Captn Salsas Fool Proof Chile Heat Index

Writen by Steve Melton

Chile heat index? Scoville units, what? Capsaicin? My mouth and hands are on fire, ouch!

Well here I am making some delicious homemade salsa for the Monday Night Football game and my mouth and hands are killing me. How can you stop the burning and get this salsa recipe ready to go without hurting your guests.

Now, don't take Capt'n Salsa the wrong way, I love the heat of a good chile, but there is a big difference between hot and hurt. But oh boy, what a flavor. You know you're a chile head when you use cheese and chopped habanero to stuff your jalapeno peppers.

Perhaps I can answer a few of your questions about how hot are those chiles and what can you do about it if you get just a little carried away with the heat.

What's that? Your mouth and hands are burning? Okay, let's start with the hands…

First wet your hands with cold water, and then rub them briskly together with a teaspoon or so of salt as if you are washing your hands. I prefer kosher salt due to its course texture, but grabbing the salt shaker will work as well. Now, wash your hands again with soap and warm water. This also works well when working with garlic and onions.

You did wear your rubber gloves when you started working with the chiles, right?

Come on, Capt'n my mouth is really burning too!

"Your mouth is on fire?"

What ever you do, do not reach for the water; it will only spread the capsaicin oil around inside your mouth, spreading the oil of the chile and you will swear it just go hotter.

So don't reach for the water, okay?

Here are a few remedies that have proven to work.

Milk or dairy products are cooling; grab a glass of milk or a scoop of your favorite ice cream. Did you ever wonder why you almost always see a dollop of sour cream or a helping of "Creama Mexicana Sauce" on your enchiladas and nachos?

Yes, even a "cerveza" can be cooling too, the alcohol will help dissolve the irritating oils as well as "deaden" the pain. Now, wait a minute don't get carried away, you didn't hear me say anything about Tequila Shots.

In addition, a squeeze of lemon or lime will help balance the palate and distract it from the heat. Perhaps my favorite, simply continue to eat the hot salsa that got you to the fire dance in the first place.

Yep, it's true.

Eating more hot salsa with your favorite tortilla and chips, "the bread" will naturally soak up and help dilute the capsaicin level and reduce "the pain."

Hey, Capt'n, what's a Scoville Unit?

Walter Scoville, a pharmacist back in 1912 developed the Scoville heat index to measure the impact of peppers on the tongue. He came up with a way to determine how much sugar water it took to cancel the burn you were feeling on your tongue. For example, if a hot chile, like the jalapeno is rated at 5000 Scoville units, that means the capsaicin oil needs 5000 times its volume in sugar water to neutralize it.

Fine and good but what does that really mean to me? If a jalapeno is rated from 3500 to 5000 on the Scoville scale and a habanero is in the range of 350,000 how hot is it?

Capt'n Salsa's Fool Proof Chile Heat Index, coming to the rescue.

Now just so you know, you might think the Capt'n named this very appropriately, "fool proof" but believe me it really works.

Let's get right to it. Be sure and read the paragraph about "My mouth is burning" and plan accordingly. Remember an effective quencher for the burning palate is grab a glass of milk or your favorite bowl of ice cream and have it sitting at arms reach. You should also have a bowl of chips, crackers or a slice of bread handy.

Now, time to do some good old fashion testing. Ready?

Do not try this with a habanero!

You will need one jalapeno for this test. Begin by slicing just the tip of the pepper off.

Then ever so gently, I do mean very lightly, "hey it's your tongue" so be very careful, touch the tip of your tongue to the cut edge of the jalapeno. Wow!

Fool Proof! See I told you.

Again I'm telling you not to try this with a habanero, even the mildest habanero will knock my socks off.

Here are a few of Capt'n Salsa's tips for handling hot chiles.

You can build up your heat tolerance for hot chiles by starting with the mild ones then increasing to the hotter varieties in your salsa recipes. Overtime the more often you eat them the more tolerant you will become.

When working with any fresh or dried hot chilies, always wear plastic or rubber gloves when working with them.

Chop or cut green chiles on an impermeable surface like china, glass or metal. Do not use your favorite wood cutting board. The wood will soak up the chile oils and it will pass it along to the next food you chop...Wow; these are the hottest strawberries I have ever had!

Do not cut chiles under running water.

When you process or sauté hot chilies they release plenty of burning vapors into the air. Turning your head or wearing a household dust mask will help.

Be sure to experiment with your homemade salsa recipe ingredients. If you are not certain of the heat level the amount of chiles called for will produce, then by all means start with just a very small amount and add to it a little at a time until you achieve your desired results.

Try different varieties of chiles for unique taste sensations.

Share your homemade salsa creations with your family and friends. You will be really glad you did and so will they.

