We have a winner

‘T’aint like stickin’ yer tongue in an electrical socket. ‘S’more like radioactivating yer grub. Yee-hah!!

I prefer not to stick my tongue in a power outlet.

For gentlemen who prefer a more powerful gastronomic experience than the piquancy of the Anaheim or even the Serrano, I recommend the Habanero. It combines incandescence with overtones of citrus that go particularly well with game, but are memorable even with farmed beef.

The main thing to me ain’t heat, it’s _flavor_. Second to that is balancing heat and flavor. To a degree, less potent peppers can be utilized by merely increasing the quantity to get sufficient “amperage” in your jolt. And as any electrician or medical examiner can tell you, it’s not the volts that kills you, it’s the amperage.

I’m a pepper snob, like some folks are beer snobs. I bought about a dozen varieties of peppers from the “La Costenita” pepper display rack at the Mexican grocery store, and came up with some favorites.

Pequin for chili. Ancho for a smokey flavor. Guajillo to flavor chicken.

It was both an honor and a privledge to donat the seeds from my plants for this study. We finally have some good data for the chile and spice industry. A thanks to CPI for all their hard work in getting this done!

Three cheers for Jim Duffy and CPI.

A note to those who aspire to be chile-pepper snobs: Spices have a shelf life and can go stale. Date the package when you buy it, and replace in 12to 24 months.

What’s the best way to date a package of spice? If you were dating me, I’d recommend dinner and a good movie.

Amelia, assuming you’re single and in the dating pool, please post a link to an online photo of yourself, and I’ll rate your spiceyness. (Use hotornot.com if you don’t already have a photo online.) And if you score high enough on the Scoville scale, I’ll tell you how (or if) I’d date you.