Drying peppers without color loss
 

Howdy,

I was wondering if anyone has good ideas of how to dry (ripened)
jalapenos so they don't lose that nice red color? I have tried to make
chipotle powder out fo garden jalapenos, but it seems more brown than
the red you get when you buy the stuff (doesn't quite taste like
commercial product either, but that's another story).

Thanks,

Jarrad

Rick wrote:

On 25 Feb 2005 07:03:47 -0800, "TEX-EX" wrote:


Howdy,

I was wondering if anyone has good ideas of how to dry (ripened)
jalapenos so they don't lose that nice red color? I have tried to make
chipotle powder out fo garden jalapenos, but it seems more brown than
the red you get when you buy the stuff (doesn't quite taste like
commercial product either, but that's another story).

Thanks,

Jarrad


Hi Jarred,

Jalepenos are usually picked while they are still green. Once they
turn red they lose some of their flavor. They are not particularly
good for drying, but they do freeze well. chipotle is another type of
pepper, so that may explain you difference in flavor. I have had very
good luck drying cayenne peppers. In fact, you can just leave them
out on the counter and they dry out just fine.

No... chipotles are nothing more than smoked jalapenos.

As for maintaining color when drying. I don't think that's at all
possible. You're removing the moisture content which is going to deepen
and darken the color. Lord only knows that's in the stupidmarket stuff.

--
Steve

On Fri, 25 Feb 2005 20:26:53 GMT, Rick wrote:


Jalepenos are usually picked while they are still green. Once they
turn red they lose some of their flavor.

If you pick a jalapeno green, and allow it to ripen *after* picking,
it does not lose flavor, it just never had much to start with; but it
also won't develop that nice ripe flavor that a jalapeno ripened
naturally on the plant has. Of course, if you're buying peppers from a
grocery store, you're starting with a pretty tasteless product anyway,
and can only expect things to go down hill from there.


Penelope