Jalapeno help

[pacanis]

Last night I stuffed some Jalapenos with shrimp and cream cheese for the grill (along with wrapping some shrimp in bacon and having a nice ribeye ). This was not the first time, but it is the first time I experienced burning lips, coughing and throat irritation.... apparently from cutting the peppers open and cleaning the seeds out. Under running water I might add. I cut the slit on a board and used my fingers to scoop the seeds out under the faucet like I always do, one at a time. Being very careful to get them done and wash my hands immediately.
Well today my scooping fingers have a slight tingle them, almost like they're asleep, and if I rub my eyes my eyes burn just a little, but it goes away after a few minutes. This is one shower, a dog bath and at least a dozen handwashs later!
Were these some kind of nuclear jalapenos? They tasted like they had just a tad more bite, but this lasting effect on my hands is driving me nuts. I've never had this happen before.

 

[jennyema]

Every pepper is different. I've grown jalepenos that tasted like bell peppers and some that were very hot. It's hard to know unless you are growing them yourself and already have an idea of how hot they are.

I always use a spoon to remove the seeds though.

When i am working with my habaneros I always use gloves. I have had knives and cutting boards that went through the dishwasher still retain the capsaicin oils.

 

[jpmcgrew]

Jalapenos will do that to you.You might want to wear some disposable gloves to clean them.Also you want to get the veins inside pepper they carry most of the heat.Sometimes they are hot and somtimes they are not.I grew some last year they were supposed to be hot but tasted like a green bell pepper.

 

[Barb L.]

I grew some a few years ago that were so hot we could not eat them !

 

[pacanis]

I have had knives and cutting boards that went through the dishwasher still retain the capsaicin oils.

Maybe that's it. Maybe these has more oils in them that absorbed into my skin more.
Thanks

 

[bknox]

We had a fairly bad experience in Virginia making stuffed Jalapenos. As you stated, we had made them before.

We made a batch stuffed with cream cheese and roasted red peppers. The peppers had been bought at a local market and all at the same time.

I ate one, carefully biting it in half, and it was delicious, not hot and very tasty. The next one I was not so careful and put the entire pepper in my mouth. IT WAS NUCLEAR! I had tears running down my face and sweating from the top of my head. My brother thought that was really funny as he had 3 and told me I was baby. I tried another and got blasted again. Finally he grabbed a hot one and I laughed at him for a while. It was hit and miss but we ended up eating them all.

I am not sure why some are so much hotter than others but I felt your pain. Sometimes I will stuff Pablano peppers as they are never hot, although bigger and a bit harder to stuff and handle.

Take care,
Bryan

 

[BreezyCooking]

I don't know exactly why this happens either, but it happens whether you buy your peppers at the market or grow them yourself.

Every year I grow several varieties of hot peppers, & have discovered a distinct difference in heat from peppers picked off the SAME plant!!!

This has been driven home most pointedly with my Poblanos, which I LOVE to stuff & bake. I can pick 6 peppers from the same plant & end up with 3 that are mild & 3 that will blow the top of your head off. I used to stuff the peppers with Monterey Jack Hot Pepper cheese, but gave up on that quickly - lol! Now it's just sharp cheddar or the mild Mexican cheeses, & we play a culinary version of "Russian Roulette" when we serve/eat them - lol!!!!!

 

[oneoffour]

Wish I could see the plants. Stress from stem damage or dryness tends to intensify the fire. Peppers picked after 3 days of rain are watery but more firey in dry weather. The soil pH may also be a factor in heat. Seem to remember something about the fire being stronger or acting as a defense when insect activity damages the plant or part of it.... so the half of the plant that has bug damage or breakage maybe the peppers that were super hot.. can't tell for sure without knowing soil moisture, pH, and insect or abiotic stress. Were the ones that were super hot loaded with very mature seeds and those that were more mild have soft pale white immature seeds? It could be the reverse of that but there is something to look at that way as well. Rephrase that ...the hotter were over ripe but didn't look any different ?

 

[jpmcgrew]

All I know is chile growers here want really hot dry weather.

 

[keltin]

I’ve read that hot Jalapenos are seasonal, and depend on hot, dry weather. If they are over watered, don’t get enough sunlight, get too cold (chilly nights) or the roots don’t take well, the Jalapenos will be milder as they can’t develop the thicker more potent veins. They say in the US, the best growing time is August and September for hot jalapenos.

 

[pacanis]

Interesting reading. I had no idea that the flavor and intensity could vary so much in peppers, even from the same plant. I'm glad the unexpected extra hotness wasn't yet another sign of me getting older
Next time..... now that I know there will be a next time, I was going to give up on them..... I will cut into one and give it a little sniff test before I fully commit my sinuses and hands to strong oils. I'll pick up some more latex gloves, too, just in case. Right now I just use them for painting or staining, but I see it would be a good idea to have a pair on hand in the kitchen.
Uhhh, pun intended I guess

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[mitmondol]

I've read somewhere that cross pollination can cause different heat levels in peppers too.I only grow hot chiles, so wouldn't really know.
But the effect on your hands is interesting. Never happened to me, not even with habaneros, and I never clean them under water either. Don't want to wash away the smokey taste/smell.

 

[Dave Hutchins]

I feel for you I have never had that problem here is two things you can do
1 see if you can get jalapeno'sfrom Texas A&M they have bred a strain that is harmless very little heat, most big seed company's have them
2 All ways wear plastic glove or better Medical gloves and wash and bleach your board twice. that oil is a bear some times to git rid of
3 remember dairy products are very good for getting rid of the pain in your mouth yogurt is best