" in the spell checker. chile is a pepper grown in the ground. brits and idiot academics use chili (maybe because they don't like the place or culture chiles originated.) don't be an idiot or a brit. chili is a dish with various stuff flavoring it. chile is one of the flavors, if it is good chili.
no matter what you do, any dried chile will not be free of some kind "nasty". the fact that it is dry, prevents nasty growth. growth requires moisture. drying is a preservation method. bacteria, etc. will start growing a short time after re-hydration. but all is safe since sufficient bad growth takes a while. sadly, it is not just bacteria, mold, etc. some "critters" can survive dehydration too. under certain conditions they can become active and mess-up your long term storage. this is rare, and unlikely with homemade products. you would see the damage prior to drying.
the super-drying at 250F takes care of the ag guy's problem, so i am still a fan of super drying and grinding.
habanero at 105F sounds great. must take a long time. again, they cannot be over-dried. habenero is not thick skinned, so super drying may not be needed (if they are very dry) to make a good ground chile. i do not think you will have color loss in 10 min. if you do super-dry them, but i am not sure. there are very few oils and sugars, so browning might happen in such a short amount of time. don't use any bag, as that will trap the moisture you are trying to remove.
i wrote, "other ripe chiles are normally sun dried." that however neglects the modern chile industry. sorry. nowadays, little is sun-dried. there are just too many chiles. once harvested, they are dried mechanically like the average kitchen dehydrator, but more science-like. they never reach 165F. nasty growth is more controlled, but critters are not. commercial products sometimes have problems (too little human interaction.) it is what it is. store carefully. again, super-dry and grind. if you see anything when you remove seeds and veins, toss them (unless you like or don't mind ground bugs.)
ristras are not dried chiles, but dryING chiles, so the gov'ment does not care what happens to them after you buy them. put them out in the sun to dry, and if properly formed, you will get dried chiles.
lastly, two things. try re-hydrating and scraping pulp, just to relive the good old days. next, i am surprised that this site does not recognize "chile" in the spell checker. chile is a pepper grown in the ground. brits and idiot academics use chili (maybe because they don't like the place or culture chiles originated.) don't be an idiot or a brit. chili is a dish with various stuff flavoring it. chile is one of the flavors, if it is good chili.
salsalady
eXtreme Business
Most of Europe and DownUnder use chilli for the spicy fruit. Not chili. Western (North and South America's) seem to use chile. And most of the rest of the world doesn't know American chili is a soup, with or without beans. (topic for a whole other discussion 
)
I've just learned to accept all variations of the spellings and try to tailor the spelling in a response to where a person might be at.
Hmmmm, if it is a tailored response is it a bespoke response? Might have to start integrating that annoying adjective more often...
) I've just learned to accept all variations of the spellings and try to tailor the spelling in a response to where a person might be at.
Hmmmm, if it is a tailored response is it a bespoke response? Might have to start integrating that annoying adjective more often...
I have little if any argument with anything you say - but unfortunately, I'm not the regulator
What does it do to flavor?
Which goes back to my point, though - Not only my local ag people, but also the Chile Institute insisted that they MUST reach 165. (And yes, I'm very aware of the reality of the different times and temps. Try explaining that to a government bureaucrat). I can't find any commercial producer that I can get that info from, nor any other source for different info, so I have nothing to use to counter what they're saying.
Chile Institute's response on ristras is that they're not intended for consumption and are coated with wax. I don't even know where that comes from but that's what they told me. I always thought they were BOTH decorative and for use.
I think it's more likely the browsers built-in spell checker. I don't think forums normally have their own. (May be wrong)
yeah, i do not know where the red squiggly line came from. it is just that the "chile" vs. "chili" thing really bugs me. both terms originated in our part of the world, so the rest of the world is obliged to take a lesson from us. i have met many idiots either unwilling or unable to do that. either way, too bad. that is the reason i highly recommend not being an idiot. salsalady, you are being nice, but you shouldn't encourage them to keep being idiots.
it is my experience that vegetables cannot be over dried. but sugar and fat have to be considered. you can really mess-up an avocado or some fruits. if the time is limited to 10 mins at 250F, i find no change. i do not do this every day and i am not drying large amounts (enough for use that day.) but, i can imagine (regardless of the amount) if you just let it go, something bad will happen.
i do not have the displeasure of having to deal with the gov'ment. when they get involved i try to go find something else to do. (we all have to remember reagan, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help." true then, truer now.)
in the industrial chain farm-processor-market, the first two are king. getting the chile to the processor in the desired form and condition is vital. the processor takes responsibility for a marketable product. i am not in the chain, but the info i have says they do not use high temps (costs too much.) if i were stuck in your situation, i might contact a grower, find out who the processor is, and then next is either a phone call or a road trip.
but watch out. you may wind up being cursed to being the only one who knows and acknowledges the full line of facts. idiots are real, i swear. i have met many of them. i am sure there are some within your circle of the world.
if you wind up with more info, i'd love to hear about it.
thanks.
it is my experience that vegetables cannot be over dried. but sugar and fat have to be considered. you can really mess-up an avocado or some fruits. if the time is limited to 10 mins at 250F, i find no change. i do not do this every day and i am not drying large amounts (enough for use that day.) but, i can imagine (regardless of the amount) if you just let it go, something bad will happen.
i do not have the displeasure of having to deal with the gov'ment. when they get involved i try to go find something else to do. (we all have to remember reagan, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help." true then, truer now.)
in the industrial chain farm-processor-market, the first two are king. getting the chile to the processor in the desired form and condition is vital. the processor takes responsibility for a marketable product. i am not in the chain, but the info i have says they do not use high temps (costs too much.) if i were stuck in your situation, i might contact a grower, find out who the processor is, and then next is either a phone call or a road trip.
but watch out. you may wind up being cursed to being the only one who knows and acknowledges the full line of facts. idiots are real, i swear. i have met many of them. i am sure there are some within your circle of the world.
if you wind up with more info, i'd love to hear about it.
thanks.
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oh, btw. the wax. i think that is b.s. from some kind of idiot of some degree or another. wax has two purposes on fruits and veg. glimmer/shine and moisture loss prevention. it is used on stuff that will likely be refrigerated or used quickly, cucumbers, apples, etc. not even gourds (decorations.) i have never heard of people hanging their decorations in the fridge. i have never seen i shiny hanging bunch of chiles. but if so, the excess moisture would lead to what it always does: rot and/or mold. so, i call b.s. on that guy.
Downriver
eXtreme
This made me think of a thread from long ago. You might consider posting to it, lol.
What Really Grinds My Gears thread
Man, oh man. That is rich, for a "native" of a country which doesn't even know how to spell "neighbour", "flavour", "colour", etc. As a small postscript, I may as well also point out that, when writing in English, it is grammatically correct to use capital letters at the beginning of a sentence, as well as when one refers to the first person singular. Bigotry and racism can actually be educated out of some people, but as Ron White famously said... 
.
I don't know about the rest of Europe but here in Denmark it's this way:
Chile is a country in South America
Chili is a pepper (also called chilipeber)
and chili can also be a dish with meat and stuff.
The word chilli doesn't - afaik - exist in Danish.