What to do with pepper powders?

[Father'sDaughter]

Also good in brownies. And my husband has been known to add a pinch when baking gingerbread.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by FarmerShawn

I had the same problem with clumping, but I know my powders were dry, and the little jars I kept them in were airtight. Because the clumping was worst with the ripe red powders, especially with Jimmy Nardello powder, and almost nonexistent with green pepper power, I concluded it was not humidity that caused the problem, but sugar content. Like brown sugar clumps easily.
Shawn

Here is some help for both Shawn and Bill.
The red sweeter peppers have sugar, sugar is very hygroscopic meaning it absorbs water easily.
Most if not all of your pepper and spice powders you buy in the store have some sort of anti caking agent in them and by law they dont have to list it.

What you can do is buy the little packets of silica gel to stop the clumping.

They are very inexpensive.
Just Google silica gel packet or capsule and you will find a pile of suppliers.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...,d.aWw&cad=rja
Worth

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Here is some help for both Shawn and Bill.
The red sweeter peppers have sugar, sugar is very hygroscopic meaning it absorbs water easily.
Most if not all of your pepper and spice powders you buy in the store have some sort of anti caking agent in them and by law they dont have to list it.

What you can do is buy the little packets of silica gel to stop the clumping.

They are very inexpensive.
Just Google silica gel packet or capsule and you will find a pile of suppliers.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...,d.aWw&cad=rja
Worth

Great tip,Worth! Thanks!

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Here is some help for both Shawn and Bill.
The red sweeter peppers have sugar, sugar is very hygroscopic meaning it absorbs water easily.
Most if not all of your pepper and spice powders you buy in the store have some sort of anti caking agent in them and by law they dont have to list it.

What you can do is buy the little packets of silica gel to stop the clumping.

They are very inexpensive.
Just Google silica gel packet or capsule and you will find a pile of suppliers.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...,d.aWw&cad=rja
Worth

Or as I suggested, save the ones that come in medication or vitamin bottles and use them.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

Or as I suggested, save the ones that come in medication or vitamin bottles and use them.

I haven read the whole thread so I must have missed your sugestion.
I thought of the same thing but didnt for two reasons.

1 I was concerned folks would balk at using something that came from a pill bottle.
2 I thought the casuale or packet would be used up or water logged.

They do have this stuff that turns pink when completely absorbed.
You can dehydrate them and they will turn blue again.
Not all of this stuff is blue just some of it.

Worth

[AlittleSalt]

What I have read is to add silicone dioxide to keep chili powder from clumping.

[drew51]

I have a cottage on an island, it is very humid. We use rice in salt to keep it lump free, it may not work for all applications being so small.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by drew51

I have a cottage on an island, it is very humid. We use rice in salt to keep it lump free, it may not work for all applications being so small.

We still see this practice in some older restaurants. You would have to have your powders in a bottle with a shaker top, but it will work.

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by drew51

I have a cottage on an island, it is very humid. We use rice in salt to keep it lump free, it may not work for all applications being so small.

We use 4-5 toothpicks in our salt shaker.

[drew51]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

We use 4-5 toothpicks in our salt shaker.

Ha! Hey if it works! I was thinking you could put the rice in say a tea bag, or make something similar for other applications. I myself just have lumpy pepper powder. I have quite a bit of powder this year. I just picked the last peppers to powder. The plants are being removed now, a couple frosts hit them. I saved 5 pepper plants to overwinter. 4 will be made into bonsai, one will remain full size. I want to see how tall I can make this plant after a few years. A pepper tree.

[Tania]

We never have issues with pepper powder clumping, simply because we do not grind dry peppers.

We dehydrate peppers, and put them into jars or plastic ziplocks. When we need paprika powder, I would simply grind some dry peppers in a coffee grinder. That works great.

Tatiana

[drew51]

Originally Posted by Tania

We never have issues with pepper powder clumping, simply because we do not grind dry peppers.

We dehydrate peppers, and put them into jars or plastic ziplocks. When we need paprika powder, I would simply grind some dry peppers in a coffee grinder. That works great.

Tatiana

Yeah I did that too, but ran out of jars, and powdering them took less room.
Next year I'm growing more sweets, and paprika. I have enough hot pepper powder for 30 or 40 years
I bought some sweet pepper seed from England, ones you can't get here easily. Plus I'll grow some favs from here too.
From Europe I got these sweets
Etiuda
Oda
Marta
Ozarowska
Zorza

I also bought some sweet and hot paprika from Hungary

[AlittleSalt]

Over the past two days, I dried two types of peppers for chili powder. It made me think of this thread.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by drew51

As far as portions this recipe is OK, except you need more peppers 4-6 peppers. and black pepper super fine is OK, again no cinnamon!! No lime!! I have been to Jamaica 4 times, and mine tastes like or close to the stuff there, the roadside 55 gallon drum cookers. do not use soy sauce or catsup!
http://www.islands.com/articles/best...can-jerk-sauce

Just stopping back into this thread to say I finally got around to doing something with the Jerk Sauce I made. Spread a little in the bottom of a slow cooker, added boneless skinless chicken thighs, and topped with a little more sauce. Cooked on low for about six hours, shredded it with a fork and cooked for 30 minutes more, then served over coconut rice with black beans. AMAZING! Though I might cut back on the number of Scotch Bonnets I used from 5 down to three or four.

PS if anyone follows the recipe link without reading back through the previous posts, I not only left out the cinnamon and lime, I also left out the ketchup, soy sauce, and most of the brown sugar.

[socalgardengal]

Thanks for all the ideas. Started too many seeds and will be making powder for everyone I know.