The earlier you add fresh chiles to a recipe that you're cooking, the hotter the bite will be. If you like a more mild bite then add them to your recipe at the last possible moment.
Most of a chile's heat is in the seeds and in the white membranes so you can control the amount of heat of any dish by removing them or adding them.
Also, the larger the size of any particular variety of a chile is less hot than their smaller counterparts.
By Deeli from Richland, WA
This page contains the following solutions.
This is the time of year to purchase fresh roasted green chilies, but why have someone else roast something you can do yourself so easily?
It is very important not to touch your nose, eyes, or mouth after handling or eating hot peppers. If you do, flush with water immediately. The capsaicin in the peppers can be extremely painful to your eyes and can even burn or irritate your skin (especially if you have cuts on your hands).
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I am trying to make as many food items myself, rather than buying processed. If a recipe calls for a can of green chiles, what kind of chile pepper would I substitute and would I just chop them up to use?
Here are a few sites with info. Chiles are not always in season so you will want to target when they are cheap at your grocery market or produce stand and buy a bunch up. Then roast them before either canning or freezing them.
Roasting & Freezing Fresh Chiles
Roasting Anaheims blackens them, removes the skins, and prepares them for freezing. (Photo: Susan Belsinger)
Green chiles don't dry well but you can preserve them whole by roasting or grilling and then freezing them. (If you freeze them without grilling, the chiles will become mushy.) Large green chiles are best for this method. Most thick-fleshed peppersNew Mexico green chiles, Anaheims, anchos, mulatos, and the sweet bellshave a thin, tough skin that is best removed for pleasant eating. The traditional method is to roast the peppers: They may blacken a little, and the skin will blister and become loose. Once roasted, these chiles will freeze well.
You can roast chiles in three ways, depending on the number you have to prepare. In all cases, cut a small slit at the stem end of the chiles to keep them from bursting. If you only have a few chiles, roast them directly on the open flame of a gas stovetop. Watch them carefully and turn frequently with tongs.
If you want to preserve a larger number of green chilessay, six or moreplace them in a shallow baking pan, and set it about 4 inches below the broiler. Turn frequently to blister the chiles evenly. Watch them carefully so that they don't overcook. The skin does not have to blacken to become loose; if it wrinkles when you push it with the tongs, the chile has been blistered enough.
Read More
www.bbg.org/
Here's some general Green Chile tips..
1. To keep green chillis fresh, remove stems and store in plastic bags.
2. If you wish to store chilli powder for a long period, smear a little groundnut oil on the inside of the jar before storing. This will prevent the chilli powder from getting rancid.
3. To prevent green chillies from turning red, keep them in a jar with a little turmeric powder sprinkled over them.
4. In summer, buy green chillis in a large quantity. Blanch for 5 minutes and drain. Dry in the sun till crisp. Powder and keep in airtight containers.
5. This Powder can be used in cutlets, etc. It comes handy when we are short of fresh chillis.
6. During summer, to keep green chillis fresh, wash them in cold water, remove the stalks, place in cold water for 5 minutes, then wrap in a polythene bag.
7. Use green chillis for a better flavour in any dish needing lime juice.
Read More
www.womenexcel.com/
This site has some great info about Green Chiles
www.arborfood.com/
Generally speaking, I believe if you wanted to use fresh chiles in something like Enchiladas (YUM!) you would want to roast the chiles first. Otherwise they would be crunchy.
One last thing, I believe Chiles are in season towards the end of summer, so that is when they would be cheapest.
I've never done it, but when we lived in Albuquerque, a friend cut both ends of the chilies, roasted them, then - leaving shell on and still using rubber gloves just in case, would use a rolling pin to press out the insides. It's my understanding that the seeds carry a lot of punch in comparison to the flesh. It's a matter of preference and type of chili that you process.
