Habenero Peppers... I have tons of them!

[Teraesa22]

Thoughts on what can I do with them?

[Will Owen]

Friend of ours used to have a small truck farm near Williamsport, Tennessee, all lovely black, silky soil (it was loaded with gypsum) in which he grew specialty veges for the restaurant trade. Habaneros were one of his major crops, and one year he gave us a gallon zip bag stuffed with them, all still bearing stems and seeds. It was after cleaning them for the freezer that I discovered how truly potent those things are: I washed my heavy-duty rubber gloves before taking them off, then I washed my hands very thoroughly. Several hours later I absent-mindedly picked at an eye-boogie, and when I'd recovered I was amazed that I could still see...

One of these at the bottom of a pot of beans adds a lovely warmth; two makes those beans good and spicy. That fact if remembered gives good guidelines for similar use. Aside from their potency, they also have a lovely flavor, so good I wish I had a lot more tolerance for the heat.

[Perilagu Khan]

Heh heh.

Last night I had some super-hot hab hot wangs at a local I-talyun joint. When I got home I washed my hands thoroughly in preparation for cleaning my contacts. Not thoroughly enough! When I pinched out the first contact the pain was so sharp that my knees buckled. I had to talk myself into pinching out the second lens.

[Will Owen]

At this point I would like to ask if anyone has thought to add vinegar to his or her hand-washing regimen? Capsaicin is an alkaloid, after all, and it makes sense that an acid would be the best counter-agent for it. I know that vinegar added to either hot pepper sauce or mustard diminishes the heat.

[bear]

Here are some possibly helpful tips about removing capsacin from hand from The Kitchn blog (really good blog, by the way)
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/ti...

[BiscuitBoy]

hot wings (wangs? well that's gonna be in the 'not about food section' for sure) at an I-talyun joint?

[Perilagu Khan]

Wang is local vernacular for wing.

[porker]

Coupla years ago, I was playing pool and having a beer at the local Legion hall. Topic of hot stuff came up and I happened to have a small pack of habaneros in the car. I got them, ripped them into small pieces and had everyone try a bit. When the hilarity had subsided, we resumed playing pool. I ducked into the washroom, relieived myself, and washed the hands on the way out. Waiting my turn at the felt, a slight tingling started at the tip of, my, ahhh...well you get the idea.
Within a minute it went from a strange tingling to full-blown excruciatiing pain. It was ON FIRE! I had to drive home in a panic, strip down, and scrub for my life. It finally eased, but lesson well learned...

[Perilagu Khan]

Bad case o' hab peeny, eh?

[BiscuitBoy]

So T, what did you end up doing with'em?

[Teraesa22]

I made a little bit of hab vodka-had a few little tastes but saving it for a Sunday morning bloody Mary :). The rest I pureed and added to a tikka masala sauce mmmmm! Thanks for all the suggestions!

[COOKCOOKS]

If you do any gardening you can put them into the blender with water, a teaspoon of dsh soap, and blend it up. Strain this and spray the liquid on your outdoor plants to keep bugs off of them. If you have tons of peppers you can make up a batch of this liquid and freeze it.

[Niki in Dayton]

The hot pepper trick also works to keep squirrels away from bird seed. As it turns out, birds have no capsaicin receptors, but the same is not true of squirrels. It was pretty amusing to watch the squirrel who ate the hot pepper laced seed....and it also demonstrated how quickly squirrels learn, because the seeds have been left alone ever since! If you want to use for this purpose, just grind the peppers and sprinkle some over the seeds, but be very careful handling them.

[JerryMe]

If they're whole w/ stems, I dry them. Use a needle (darning needle is what I used) along w/ thick thread (doubled if necessary), run it thru the stems (I change the positions from side to side) and then hang them up to dry in the kitchen. I don't know your climate but I live in a really dry, hot desert (It's October 13th and it's 100 degrees).

