All green peppers are NOT created equal. Case in point: A bite of jalapeño nacho cheese might give you brain freeze, a quick halt to brain activity. It is not pain, but a chemical response to something that surprises even home cooks who believe “green” means the same. Nope.
Knowing where the jalapeño falls along the hot-to-mild scale can help you wield it with skill. See? The chart above shows exactly where it ranks compared to other hotter (and milder) peppers, so you’ll have an idea of what’s coming at you before you cut into it. And that’s why you hear about the Scoville Scale. It’s a measurement of how much capsaicin is present, and therefore how hot something will be.
Why Jalapeños Are Different
On average, jalapenos measures between 2,500… 8,000 Scoville Heat Units. This puts them somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. Habaneros are hotter then poblanos and bell peppers is less hot.
So what does all this mean? They’re a do-everything kind of chile. You can make a fresh salsa with some bite. Yep. You might want to roast it up and add a smoky layer to soup. Okay then.
They’ll fall into those ranges, but each pepper are different depending on where it was grown. Generally speaking, a sunnier location will produce a pepper with more pizazz. Many people also believe that removing the seeds makes peppers less spicy, but it is not true. Most of the capsaicin reside in the interior placenta (white ribs) of the pepper. Because these peppers contain oil, and the seeds absorb some of it, they’re also hot… But can be removed without affecting flavor by scraping off the white membrane inside, leaving behind the meaty flesh. A lot of recipes don’t mention this point; if you want something less hot, concentrate on removing the interior structure. Not just shelling out the seeds.
Heat is also influenced by ripeness. For example, you can pick green jalapeños earlier for uniformity, but allow them to go fully ripe (they’ll eventually be red) to get more sweetness (and more heat). You can see these stages clearly on the chart above. The chart explains how they progress in taste from sweet to crisp. These is nice ones for roasting or as part of hot sauce.
If you let some go all red, you have what’s called a red jalapeño. They has an even deeper flavor and are perfect for tossing into roasted dishes or using whole in hot sauces. Let dry and smoke and you’ve got chipotles, to add flavor to meats and bean.
Jalapeños aren’t one-size-fits-all, of course: Some strains produce lots of peppers but less heat; some feature thicker walls (for use in stuffed peppers); etc., etc. So buying based off knowing what you’re getting sets your expectation. Corking, a condition where there are brown streaks on the skin of the pepper. Is often a warning sign that it’s got more capsaicin than usual. It’s kind of like the natural warning label right on the fruit.
Once you get some heat, it spreads water everywhere in your mouth. This just makes the oil go all over your mouth. Casein, found in dairy products, is a protein that grabs onto capsaicin, so a drink of milk or a spoonful of yogurt does the trick niceley.
Finally, though, once you’ve learned its ways, the jalapeño doesn’t take any crap from anyone. Respect the variable heat, treat those ribs gently and listen to what your tongue tells you to do. That initial stinging bite may surprise you, but before long, it’ll be a welcome addition to your meal.