There are hundreds of varieties that differ greatly in color, size, and most importantly heat. The heat level is measured in Scoville. Bell/sweet peppers have a rank of 0 scoville, while jalapeños rank between 2500 and 8000. The hottest chili peppers rank well over 2 million scoville. Red chilis rank among the hottest. Size can also be a factor: the smaller the chili pepper, the bigger the Scoville score.
Chiles are also sold in dried form, and ground into powder/flakes to use as a spice, like cayenne or chipotle powder. I like to keep things fairly tame in my recipes by using jalapeños, serranos, and occasionally a thai chili pepper (50,000 to 100,000 scoville).
Most of the heat from chiles is found in the seeds and stems so use caution when handling. The heat can transfer to your hands which means if you touch your eyes or lips after, you might feel a burning sensation. I recommend wearing gloves when dealing with the hotter varieties.
Chiles often live a duel life: eaten fresh or dried for use throughout the year. Many chiles have different names, depending on whether they have gone through a drying process.
Anaheim (mild): A chile that has it's ties to the California city is a variety of the New Mexico chile and the Hatch Chile (specifically grown in the Hatch region of New Mexico). Left to fully ripen and turn red, the chile is then dried and often labeled as a generic 'California or New Mexico Chile'.
Jalapeño (mild): A well-known chile, this small in size chile is often used fresh or pickled. However, when left to fully ripe and turn red, this chile can go through a smoking and drying process, becoming the beloved chipotle pepper.
Poblano (mild): In the realm of chiles, this pepper's slightly larger size and mild heat level make it a wonderful chile for general cooking purposes. Poblano's dried versions include the ancho and mulato chile. Ancho chiles ripen to a deep red color and have a rich, jammy flavor that is perfect for sauces. Mulato chiles ripen to a dark brown color and have a similar jammy flavor to the ancho chile, however, often have a solid undertone of chocolate flavor. These two types of dried chiles are grown from different varieties of the poblano.
Pasilla (mild-medium): The dried form of the chilaca pepper with an earthy, sweet flavor.
Guajillo (mild-medium): The dried form of the mirasol pepper with a slightly fruity and smoky flavor.
More to come soon!
Summer/Fall
While you could eat chiles raw, they’re best when cooked. I like to grill, roast, fry or sauté chiles peppers as a base for meals. Chiles peppers have a big range in terms of heat, so know what variety you purchased, and proceed with caution.
Look for chiles that are firm, bright in color, and have no visible soft spots. Chiles that look wrinkled are old. Store-bought chiles have most likely been covered in a wax, so I recommend roasting or grilling, then peeling the skin off before using.
Store in the crisper for up to a week and wash right before using. Chiles peppers are prone to mold, so the dryer the environment for storage, the better.
