Methods and features of drying hot peppers at home

Selection and preparation of peppers

It’s not difficult to prepare this red, fiery vegetable at home. Begin preparation by selecting suitable pods.

They should be:

• painted evenly, without light and dark spots on the surface;
• without mechanical damage or traces of disease.

Important! It is necessary to work with hot peppers correctly, following safety rules: when cutting peppers, you should wear kitchen gloves, it is important to ensure that the juice does not splash into your eyes and thoroughly wash kitchen equipment after working with this scalding product.

After selecting suitable fruits, they are washed and then a little moisture is removed from them with a towel. If the pepper is to be dried entirely, then it is sent to dry for a couple of days in a warm room. If you do not plan to dry the chilli whole, then cut it, remove the seeds and stalk, and then chop it to the required size of the pieces.

Adviсe

Some tips for housewives:

• Dried peppers do not tolerate moisture, for this reason they must be stored in a fabric bag, a paper bag, a birch bark container, or in glass jars covered with gauze;
• Pepper “beads” on a rope can be hung in a prominent place in the kitchen as a decoration and for future use;
• The dried pods are ground into powder in a food processor and also using a mortar and pestle. Then pour it into a dry, airtight container.

REFERENCE: In order for drying to be quick and high-quality, it is necessary to change the newspaper every two days, since it absorbs moisture.

How to dry hot peppers at home: basic methods

You can prepare a spicy vegetable for the winter in various forms:

• whole pods;
• circles or half rings;
• sticks or cubes, if further it will be crushed into powder.

Various technologies can be used for drying. The most interesting and simple recipes for preparing spices at home are presented below.

In the oven

Cooking time: 3–5 hours.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Wash and dry the chili with a towel to remove excess moisture.
2. Turn on and preheat the oven to 50°C.
3. Line the deco with baking parchment and arrange the pods evenly in a single layer over the surface.
4. Place it in the oven to dry, but you must leave it ajar, at least the size of a matchbox, since with the door closed the pepper will simply bake and not dry.
5. Monitor the degree of readiness. On average, the process can take 3–5 hours.

Also read: the difference between cayenne pepper and chili.

On air

Whole peppers

Duration of preparation: 9–10 days.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Prepare hot peppers by first washing them.
2. Prepare a needle with a large eye and a thick, strong thread.
3. String the pods by piercing them with a needle and thread below the stalk. The result should be a “necklace” of red peppers, which should be at a distance from each other, without touching.
4. Hang the beads in a room with good ventilation. Dry until ready.

Chopped peppers

Duration of preparation: 8–10 days.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Rinse and dry the pods with a towel.
2. Put on gloves and cut them on a glass board with a sharp knife.
3. Cut off the stem and clean out the seeds. Cut the peppers into circles or halves of rings 0.5 cm thick.
4. Place the pieces on newspaper or a sieve. Newsprint is very good at absorbing moisture from chopped vegetables.
5. Leave the peppers to dry in a dry and well-ventilated area. You can send the newspaper to a wide windowsill or radiator. Every 2 days you should change the newspaper, since the paper will already be wet and you need to change it to dry. Continue until the product is completely dry.

Important! The peppers should not touch each other, they should be suspended at a distance, then they will not rot and they will dry evenly.

On the vegetable rack

In order to dry hot chilies, you can use a wire rack with a fine mesh, which is designed for drying vegetables, mushrooms and peppers. It has high legs that are installed on the stove.

Cooking time: 3 hours.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Vegetables are washed and removed from excess moisture.
2. It is necessary to cut each pepper, clean it, removing seeds and membranes and cut into pieces.
3. Place the crushed product on the drying rack.
4. Turn on the stove at medium burner power.
5. Dry until ready.
6. The pepper is dried until it is ready if it is very wrinkled and crumbles in your hands.
7. Did you know? A sip of water after tasting hot, hot pepper will make the “fire” in your mouth burn even brighter. In order to extinguish the flame, it is better to use yogurt or milk; sour lemon or lime are also suitable.

Find out also how to grow chili peppers at home on a windowsill from seeds.

In an electric dryer

Cooking time: 8–10 hours.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Prepare the peppers for drying by washing them.
2. Place the sharp pods on the grill in a single layer.
3. Turn the dryer on full blast and dry until done, turning the vegetables occasionally to prevent them from sticking.