Steve Melton aka Capt'n Salsa provides an outstanding collection of free homemade salsa recipes and Every Thing You want to Know about Chiles at his web site, Great Salsa.com http://www.great-salsa.com/heat

Five Easy Steps For Using Dry Rubs

Writen by Joe Johnson

How to Use Your Dry Rub

A dry rub is a versatile combination of spices that extends beyond the boundaries of barbecue, and can be used to season any dish where you want to add a kick of flavor. In addition to the usual method of rubbing it into meats, a dry rub can be used to add new and unusual flavors to vegetables, salads, casseroles, and can even be used to spice up condiments such as mayonnaise for that steak sandwich!

Rubs can be used completely dry or they can be incorporated into a liquid, usually an oil of some sort, but they are frequently combined with other "secret" purees and liquids, providing an additional dose of flavor as well. In these cases, it is referred to as a wet rub or paste. We prefer to use a wet rub with an oil base as a coating for vegetables or shellfish prior to grilling or roasting, as the oil helps the spices adhere better to these foods and aids in the roasting process. We also mix our rubs with mustard and horseradish and use this paste to thoroughly coat our briskets prior to their long slow smoking.

When using rubs in recipes that require an extended cooking time in liquids, such as in a crock pot or batch of chili, it is best to add the dry rub or Texas chili seasoning required in small batches throughout, or towards the end of the cooking process. This keeps the spice flavors at their peak and will provide a more flavorful end product.

When used as a rub for meats, the process is quite simple and adds a tremendous amount of flavor to the finished product.

Step 1:

Wash the meat, and trim it of any excess fat, silver-skin, etc. Dry the meat thoroughly with a paper towel, discarding paper towel when finished.

Step 2:

Generously sprinkle the dry rub, or spread your wet rub paste, to cover your meat of choice with a thorough layer of the spices. With chicken and other birds, gently lift the skin without tearing it, making sure to get the rub in direct contact with the meat as well as on top of the skin and thoroughly within the cavity, to add even more flavor to your finished bird.

When done your meat should be coated with a nice even layer of rub or paste.

Step 3: (Optional - especially with fish and delicate foods)

Using your fingers, gently work the rub in a circular motion, being careful not to crush the meat. On heartier cuts such as brisket or pork shoulder, use the palm of your hand to work the rub into the meat, giving it a good exercise; this helps break down the connective tissues of these tougher cuts.

Step 4:

If you performed step 3, apply additional rub to evenly coat the meat.

Thoroughly wrap the meat in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator if cooking at a later time, or leave wrapped at room temperature if cooking time is less than 1 hour away. Do not leave your meat un-refrigerated for an extended period of time as this may result in the meat becoming unsafe to eat.

It is not necessary to let the meat sit for several hours after applying the dry rub. However, if you do have the time, allow the rub to really penetrate into the meat and increase the flavor level by letting it have at least one hour of resting time prior to cooking. For even greater results, let the seasoned meat sit in the refrigerator overnight, wrapped in plastic wrap.

Step 5:

About a half-hour before cooking the meat, remove it from the refrigerator, take off the plastic wrap and allow to return to room temperature. If a dry rub was used, it will have become pasty from the juices of the meat. Be careful when handling the meat, so as to avoid rubbing away any of the paste - it makes for a tasty crust, or what is referred to as "bark".

If desired, you can add more rub to coat for even more flavor.

Cook meat in desired manner, and bon appetite!

Joe Johnson is a proud Texan and founding partner and chief pit-master with Caroline's Rub, where he is in charge of product promotion and development for their line of gourmet dry rubs, smoked salt, and Texas chili seasoning.

Clarifying Butter

Writen by Shauna Hanus

Clarified butter is a delightfully rich concentrated butter that can be used in cooking and making mouth watering sauces. Traditional methods for making this rich butter concentrate can be a little intimidating at first, but not anymore. There is a very simple and easy 4 step method to make clarified butter. The only catch is that you need to plan a day ahead of time.

The first step is to slowly melt one to two sticks of unsalted butter over low heat. Using unsalted butter will help to prevent your final product from being too salty. When the butter is completely melted pour it into a bread pan.

After you have transferred the melted butter to the bread pan, loosely cover the bread pan with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to cool over night.

The next day when the butter has completely cooled you will see that the butter has separated into three layers. The top layer is white and creamy looking, the middle layer is the clarified butter, and the bottom layer is the watery liquid that has been separated out of the butter.

The second step is to use a spoon scrape off the top white layer. Discard this layer.

Third use a tooth pick or a skewer to poke several holes in the remaining butter. Be sure to reach all the way to the bottom of the bread pan.

The fourth and final step is to pour off the liquid on the bottom of the pan. What remains is a rich and delectable clarified butter.

Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who specializes in creating gourmet meal plans. She has extensive experience cooking with easy to find grocery items to create delightful gourmet meals. She is also the publisher of a no cost bi-monthly gourmet newsletter. Her newsletter is always fun and informational packed with tips and trivia you can use everyday. http://www.gourmayeats.com