What is the best way to counter SPICE?

Question

After eating a very spicy food, what is the best way to get the taste of the spice out of your mouth? I am going to be in an eating competition tomorrow and need to know. I know milk works, but unfortunately it is banned for tomorrow.

Answer 1

BLue cheese dressing is the exact opposite

Answer 2

Capsaicin, the chemical in hot peppers that causes the burning sensation is a waxy oil.
As oil and water do not mix, drinking water will not help relieve the pain. If you do drink cold water, the waxy capsaicin's repulsion with the water will spread it over more of your mouth.....which can actually increase the area of pain sensation.
How do you remove the oil?
That's relatively easy. This is one reason sour cream is usually served with spicy Mexican food. Sour cream is an oil solvent. Fatty foods or drinks would also work (e.g. whole milk, milk shake, etc.). Interestingly, skim millk won't work very well (no fat with which to dissolve the oils, just some water with milk solids present).
Another way is to absorb the oil onto something edible. Toast happens to be a good absorbent. Saltine crackers work well too.

Answer 3

Anything with sugar works. The sugar interacts with the acid in spicy foods. In spicy foods, the "heat" is from acid contained in the oils of seeds from peppers. Any type of sugar will work. Milk helps two fold because not only is the lactose interacting with the acid to neutralize it, the cold makes your body think that it is helping. Bread works but you need to keep it in your mouth for a little bit. Pasta, candy, pop (not diet) will work, stay away from colas (very acidic). Rootbeers and Dr Pepper are less acidic and will therefore help better. Gum works but that might be hard in a competition. Even sugar in water will work.

Answer 4

Most dairy products or breads work ok. Milk is best b/c it actually binds to the capsaicin and leaves your mouth when you swallow.

Just don't go for water (only dillutes the feeling) and definitely don't go for anything sweet (which opens up your taste buds).

Answer 5

Avoid water, but try other dairy products like cheese, ranch or bleu cheese dressings, bread or tortilla chips (reduced salt if you can get them). I've also heard that honey can be effective but I don't know how or why it would work.

Answer 6

Plain yogurt and cucumber both work really well.

Answer 7

ice cream

Answer 8

bread to soak up the capsiascum (sp?) oil.