How To Cook With Hot Habaneros Without Losing Your Cool

Habanero peppers may be cutely shaped and full of color, but don't let looks fool you. They are also full of fire. On the Scoville scale, the method used to rate the heat of peppers, the habanero weighs in at 100,000–350,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units), a whopping 12 to 100 times hotter than the more widely used jalapeño pepper. Don't let the heat scare you off, though, because habaneros, when handled properly, can be flavorful and enjoyable in the right dishes. Here's how to control their heat and what to cook with them.

How To Reduce Some Of The Heat

Much of the heat contained in chili peppers of any kind is found in the interior membrane and seeds. The skin and walls of a pepper definitely contain heat as well, but the insides carry most of the fire. To reduce the pain a tad, clean out the seeds as well as the white pith (the membrane that holds the seeds to the pepper) and cook only the shell. You will still get the pepper's flavors, but less of the intensity.

Cooking also helps reduce the heat while still providing plenty of flavor to a dish. The capsaicin, the compound behind the spiciness and heat of chili peppers, starts to break down around 400 degrees Fahrenheit, so even a little time on the grill or oven may help. Habaneros also get hotter as they ripen. Green habaneros are milder than fully ripe ones that range in color from orange to black.

Don't Use More Than You Need

As stated above, there is a huge range of heat levels between sweet and mild to super-hot peppers. Maybe you just can't get enough jalapeños in your favorite salsa or spicy slaw recipe, but think twice before adding more habaneros to a dish. One single pepper, or even part of one, may be enough for your taste. Follow your recipe as well as your tolerance level (and that of your guests). You don't want the dish to become so hot and painful that no one can enjoy it. Even a small amount of habaneros can add a hefty amount of spice. Replace the jalapeno called for in Cucumber Salsa or Black Bean and Corn Salsa to ramp up the heat to your liking.

How To Handle A Habanero

Very carefully, and with quality food handling gloves! It is a good idea to use gloves any time you handle a pepper, but especially the hotter ones that contain a high level of capsaicin. Working with habaneros without wearing food handling gloves can lead to a painful case of chili burn on your hands and anywhere else you happen to touch. Be careful of where and what you touch even when you wear the gloves; resist rubbing your eyes or swatting hair off your forehead until after you have removed the gloves and washed your hands.

If you happen to get a chili burn, or perhaps you ate too much of your habanero-infused dish and your mouth is on fire, reach for some milk. Water won't help at all since capsaicin (the culprit of your discomfort) is an oil and water will just spread it. Acids break down oils and milk, surprisingly, is an acid. Guzzle a glass of milk if your mouth is burning, or if you have a burn on your hand, dunk it in a bowl of milk. Lime or lemon juice is another option if you have a skin burn (you probably don't want to drink it).

What To Cook With Habaneros

If you like spice, kick up your cooking with habaneros. From sauces to sides, these recipes turn up the heat.

• Spicy Vinegar: Add a splash of heat to greens, beans, or any other dish you use hot sauce on. The recipe calls for apple cider vinegar, but feel free to play around with other flavor combinations.
• Grilled Hot-Pepper Sauce: Make a batch of this spicy sauce to drizzle on eggs, chili, or anywhere else you want pep. This recipe uses different combinations of peppers to make green and red versions.
• Spicy Guacamole: Two kinds of peppers add depth and heat to traditional guacamole. Jalapenos provide moderate heat and habaneros add a hint of citrus flavor. Modify the heat level to your liking with any combination of mild and hot peppers.
• Any-Season Succotash: Chock full of summer vegetables, this succotash turns things up with habanero spice. For milder heat, use less minced habanero.