How to Adjust the Heat of a Dish with Hot Peppers

The first adjustment is the form of the pepper. The compound that gives peppers their heat is concentrated mostly in the inner ribs and around the seeds; the more finely a pepper is cut, the more easily that compound moves into the dish. A whole, unpierced pepper cooked in the pot and then removed leaves only mild heat. A pepper cut in half adds more. A finely chopped or crushed pepper transfers nearly all of its heat to the dish. With the same pepper, changing only how it is cut gives 3 different levels of heat.

The second adjustment is the ribs and seeds. If a pepper is split and its white inner ribs and seeds are scraped out with the tip of a spoon, the heat drops noticeably and the pepper’s fruity flavor comes forward. This method works for dishes where you want the flavor of the pepper, not its heat. If you want the heat, leave the ribs in. Peppers with and without ribs can also be used together in the same dish. Wear gloves while scraping out the ribs to keep the heat from getting on your hands and then in your eyes. Before using a pepper, taste a small piece from the stem end to see how hot that pepper is.

The third adjustment is timing. The compound that gives peppers their heat is heat-stable and does not disappear during long cooking; instead, it spreads throughout the dish, sauce, and oil. Pepper added at the beginning distributes its heat evenly through the dish and creates a mellow, spreading heat. Fresh pepper added near the end tastes sharper, with the heat varying from bite to bite. In a dish that cooks for a long time, start with a small amount of hot pepper and taste halfway through cooking; add more then if needed, because the heat from the pepper builds over time.

Red pepper flakes and ground hot pepper work with oil. The compound that creates heat dissolves in oil, so warming red pepper flakes in oil transfers both their color and heat to the oil, which then carries it throughout the dish. That is why red pepper flakes toasted in oil give a more evenly distributed heat than flakes sprinkled over the top. Keep the toasting brief; burned pepper flakes taste scorched rather than hot. The same amount of pepper tastes less hot in oily or creamy dishes because the fat softens the sensation of heat on the tongue.

At a large table, the safest approach is to serve the heat separately. Cook the dish with mild heat; serve oil warmed with red pepper flakes, finely chopped hot peppers, or Urfa pepper in small bowls so everyone can add it to their own plate. This is already customary with dumplings, soup, and kebabs. If a dish is too hot, yogurt, milk, or another fatty accompaniment softens the heat much more effectively than drinking water. In the pot, the cleanest solution is to increase the volume with a mild portion.