Hot Pepper Scoville Heat Unit Ratings
Add a little spicy heat to your meals this season by growing a few hot peppers.
Their spicy heat is measured in the Scoville Heat Units. Poblano and Siracha rate between 1,000 to 2,500, jalapenos up to 8,000, cayenne can peak at 50,000, habaneros up to 350,000 and one of the hottest, the ghost pepper, at as much as 2,200,000 units.
Ornamental peppers are edible, but most are spicy hot at anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 units.
You can turn down the heat when preparing your favorite recipes. Since the majority of the capsaicin that gives hot peppers their heat is in the white membrane that houses the seeds, just remove this and the seeds if you want to turn down the heat.
Consider wearing rubber gloves and avoid touching your face and eyes. Then wash your hands and utensils when done.
A bit more information: If you like the spicy flavor but can’t take the heat try the All-America Selections winning pepper, Roulette Habanero Pepper. It has the acorn shape, red color and citrusy flavor of habaneros but lacks the heat. This early fruiting pepper is high yielding, producing up to 100 peppers per plant.
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