Whether you call them hot peppers or chilis, autumn often brings a bounty of fiery fruits from the garden. Sure, you could dry chili peppers to use in a huge range of dishes, but we have even more exciting ideas for using hot peppers. From making a fermented hot sauce to mixing up a rub for sore muscles, here are four cool uses for hot peppers.
![Hot pepper handling equipment]()
Wear gloves when handling hot peppers, and work outdoors if possible
Handling Hot Peppers
First, some safety precautions. The capsaicin levels in hot peppers, measured in Scoville Units, can vary between 2,000 units for low-burn jalapenos to 250,000 for inferno-level habaneros – or into the millions for the very hottest varieties! - but all hot peppers should be handled with care. Always glove up to avoid getting capsaicin on your hands. You won’t feel the burn on your fingertips, but should you touch your eye, you’ll be sorry.
Very potent peppers can gas off enough capsaicin to make your eyes burn, so work outdoors or in a well-ventilated place when cutting up a large quantity of chili peppers. Should you slip up and need to clean capsaicin residue from your hands, try rubbing them with cooking oil, then washing with dish soap and hot water, followed by a final cleaning with rubbing alcohol.
![Hot honey]()
Small jars of hot honey make wonderful gifts
Easy Hot Honey
If you have only a few hot peppers, use them to make hot honey, which is terrific for drizzling over winter squash, adding to salad dressings, or even soothing a bothersome cough. Place 16 ounces (464 g) of honey in a heavy saucepan with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and several clean hot peppers, with most of them snipped into pieces and a few left whole. Pierce whole peppers with the tip of a knife to help them release trapped air. Slowly bring the mixture almost to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often. When bubbles form, reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes more. Cool slightly, then strain the hot honey into heat-proof jars. Place one whole honeyed pepper in each jar.
![Hot pepper vinegar]()
Purple cayenne peppers and red basil make rosy-hued hot pepper vinegar
Spicy Hot Pepper Vinegar
Where I grew up in the American South, hot pepper vinegar was a offered at every country diner as a condiment for beans or cooked greens, especially turnip greens and collards. Few recipes are so simple. Place trimmed or split hot peppers in a heat-proof container and cover with simmering-hot vinegar. Transfer to bottles when cool, and add garlic or herbs for more flavor highlights.
![Fermented hot sauce]()
Hot peppers will ferment in a week at room temperature
Fermented Hot Sauce
Fermented hot sauce is a great project for inexperienced fermenters, because it always turns out great. The easiest method is to cut chili peppers into rings, pack them into a clean jar with a clove of garlic, and cover with a salty brine made of 1 tablespoon salt to 2 cups (0.5 l) water. Fit the top with a vapor lock, or cover with a cloth held in place with a rubber band. Stir every couple of days. After a week or so at room temperature, the liquid should look cloudy and the peppers will have softened. Drain off half of the brine and replace it with vinegar. Store the fermented hot peppers in the refrigerator, and puree in small batches to use as sauce.
![Hot pepper lotion]()
You can add hot pepper oil to your favorite skin cream to make hot pepper lotion
Hot Pepper Lotion
Many people get welcome pain relief from capsaicin creams and lotions, because the burning sensation confuses and distracts us from the sensation of pain. There are many recipes on the net for infusing coconut butter with cayenne powder to make a hot pepper salve, but the results are rather greasy and likely to stain clothes. I prefer a different approach. I extract capsaicin into almond oil, and then stir the oil into my favorite skin lotion to make a gentle, low-burn hot pepper lotion.
To make capsaicin oil, place several chopped cayenne or other very hot peppers in 1 cup of almond oil and heat in a small, covered baking dish in a 250°F (120°C) oven for two hours. Let cool overnight, stir and smash the peppers with the back of a spoon, then reheat for two more hours. Strain the capsaicin oil through a coffee filter. Mix a small amount of oil with your favorite lotion to make hot pepper lotion. If the lotion and oil don’t want to mix, heat in the microwave for 10 seconds and stir again.
