Topic: Drying and storing chilli peppers

[Ozzy]

Yo peeps

me chillies are going meantal they is, and I has loads and loads from just one plant... now I dont know what to do with them all, do I dry them out? if so, how? or can they be frozen fresh???

cheers

Ozzy

 ;)

[Leonie]

Well you could dry them in the sun (I know, what sun!!)  But just remember they are really concentrated when dry and dont go putting heaps in your chili con carne lol :P

I got a load of dried ones from my friend in Spain the other year and they kept their flavour and heat very well that way!

Wonder if you grew em in soil.... or perlite!  

[ina]

I used to dry them on a string as they do in Spain but found they got a bit dusty because it took a long time.
Now I put them in a slow oven with the door half open until they are crackly dry, takes a few hours tho'.

I cut the crowns off the dried chillies, hold them upside down and roll them between my hands to get rid of most of the seeds.
Then I put them in one of those little electric food choppers and chop them not too fine, flakes rather than powder. Keep in a tightly closed container and you can keep it forever, well....almost.

Another way is to clean the seeds out of the fresh peppers (optional but do wear gloves), blanch in boiling water (the fumes will knock you out haha) for one minute and cool in cold water. Chop in de chopper and add vinagre, enough to make a moist paste. You can also chop some garlic with the chillies for variation. This will keep in de fridge for half a year the books say but I have used the chilli sauce/paste for up to a year and it was fine and still as hot as ever.

[tim]

Flakes is a great idea. If you have a range cooker, hang them over that.
I just bag them in the freezer - when you want them, you can slice  them from frozen, or run hot water over them. Yes, I know that a certain web friend would need a separate freezer!!

I just have to add this. You don't have to read it!
Just did a recipe for gazpacho. 1lb toms,1/2 cu, large pepper, water, oil, vinegar etc. Plus 1/2 chilli. So used half a 2" Jalapeno from the freezer. No one could speak for a while! Added another cu & 4 more toms. No way. Added another cu & 4 more toms + 1/4 baguette. More liquid.
So? Just acceptable. So - why does it seem that the country is full of masochists? And having lived 3 years in India, with 'curry' 3 times a day, I'm not your average wimp. = Tim

[sandersj89]

Freeze whole is very simple. Spread on a tray and freeze, then bag.

I also dry them, not the large chilles though. Place on a baking tray and pop ontop of the boiler for a day or too. Then pop into jars to store and they last for years.

We use loads of them. I get withdrawl symptons if I do not get this recipie once a weeks:

Heat oil, good olive, and add 3  or 4 gloves of garlic with 3 or 4 sliced chillies. (Number depends on heat of chillie).

Cook for 3 or 4 minutes and then add some oven dried tomatoes and some fresh if to hand. Cook for another 3 or 4 minutes and then pour the whole lot over spagehetti and serve with loads od feahly grated parmesan cheese.

Spicy and very yummy. Cost is pennies if you grow your own and very good for you.

Enjoy.

Jerry

[tina]

Ozzy

We've gots loads of them too!! My hubby doesn't like cooking with dried ones, and was going to store them all in Olive Oil in jars. Has anybody else tried that??

Tina

[Mrs Ava]

The chillies in olive oil has been discussed before.  I believe this isn't a very safe way of storage do to food poisoning risks.  I have some of mine drying in the conservatory  suspended on fishing line and hooks, and some I will freeze.  ;D

[Ozzy]

cheers peeps

have mad a print out I has, and will prob do the blanching in boiling water  cus sounds dead good Ina lol...

thanx peeps

Ozzy

 :-* :-* :-*

[Grant]

I had a glut one year.  I dryed them and them and ground them into powder.  Small electic grinder does the trick.  Also cuts up other herbs very finely as well.

[tim]

By the book, you are usually better advised to grind when needed? = Tim

[Debs]

would agree with you Tim...

I find it best to grind batches as and when needed.

A large batch will eventually lose some of its flavour and if stored too long will be as tasty as sawdust :-X.

Debs ;)

[ina]

Try my chilli flakes from last year.............not saw dust by any means.
It's true tho', things are always better ground as needed but who's going to get the electric chopper out for one chilli while cooking, not me.

[tim]

Hence the frozen chilli - use a knife.
And one needn't be too literal on this freshness business for something as butch as a chilli - but with fragrance it really does matter. And probably toasted first! = Tim

[graham]

Ozzy - a wee word of warning.  Like you I've a bumper crop of Apache and Jalapenos and decided to maker a sweet sauce to preserve them.  The result was fantastic, blanched as Ina had described boiled with suger vinegar, garlic, red onions and some cornflourr to thicken.  The best - and very chuffed with myself - the poker school are in for a fine treat!  One hour later and my hands started to burn and I mean burn, of course being the smart a... I am I thought gloves were for wooses. In the end i had to sit with my hand in a bucket of cold water to get the heat down and to stop blisters.  I was then up during the night with the pain which carried on for most of yesterday.  A lesson learned methinks!.  PS Blanching brings out a lot of flavour as well as heat

[DocAlgae]

My chilli plant also went mental this year, and I now have something like two pounds in weight of chillies in my freezer (nothing fancy, just pick em, wash em, bung em in a freezer bag).  Defrost in seconds just in the warmth of your hand, chop up and put in whatever you're cooking!

[Jak]

I chop and then simmer my chillies in vinegar (I use white malt) for 20 minutes, then zap 'em in the blender and pour into jars.  Whenever a recipe requires chillies just spoon it in.  They keep for years this way.  

Use twice the amount of chillies to vinegar.

[ruud]

I wonder can you pickle chillies,and how is it done?

[Doris_Pinks]

I have made chilli (blow your socks off) sauce before now! :o  :o  :o DP

[simhop]

Doris

I would like to know how you made your sauce as I have loads of chillis to use soon as well.

cheers
simon

[Doris_Pinks]

Simon have posted the recipe on recipes 4 All, click on the link at the top of this page and it is under preserves and pickles.