How do you know if a jalapeno pepper is hot?

Question

I want to make some hot salsa, but everytime I buy jalapeno peppers from the store they taste like a regular bell pepper (not spicy enough) anyway...I just wanted some tips on picking the right ones without tasting it, licking it, rubbin in my eyes or any other crazy ideas are out of the question...

Answer 1

With jalapeño peppers they are all of the same Scoville unit. There is no way to tell by its shape or colour not like some other peppers. The sensation of heat that we experience from eating certain peppers is attributable to a chemical called capsaicin. The more capsaicin present in a pepper, the hotter it will seem. Although the Scoville scale spans from 0 to 16 million, the American Spice Traders Association set the standard for conversion from ppm of capsaicin to Scoville Heat Units as 1:15. This means that a sweet bell pepper has 0 Scoville units because there is no capsaicin present, and pure capsaicin crystals have 15,000,000 Scoville Heat Units (or 16 million, depending on who you ask.



Here is a list of the hottest peppers...the top being the mildest...

El Paso (Very mild)
Anaheim
Jalapeño
Hidalgo
Serrano
Cayenne
Tabasco
Red Chile
Chiltecpin
Tabiche
Bahamian
Kumataka
Habanero (One of the hottest grown - 30 to 50 times hotter than a jalapeño)

I love hot peppers, I like it so hot that I usually have to make my own sauce. And yes, I use the Scotch Bonnet (Habanero).

Hope this helps

Answer 2

The heat is measured in Scofield Units. The more units the hotter the pepper is. The Scofield Units are measured when the pepper is fully ripe. An under ripe pepper does not have as many Scofield Units as a ripe pepper. An under ripe Jalapeno will have 0 to 5,000 Scofield Units. So let your Jalapenos turn red before picking them to get the full amount of Scofield Units (5,000 SU). Or plant Serrano's, a cousin of the Jalapeno pepper that looks and taste the same, except it is 2 to 3 times hotter than a Jalapeno, so you can get 10,000 SU's while it is still green looking, and 15,000 SU's if you let it turn red.

Answer 3

if jalapenos are not hot enough for you (and i don't mean to contradict you, but i have NEVER had one that tasted mild and sweet like a bell pepper...), go with a Serrano pepper instead. they are found in the same section of the produce department, and are slightly skinnier than jalapenos, some red, some green. Serranos are one or two steps up on the heat scale, and as Chef suggested, leave the seeds and ribs in if you are looking for the most heat. also, you don't say which, but if you are buying canned or jarred peppers, they may very well be less spicy by virtue of the fact that canned or jarred are partially cooked and may lose some of their zing. buy fresh only.

Answer 4

Maybe you're just one hell of a woman, and need something spicier, because a jalapeno should be somewhat spicy. the seeds are the spiciest part, so don't take them out if you're looking for the spice. maybe try a habanero instead. not much though, because they're extremely spicy. the spiciest. I tried one once, straight. god, I was drinking straight from the tap for about ten minutes. it was brutal.

Answer 5

Geez, your mouth must be lined with Asbestos, if you don't think that jalapenos are hot enough.........The Scotch Bonnet or Habanero is the hottest on the planet.........good luck, and be careful of those things, they're little atomic bombs inside........I took a bite of one ONCE and that old saying "hurts going in, hurts coming out" sure did hit home!!!

Christopher

Answer 6

jalapeno peppers are not the hotest peppers out there and if you remove the centre it reduces the heat.( seeds and so forth)

Answer 7

Like chef said, the heat is in the seeds. So if you cut them up, leave the seeds in and it'l be plenty hot.

Answer 8

Just smell it.

P.S. I also use yellow hots in my salsa, and I think it adds some heat to it. YuM!

Answer 9

Take a bite. Seriously, you can break it open
and smell it and you can usually tell. I know
that I can.