Preparing Chillies: Eat them fresh
Obviously the easiest way to use your chillies is to eat them fresh. Lovers of spicy food can simply chop up fresh chillies and add them to virtually any dish they are cooking. Fresh chillies are usually associated with classic dishes such as chili con carne, curry and mexican foods however they make a great addition to virtually any dish.
Feel the burn
Everyone knows that chillies are hot. It is a common misconception that it is the seeds that produce the heat in a chilli. infact it is the thin membrane that seperates the seeds from the flesh of the chilli that contains the capsaicin which causes the hot reaction with your tastebuds. As a result removing the seeds of a pod doesn't allways remove all of the heat.
Everyones tolerance of capsicum will be different so the quantieis of chilli used in your cooking will be a matter of traial and error. It might be an idea to wear disposable gloves and possibly eye protection.
Another common mistake is the belief is that a large glass of water is the best tonic to fan the flames. However because capsaicin is an oil water will not dilute/remove it. Dairy products often offer the best solution, with natural yogurt being a firm favourite. Used a lot in indian cuisine 'curd' or natural yogurt is a great compliment to indian cooking and spicy food in general. See our recipe for raita.
Too many to Eat?
A common problem amongst chiliheads is ending up with a huge surplus of ripe chillies by the end of the summer. After raising your little babies from seed the last thing you want is for any fruit to go to waste.
Drying Chillies
Like many fruits chillies can easily be dried. One simple method is simply to thread the chillies through the stalk onto a piece of thread and hang them by a sunny window or in a conservatory/greenhouse. A slightly quicker method is to spread the chillies out on a baking tray and pop them in the oven on a very low heat (50 degrees) - keep checking them every few minutes. The aim is simply to remove the moisture rather than cook them.
Once dry you can keep the chillies for a long time, preferably in a cool dry container. Simply chop them use them in cooking as and when required. Another idea might be to pop them into an old coffee grinder and turn them into either chilli flakes or chilli powder. The main benefits are the finer the powder/flakes the less space is required for storage.
Freezing Chillies
Freezing is a very simple way to preserve your chillies. Simply slice the chillies in half (remove the seeds if you want) and lay them out on a baking tray or any flat surface and pop them in the freezer. Leave them overnight then the next day remove them from the tray and pop them into zip lock freezer bags. This method avoids the chillies squashing together into one big frozen chillie ball as would happen if you simply threw them all into a feezer bag before freezing. Simply pull out the chillies as and when you need them. Freezing should keep the chillies tasting fairly fresh for up to a year, or in other words until next years crop is ready!
Other ideas...
If you can't persuade your gran to slip a few chillies in her famous apple jam/jelly why not try our Chilli Apple Jelly recipe. If that all sounds a bit much like hard work them why not knock up a bottle of Chili Oil. This is a great way to use your dried chillies up and is a useful to have kicking around the kitchen incase you need to liven a dish up!