YumSugar

Hot! Hot! Hot Peppers!

YumSugar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:18:33 -0800

There are hot peppers and then there are HOT peppers. This afternoon we were talking about the Scoville rating system and how some peppers are hotter than others. The Scoville scale measures how hot chili peppers are. The number of Scoville heat units indicate how much capsaicin is present in the pepper. Capsaicin is the chemical compound responsible for the hot sensation you feel when eating a pepper.

Recently, an ESPN reporter casually took a bite out of a Bhut Joloki pepper, not realizing how hot it would be. Not even milk could cut the heat. If you want to see how he handled it, read more

Chicken Curry Two Ways - Beginner and Expert

YumSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:00:51 -0700

To spice lovers like myself, chicken curry is the ideal, all-purpose meal. It's a well-balanced, relatively fast, one-pot dinner with loads of personality. For guests who don't go for the fiery factor, I simply cut down on the number of spices and chiles; when I'm cooking for myself, I'll take the dish a few notches higher on the Scoville scale.

If you're preoccupied with other tasks or don't like to cook with raw meat, reach for a rotisserie chicken and blended spice mix to cut your prep time in half. Looking to save a buck, and have a few minutes to spare? Begin by browning chicken thighs, then simmer them in a sweet and spicy curry broth with aromatics until falling-apart tender. Check out the recipes and keep reading.

Woman Breaks World Record For Eating World's Hottest Chiles

YumSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:35:45 -0700

For some spice lovers, jalapeno-laden hamburgers just won't do. Take Anandita Dutta Tamuly, a 26-year-old woman from Assam, India, who set a Guinness world record last week when she consumed 51 of the world's hottest chile peppers in only two minutes. She also rubbed 24 of the same chile peppers in her eyes over the span of one minute.

Overseeing the feat with a watchful eye was none other than chef Gordon Ramsay, who was in India filming for a British TV program. The reality show host and restaurateur could only consume one of the peppers before screaming for water. Measuring in at 1 million Scoville heat units, the bhut jolokia is known to the be world's hottest known chile pepper (jalapenos, in comparison, contain roughly 2,500 to 8,000 Scovilles.)

A single seed from this pepper is known to cause puffy, watering eyes, a runny nose, and a burning sensation that may last for up to five hours. So how did she manage to defy the laws of nature? The mother of one explained:

I have been eating bhut jolokia since my childhood and never felt the hotness in my mouth. When I was five, I had a sore tongue and my mother applied a chili paste to cure the infection. Since then I developed a penchant for chiles. To be honest, I barely notice them now.

I'm shocked to hear that this record was humanly possible - especially considering the tragic death that occurred last year after a UK man consumed too much spicy sauce. What do you think of the stunt: is it amazing, or simply incredibly foolish?

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