So maybe drying peppers is not ‘purely’ a spice; but they do add flavor and taste to your cooking.

The main reason to learn how to dry hot peppers is to enable you to keep them for a long time.

Peppers can last for several days to a few weeks at room temperature or in the refrigerator before they start to rot. Freezing peppers, if done right, can make them last several months, but the thawing process can be a tricky one where often you’re left with overly soft and mushy chiles. Dried chiles can last from several months to a few years if stored properly.

Removing moisture from peppers magnifies and intensifies the heat, flavor, and natural sugars the peppers contain. Dehydrated chiles pack more fiery punch and ferocity in both solid food and hot sauce recipes than fresh peppers. Plus, if you grind or crush dried peppers, you can use them as an all-purpose flavoring and seasoning for any occasion.

Last month, I got 20 lbs of organically grown jalapeno peppers from a neighbor.  I canned some of them and dried some (and ate some fresh)!  I’m ready for some spicy cooking!

Tasty, Spicy, Dried Peppers

Before you start drying peppers you need to check over a few things,

If you’re drying peppers indoors, keep the area well-ventilated. Warmed peppers will give off pungent fumes that are irritating to the eyes. If you have a ceiling fan, use it; or better yet, open your windows and bring in a portable fan or two to keep the air circulating and minimize the watery eyes and burned nasal passages.

Take extra precaution around young children, pets, or anyone who is sensitive to spicy foods.

If possible, always wear gloves when handling hot peppers. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after touching hot peppers. Do not scratch your eyes, nose, face, or any other sensitive area of your body after handling.

Check over each pepper before starting the drying process. Discard peppers if they have:

• Soft, mushy, or spoiled areas
• White, moldy, or diseased-looking spots
• Have a questionable or rotten smell

Wash the peppers with warm water and dry thoroughly with a cloth towel.  Next step is to dry the peppers …

1. Cut a piece of thread at least 3 feet long. You will need at least 1/2 a foot of string for each pepper.
2. Using a needle, thread the peppers by running the needle through the center of the pepper. After you have the pepper positioned on the string a few inches above the last pepper, wrap the string around the pepper and thread the string under the loop that you have just made. This will keep the pepper in place on the string and allow the air to circulate easily around them.
3. Leaving at least six inches of string at the top. Hang your peppers on a door or in a sunny window to dry.

Dried chili peppers can be soaked to bring them back to their original form. Dried chili peppers that have been properly prepared, stored, and refreshed are just as tasty as the day they were freshly picked. To bring the dried chili peppers back to life, soak one cup of chili peppers in approximately two cups of cold water for about one hour or until they become tender and appear as they did before drying.

If your dried chili peppers are too hot and spicy for you,  boil them on the stove to remove some of the fire. The longer they are boiled the less spicy they will be. Rinse the peppers, change the water, and boil them again if necessary. The peppers will retain most of their flavor, but they will be more tolerable for those who prefer a milder pepper.

Now, when you are cooking with dried peppers keep in mind that dried peppers aren’t as sizable as fresh peppers. One half cup of dried chili peppers equals approximately one cup of fresh ones. Reconstitute the peppers and grind them when necessary. When using them in hot dishes containing a lot of liquid such as soups and stews, it isn’t necessary to reconstitute them first. Just drop them in when the liquid begins to boil, and turn the temperature down so they can simmer until the food is fully cooked and the peppers are tender and hydrated.