Best way to dry orange Habanero Peppers? Cooking ideas?

[ajrsmom]

I have been given a bunch of orange Habanero peppers by a guy my DH works with. He insists that they are Scotch Bonnert Habaneros. I've tried telling him that there is not such thing....they are either Scotch Bonnets or Habaneros. After researching, I am convinced that they are orange Habaneros because of the the point at the end of the pepper...Scotch Bonnets are round at the bottom, right?

I'm not really sure what I am going to do with them but I would like to dry most of them for later use.

What is the best way that you recommend to go about drying them?

I've read that most people don't recommend hanging them to dry because they are thick-skinned- but there are those who insist that is the best way. Most people don't recommend drying large amts at one time, either, because of the odor that they give off. :eek:

I am sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place there....I don't have a lot of room in our place--we live in an apartment-- so laying them outside to dry is out. I don't want to hang them either. I want them to be handled as little as possible by myself and not to be tempting to my kids to touch.

Can you dry them in the oven? I'm guessing a food dehydrator would work but right now I don't have one of those either right now.

Do I have any options left?

******

Also, I would love to hear any suggestions that you have for cooking with them.


Thanks!
Tami

[Chef Mark]

Tami:

You have touched upon a subject very dear to my heart. I love hot peppers.

First, you are correct, there are Scotch Bonnets and Habaneros. Habaneros are a little bit hotter.

You can easily dry them by putting them in a 200 degree oven when you get home from work and leave them there overnight. In the morning you will have dried habaneros.

My favorite way to use them is to grind them and use them in a sauce. You'll need one of thos electric spice grinders, or coffee bean grinders. Or, you can do it by hand with a mortar and pestle.

Here's a link to my article about habaneros with a recipe for habanero sauce, and then 3 additional recipes for using the sauce on.

http://www.foodforthoughtonline.net/Habaneros.html

[ajrsmom]

Thanks so much for the info!

This might sound like a silly question but how should the peppers feel why they are dried enough?

How should I store them? Can they be frozen?


I am sending copies of your article w/the recipes to work with my husband tomorrow night. :)

He told me that he works with one guy that was eating those peppers like an apple. :eek: Why....was my first question. I can't imagine doing that...or even wanting to. LOL

[cat lover]

Well sounds like Cef Mark gave you the best way. I was going to name other ways, but those are all ways you didn't wnat to do!LOL Let us know how they turn out for you.

Years ago when I grew a bunch I dried them and used them ground in my sauces and one of my DS's even sprinkled them on his pizza!:eek:

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Our primary address is in NM. (I go to school in West Texas) So, dried pepper and chilies are a way of life.

I have seen a local grocery store taking fresh peppers from the produce section and roasting them or something in a weird contraption. It looks like a large round bingo ball machine made with chicken wire. The person rotates the contraption so that the peppers spin under a fire. It was interesting. (It was in Las Cruces, NM.)

I am curious. Have you heard of this and does this dry them, roast them, or both? Is this beneficial to other methods? Is there a way to do this at home, if this improves the flavor?

[Chef Mark]

Ajrsmom:

When dry they will be hard, possibly even a little brittle.

I store mine in an airtight cannister jar.

There's no reasons to freeze them. If they are completely dry there is no moisture for bacteria to breed.

Debora:

I have never heard of that contraption you speak of but putting peppers over a flame is more to roast them than to dry them. If you tried to dry them that way they would become incinerated first.

Peppers are sometimes roasted on a flame to char the skin so it can be removed.

[ajrsmom]

Thanks for all of the info. Chef Mark! :)

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Thanks Chef Mark. You can sure tell that I have never used such a doo-hicky. lol