RE: [CH] Is using fresh peppers to flavor oil unwise?
Goslowsky, George (gjgoslow@ingr.com)
Wed, 28 Jan 1998 09:24:16 -0600
Thus spoke Rael
> But trust me: take 10 or 20 of your favorite chiles, put them in
a couple > of cups of oil (canola is good; peanut is okay; no
olive) and bring the oil > and chiles up
Why no olive oil? I thought I read somewhere (it might have been The
Whole Chile Pepper book) that olive oil retained chile's heat and flavor
better than any other oil. I will try to look it up to be sure.
I make chile oil regularly (I even have a pot brewing right now) and I
don't use olive oil since it has a low flash point. To me this is
pertinent, since I do a lot of grilling and it always seems to cause the
coals to flame and therefore scorch my food. But I don't just use it
for grilling. I use chile oil in everything I cook. I have been doing
this so long that when my daughters eat away from home they say that the
food doesn't taste quite right.
My method for making chile oil is to take a 1/2 gallon of canola oil and
a triple hand-full (reach into the canister that I store them in and
grab a fist full) of dried cayennes, jalapenos, habs, cascabelles,
Thai's and piquins and throw it all into a crock pot. Turn it to high
for about 3-4 hours, then back down to low for another 24 hrs just to be
sure. After it has cooled, I strain it through cheese cloth into a tall
glass bottle painted with chiles and corked with a chile laden stopper.
Those chiles simmering makes the whole house smell like heaven.
Anywho, sorry for ramblin', but thanks for listening.
C ya...
George J. Goslowsky
We are only immortal for a limited time