Yet another powder question

C

Captain Capsaicin

I have an awesome Excalibur dehydrator which provides 15 square feet of drying space. I've been making powder (which I love) but I have a ways to go. Members such as Joyner's make powder which is fluffy, vibrant colored and bursting with heat and flavor. My powder is more akin to the red pepper flakes which one would put on pizza.
 
I've broken a cheap coffee grinder, purchased a manual grinder which doesn't work and currently use my blender to make powder. After doing some reading I've realized that one mistake which I've been making is not fully drying my pods. They're still somewhat pliable when I take them out of the dehydrator. I'm assuming that they should be completely void of moisture? Here are my major questions?
 
1) What grinders, either manual or electric, could give me solid results while reliably working for multiple seasons?
2) I've been drying my pods at 85 degrees which takes forever. What temps do the experts typically use?
 
Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!
 
Edit: I have a quality food processor. Would that be a viable means of making powder?
 
I can tell you that 85 is a little low.  Large scale drying facilities use a higher temp than would be advised here, as the higher temp will cook the pepper and darken the color.  If I get around to it, I will report back with some suggestions.  If not, I am sure somebody else will step in . . .
 
I really appreciate the advice. My blender is a Cuisinart . How hard is it to burn out the motor of a decent blender? Should I need run it for more than 20 seconds? Does it need time to cool down inbetween loads? Thanks again!
 
Captain Capsaicin said:
I really appreciate the advice. My blender is a Cuisinart . How hard is it to burn out the motor of a decent blender? Should I need run it for more than 20 seconds? Does it need time to cool down inbetween loads? Thanks again!
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JoynersHotPeppers said:
You will never get all powder in a blender, flakes yes, true powder no. You should pulse a few times first and then let her rip. I do not use a high end blender and knock on wood I USE IT a lot!
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I had a cuisinart and it did fine with powder.  However, I would caution against grinding infused salt . . . at least straight out of the oven . . . $50 mistake . . .
 
After getting advice from all the experts on here, I have my dehydrator set at 105°F/41°C. Everything is cut in half and left for a minimum of 5 days. As Jamie says, until the peppers will crumble in your fingers (wear gloves). I also bought one of these for $30, as it`s stainless and the cup inside is removable. It`s kind of a pain as you have to hold the top down to operate the blade, but it gives extra, extra fine powder. The motor does heat up, so I`m careful to allow it to cool down every once in a while. I also wear a face mask and put a very slightly damp towel over the grinder as it grinds, then don`t open the lid for 60 seconds after I stop grinding.
 
 
Here are a couple thoughts:
 
Temperature - consider your process in total. I prefer to dry my pods and then remove seeds once dry. It takes less time to get them into the dehydrator this way, and IMO it's easier to remove them once dry. Other than process, a few more things to consider are that at lower temps (90F or below) the seeds remain viable after dehydrating, and lower temps retain color and flavor better. Yes, it takes longer to dry, so it's a balance. That said, the actual temperature might not match what's on the dial. Throw a thermometer in there for a while then check it to see what you're really getting.
 
Texture - I have a nice spice/coffee grinder with different texture settings. I'd recommend looking for at least a spice grinder to get a better texture.. 
 
Does ambient humidity effect drying time in an Excalibur dehydrator? A lot comes down to production volume. I will put a thermometer in and play around with it. At the moment a 5 day drying cycle would be just fine. I might be able to swing a week. The higher the production volume, the higher the temp, the shorter the drying cycle.
 
I'd like to get a really good grinder for next season. I currently have 22 pepper plants and will over-winter all plus start new ones for 2014. It's just not super practical to grind a few pods, wait for the motor to cool, repeat, repeat, repeat......
 
I'd like something a bit more high capacity. Either electric or manual. It would be awesome to be able to fill up a hopper and just crank out fine powder. If the device will last for years I'd be willing to shell out a couple hundred bucks. I don't think that I could justify crossing the $300 price point at this time though. Any suggestions?
 
PepperDaddler said:
Anyone used a magic bullet?
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 yes i do, and i can get the consictancy i want, i dont like extreme fine powder, it get airborne to easy, i like it a bit ruffer but not like redpepper pizza flaked
 
and it puts very little stress on the bullet, i have one new and picked up a spare at goodwill for 8 bucks
 
I know this thread is a little old...but was wondering if you found your sweet spot?
 
I dry mine for 5 days on average at 105 usually...but it depends on what I am drying and if I smoked the pods first or not. Smoking them will darken them anyway so I go ahead and bump it to about 115 to knock them out. I also dry thicker walled pods like Jals and Manzanos at a higher temp (110-115) because otherwise they take forever. I hit them in a Food Processor first then to a coffee/spice grinder. I grind them three full cycles on the finest setting. Great advice by Nigel above with the safety gear...when I must work indoors I use a strong window box fan pointing out and crack the windows on the opposite side of the house...this pulls air across the work area and makes it almost bearable without a mask....but outdoors is best if you can.
 
Let us know how its coming!
 
cheap coffee grinder.
Dry till crispy dry. (couple days here in low humidity--single digits)
Put on some nitrile gloves and hand crumble into a container.
Fill up the top of the grinder.
Put it on the base---INVERTED. (sneaky trick to get more done at a time)
Pulse a few times to reduce the volume.
grind to desired fineness, fines or flakes.
Yesyesyes---in front of a window with a fan pointing out.
 
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