When I want to use them, I just pop them off the thread, rinse to get rid of the dust, de-seed and throw in whatever I'm cooking. DS is allergic to jalapenos (bizarrely he gets really severe hiccups) but the habeneros are always a fresh flavor in what I'm making (tacos, pizza, soup, chili, etc.)

[porker]

Easy hot sauce: whizz habaneros with vinegar in a blender.
Belizean style: saute onion/garlic, add water, some carrots, cook until soft. Whizz in blender with habaneros, vinegar, lime juice and salt (for less fiery version, remove seeds and ribs from peppers).

[mlgb]

Keep some in vinegar in the refrigerator (I nuke mine for a bit in the microwave)
Freeze the rest.

Unless you know what you can handle you might consider deveining them...wearing gloves.

I use the chopped skins in soups, chicken dishes, anywhere you'd use any other hot pepper, just be careful til you know what you can handle.

[thew]

overnight them to me in NYC!

[Perilagu Khan]

Forty-five persent to thew, fifty-five percent to me in Lubbock.

[ESNY]

Nah, with the cost of freight these days, just one shipment to NY will suffice and me and thew can split it.

[DoobieWah]

i was in the same boat a couple of years ago.

I cut off the tops and stem and cut out the seed packet.

I turned them upside down on a dehydrator and let them go for 24 hours.

I have been using the dried habs ever since, (including in pickles which are fantastic!).

[JonParker]

I dehydrated mine in the toaster oven (which has a dehydrate setting). Then I put them into the coffee grinder that I use for spices and came out with some nice habanero powder that I used anytime I needed to add a little oomph to something.

If you try this though, be very careful when removing the top of the grinder and pouring the powder into the jar. You don't want it in your eyes.

[C. Hamster]

I just bought some hab powder at the Spice House and really like it.

Now i'll make my own!

[Perilagu Khan]

I've got some habanero pickles in my fridge that are sensational. If you like making your own pickles, this is the thing to do.

[bear]

I'm in the same predicament. A friend gave me a quart bag full, and also a pint jar filled with them covered in vinegar. She says they last for months in the vinegar.

[C. Hamster]

Hab Jelly. You need about a dozen for 6 jars. I make it a lot and people beg me for more.

Infused vodka

[Teraesa22]

The infused vodka sounds great. What is the ratio of habaneros to vodka?

[C. Hamster]

Your choice.

Off the top of my head, maybe 6-8 per pint. Mine were red savinas. Very hot. You can use more or less to taste. And de-seed/stem/pulp if need be. You want to get the fruity flavor with as much heat as you desire.

Makes a tasty bloody mary

[BiscuitBoy]

What DOES one do with tons of habeneros? Why would you want that many? Usually a piece of one is way more for a nice salsa, or maybe a whole one minced for a marinade. Did you grow'em? Are they hot or "American" hot?

[ESNY]

A whole habanero seeded and finely minced is just the right amount in salsa.
A whole one, sliced in half, is good for a shrimp boil.
I also seed and finely mince one, lightly sweated and then added to omelets.

[kattyeyes]

My face is flushing just thinking of such a thing! Though a local place makes a special salsa with habs and shrooms if you ask for it. It's plenty fiery!

[Teraesa22]

I was given them & agreed-one or two would have been plenty! I don't want them to go to waste though & they are HOT-not "American" hot

[Niki in Dayton]

Jerk sauce, and you can even freeze it. The three things that *must* be in jerk sauce (which all grow in Jamaica) are habeneros (scotch bonnets), thyme, and all spice. I also like to add green onions, brown sugar, ginger, a bit of salt, and some oil. I use it on chicken (especially wings), ribs, porkchops.

[gordeaux]

+1 X 1000000000000!!!!

[Perilagu Khan]

I wonder how habanero poppers would be? I also wonder how they might fare sliced into rings and used to top a pizza pie?

Of course, you can always puree habs and make a killer salsa.