Taming the heat in chili peppers

What’s so hot about chilies? Many people think it’s the seeds, but this is not really so.

Chili pepper pods are fruits — actually, the seed-bearing ovaries of the plant. They contain capsaicinoid compounds that are heat-producing in the mouth, and these are synthesized by the surface cells of the chili.

The hot compounds accumulate in droplets and form pools that look like little rough spots or bumps just under the surface of the interior. So it is possible to greatly reduce the heat of a chili by scraping out this interior network, seeds and all, and rinsing the inside of the pod.

Scientists originally thought the seeds were the source of the heat for good reason. When you cut into a chili, the knife slices into a number of the pools where the hot compounds accumulate and splatters them all over the seeds and inside of the pod. The incorrect conclusion: The heat originates in the seeds.

For the cook, there are several ways to control the heat. If you cut a chili in half and put half in, say, a soup, it may not be that powerful. However, if you take that same half and mince it, freeing the capsaicinoid compounds, and put that minced chili into a soup, it may well send you through the ceiling.

When your mouth is on fire from chilies, what can you do to relieve the pain? Water is of little help. The fire from capsaicin compounds — which are colorless, odorless and tasteless yet powerful alkaloids — are not water soluble. Mercifully, they are soluble in oil and alcohol. Oil and alcohol are more soothing than water, but food scientists know that milk provides the best relief.

Dr. Robert Henkin of the Taste and Smell Clinic in Washington says that the casein found in dairy products is a phosphoprotein that acts like a detergent to strip the capsaicin from the nerve receptor binding sites in the mouth.

In 1989, John Riley, editor of the science journal Solanaceae, tested various remedies to remove the burn. He found:

{bullet} Rinse the mouth with water: 11 minutes until relief.

{bullet} Rinse the mouth with 1 tablespoon olive oil: 10 minutes until relief.

{bullet} Drink ½ cup heavy fruit syrup: 10 minutes until relief.

{bullet} Rinse the mouth with 1 tablespoon glycerin: 8 minutes until relief.

{bullet} Drink ½ cup milk, rinsing well: 7 minutes until relief.

In a 1990 study at the University of California at Davis, Christina Wu Nasrawi and Rose Marie Pangborn reported that a 10 percent sucrose solution at 68 degrees was just as effective as cold milk at 41 degrees.

This explains why some cooks add sugar to reduce the heat in an excessively hot dish. Another old solution is a little vinegar. I like to simmer jalapeno slices in ½ cup vinegar, 1 cup sugar and 2 cups water to reduce the heat and produce a mellow taste. The cooking liquid is a great flavoring agent, too, as illustrated by the recipe that follows.

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