Is the Heat of Serrano Peppers Affected by Boiling?
How is the heat of serranos affected while boiling? I'd like to add them to the pot while cooking rice so that the rice comes out with a lot of heat soaked in. It seems like I get different results each time, so maybe there's more to it than just boiling them the whole time.
The heat of peppers are in the seeds and membranes of the pepper. Also peppers can vary in heat from pepper to pepper and depending on how much water the plant got. The more water the more dilute the peppers will get.
Serranos are more consistent than Jalapeno's which can range from med hot to not hot at all.
I put peppers in soups and stews all the time for a little extra heat. That is more or less simmering or boiling them. If they are whole, then the stew or soup is not all that hot unless I bite into one, so for more heat I would chop up the pepper with the seeds and put it in the pot. How many you want to chop depends on how hot you like it and how hot the peppers are.
We used to put three hungarian wax peppers in our soups. My husband put in 3 habaneros in one time instead and it was even too hot for him.
Serranos are more consistent than Jalapeno's which can range from med hot to not hot at all.
I put peppers in soups and stews all the time for a little extra heat. That is more or less simmering or boiling them. If they are whole, then the stew or soup is not all that hot unless I bite into one, so for more heat I would chop up the pepper with the seeds and put it in the pot. How many you want to chop depends on how hot you like it and how hot the peppers are.
We used to put three hungarian wax peppers in our soups. My husband put in 3 habaneros in one time instead and it was even too hot for him.
Thank you. I think my serranos are as hot as any on the market and I still get inconsistent results as far as how picante the rice turns out. I always do a preliminary taste test as I'm cutting them up and even if they all seem equal, sometimes one will do the job while simmering, other times it takes three or four.
Are you using the same number of peppers for the same number of cups of rice.
New crop rice takes less water, old crop uses more. Old crop will also absorb more of the heat from the peppers.
To get more consistency try soaking the cut up peppers in the rice and water for one hour or overnight before cooking the rice.
I don't know what kind of rice you are using because that makes a difference too. I primarily eat short grain rice. Jasmine or glutinous rice absorbs less water and needs to be soaked longer to start with. But short grain rice readily absorbs water and any flavorings you have in the water. Soaking the rice allows more water to penetrate the grain. If you want to make the rice drier you would need to use a little less water and make sure you keep the pot covered about 15 minutes after the rice is done to finish.
Soaking the rice with less water and replacing the water with a little sake makes better rice for sushi.
I can cook rice on the rangetop but here rice cookers are pretty much a necessity and more common than a toaster.
P.S. I do not do minute rice. Long grain rice has a hard coat and if it is not soaked it pretty much needs to be cooked in a broth to get any kind of flavor or sauce to stick to it. I only use it for casseroles and only if I have it. I would rather use Jasmine rice instead but I would probably use short grain rice because it is the staple rice here.
New crop rice takes less water, old crop uses more. Old crop will also absorb more of the heat from the peppers.
To get more consistency try soaking the cut up peppers in the rice and water for one hour or overnight before cooking the rice.
I don't know what kind of rice you are using because that makes a difference too. I primarily eat short grain rice. Jasmine or glutinous rice absorbs less water and needs to be soaked longer to start with. But short grain rice readily absorbs water and any flavorings you have in the water. Soaking the rice allows more water to penetrate the grain. If you want to make the rice drier you would need to use a little less water and make sure you keep the pot covered about 15 minutes after the rice is done to finish.
Soaking the rice with less water and replacing the water with a little sake makes better rice for sushi.
I can cook rice on the rangetop but here rice cookers are pretty much a necessity and more common than a toaster.
P.S. I do not do minute rice. Long grain rice has a hard coat and if it is not soaked it pretty much needs to be cooked in a broth to get any kind of flavor or sauce to stick to it. I only use it for casseroles and only if I have it. I would rather use Jasmine rice instead but I would probably use short grain rice because it is the staple rice here.
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PunkRotten
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