Drying peppers on vegetable racks

Quite an effective way that will save space in the apartment. There are passive and active drying systems of this type. Passive systems are an analogue of drying on paper. All you need is good ventilation. The grate allows the juices to drain into the tray, and the fruits do not even need to be transferred or mixed. However, the drying time on the pallet exceeds a week.

Active systems - involve drying under moderate heat. This is usually a steel structure that can be placed on a burner or electric stove. It is necessary to place the peppers at a certain height for a given group of fruits and turn on medium heat. Dryers come with detailed instructions and you just need to follow them. Using a starting warm-up of 2-4 hours allows you to reduce the time required until ready by almost half. For chili peppers, drying is achieved by the end of the third day.

Dried peppers are quite stable and preserve well, but it is necessary to preserve all the unique aroma and flavor bouquet. Otherwise, why put in the effort if the bag from the store will emit more attractive odors.

Terms and basic rules for storing dried peppers

If hot chili has been dried in pieces, it is usually further ground in a coffee grinder or blender and the resulting powder is stored in a tightly sealed glass container. The jar of spice can be left in a dry, dark, cool place.

Also, a jar of dried seasoning can be placed in the freezer, which will increase the piquancy of the seasoning, according to some housewives. If the bitter chili was dried whole, then it is placed in a glass jar, and gauze folded in several layers is used as a lid.

Whole peppers should not be tightly covered with a lid, since the spice in this form requires ventilation. Or you can hang a string of peppers as decoration in the kitchen, and cut off the required amount as needed. The dried product can be stored for a year.

Storage methods

Hot red pepper, or chili, is an unpretentious plant. With proper care it gives a good harvest. Therefore, housewives with a summer cottage, during the vegetable harvesting season, are wondering how to store hot peppers in winter.

You can use the following methods:

• store indoors;
• place in the refrigerator;
• to freeze;
• dry;
• preserve;
• cook in oil or vinegar.

When the vegetables are harvested, they are laid out and left for 6-7 days to identify poor-quality pods. Then they are sent for further storage or processing.

Fruits of different colors, including green, are often collected from the garden beds. Ripe red peppers are suitable for storage in any form, and green ones can be preserved.

Do you know that…

If you leave fresh green pods in the air, they will gradually ripen.

Features of application

Dried pepper is most often used in cooking, where it is part of spicy mixtures, used for pickling, preparing meat and vegetable dishes, sauces and dressings. You should know: 1 pod of chili pepper corresponds to 1 teaspoon of dried, ground.

Did you know? The fiery spiciness of chili comes from the substance capsaicin, which irritates human receptors so much that he feels the burning effect. The dried red pod contains almost 2%.

Large pods have a harder and denser skin that will require more time to dry well, so it is better to grind these peppers after drying in a blender until finely ground. Drying hot chili at home is not difficult, but you should remember to take precautions that will help protect yourself from the negative effects of this hot spice.

Bunch of red dried peppers

The next item on the list of 33 must-have items at home is a bunch of dried red peppers .

Anastasia puts it this way:

“Red pepper is one of the youngest objects of power, but at the same time one of the most ancient. How did it happen? Yes, they forgot about it for a long time, although it was cultivated not only in the most ancient Indian civilizations, but also here, on the territory of modern Europe and Asia. This is a very powerful magical plant, and it is associated primarily with love and the heart. In the family, he helps preserve love and passion between spouses. And at the same time, it relieves and protects from very strong damage, especially if this damage is aimed at love relationships.”

The strength of red pepper depends on the degree of its heat; the hotter the pepper you choose, the stronger its effect. Bell peppers or green pepper varieties have no effect at all.

Pepper has a similar effect when eaten. If you suddenly suspect that some friend of yours has jinxed you or cast a spell on you, then you need to prepare food with the addition of red hot pepper and invite this ill-wisher to visit. If this person is really guilty, he will definitely show his attitude towards you at dinner, because pepper loosens the tongue.

The Book of the Hidden Tree of Life says:

“The burning fruit is a lesson to the devil. If a family welcomes that fruit, then the love in it knows no end. Then you cannot separate the spouses and do not extinguish the fire of love when the fiery fruit is hung by the hearth.”

HOW TO HANDLE HOT PEPPERS

Red hot pepper should be placed in a visible place so that all family members and guests can see it, and its strength will increase. For this amulet , you need to choose the hottest pepper; these must be intact, straight, not twisted fruits with even, smooth skin without any spots and preferably the same size. Since pepper is intended to protect marital love, the number of peppers in a bunch should be equal to the number of years lived in marriage (lived together). This amulet is valid for exactly one year, then it needs to be removed and buried in the ground; if this is not done, then negative energy can accumulate on the pepper.

In order to make this amulet you need to take pepper (the quantity has already been written), a long thick green thread or rope, a small piece of paper and a pen with red ink. The amulet is made in the kitchen; it is better if you are alone at home so that no one bothers you. Put everything on the table. Sit down and think about the wonderful moments in your family life. Write your spouse's full name and your own on a piece of paper. Roll the paper into a tube with the lettering facing inward. Tie it to the green rope, and then tie all the peppers one by one. After this, take the resulting garland in your hands, stand facing the hearth (towards the stove) and say out loud:

Burn the pepper, kindle the passion,

Love amulets,

Protect from enemies.

Then hang the pepper near the stove so that the paper is on top.

Since pepper is not only the guardian of marital love, but it also cleanses from damage and the evil eye in love, it should also be present in the home of a lonely person whose personal life is not going well. In this case, you need to take just a couple of red hot peppers. You only need to write your name on paper, and you need to say the following words:

Hot pepper,

Kindle love,

Burn everything that was sent,

Protect from any trouble,

Reward me with your family.

WHAT DOES HOT PEPPER PET WITH?

Hot red pepper goes well with Thursday salt, with any church attributes, with any natural amulets, with magical incense.

WHAT HOT PEPPER DOESN'T MATCH WITH?

Hot red pepper absolutely does not combine with synthetic detergents and soap.

WHAT CAN YOU REPLACE HOT PEPPER?

In special and emergency cases, when you urgently need to protect yourself from the evil eye, hot red pepper can be replaced with ground pepper (“Chili”), which is poured behind the stove and under the kitchen table exactly in the middle. But this option is not durable and will need to be replaced with a full-fledged amulet as soon as possible .

Types and methods of drying vegetables with your own hands

Next, we will consider other types of drying vegetables, depending on their density and wateriness. Methods for drying vegetables such as carrots and beets require blanching. Drying vegetables this way with your own hands guarantees a high quality finished product.

Dried beets.

For drying, you should select medium-sized beets, with dark red pulp, without veins and light rings. Clean off dirt, rinse several times, cut off the stems and tops. Place in boiling water for 20-30 minutes

It is very important that the beets do not overcook, so it is not recommended to blanch them for longer than the specified time. (Beets do not need to be blanched before drying.)

Peel and cut the beets, cooled in cold water, into strips, place on a baking sheet or sieve and place in the oven at a temperature not lower than 80 °C.

Well-dried beets should be dark red in color with a pink or purple tint.

Dried carrots.

Dried carrots are usually prepared as a seasoning for various dishes. For drying, take bright orange root vegetables with a small core.

Peel the carrots, wash and blanch in boiling water for 20 minutes until they become soft. Cool the blanched carrots, cut into slices or strips, place in a thin layer on a baking sheet and dry for 5-6 hours at a temperature of 70-80 °C. Store in the same way as dried potatoes.

Sometimes carrots are dried without blanching. This method, of course, does not require much time and effort, but I do not recommend using it, since carrots dried without blanching lose carotene and taste during storage.

Dried cabbage.

The most suitable for drying is dense white cabbage without a rotten smell. You can dry cabbage either fresh or after blanching. In the first case, cut the prepared cabbage into strips, spread in an even layer on a baking sheet or sieve and place in the oven.

In the second case, blanch the shredded cabbage in salted boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then cool, place in a gauze bag, hang it to drain, place on a sieve and dry at a temperature of 50-60 degrees, stirring from time to time.

Pickled winter seasoning made from hot pepper

Another recipe for how to pickle hot capsicums for the winter suggests preparing a spicy but very tasty seasoning from the vegetable by grinding the vegetables in a meat grinder. The preparation will perfectly complement meat dishes, borscht, or become an extraordinary appetizer.

Pepper seasoning

Components:

• Pepper – 1 kg
• Head of garlic – 1 pc.
• Salt – 30 g
• Vinegar – 100 ml

Procurement process:

1. Wash the peppers and cut off the stems. Peel the garlic cloves and rinse.
2. Grind the vegetables in a meat grinder or grind in a blender.
3. Add salt and vinegar to the hot gruel. Stir the mixture until smooth.
4. Spoon the mixture into sterile small jars. Seal the containers with lids. Store the product in a cool place or refrigerator.