Cayenne Peppers – All about them – (How hot Cayenne Peppers are?) 

I think it’s actually important to have all the information regarding the plant that you are going to grow in your garden. Isn’t this compulsory? Absolutely. So, to maximize yield, I delved deep into researching everything about cayenne peppers before deciding to cultivate them. Doing this help you in many ways don’t you think so? If yes, then it’s great to explore them in detail.

In this informative guide, I’ve shared every detail that I got to know about cayenne peppers, covering topics such as what are they, whether are they hot, the types of cayenne peppers, the benefits of growing them, how to grow and care for them, more importantly, a method for storing them and many more. What are you waiting for let’s learn and grow them.

Key takeaways:

• Cayenne peppers can be used in tea, toasts, curries, stews, etc. These peppers can add magic to your life.
• They come from a family of hot chili peppers.
• It is one of Gardner’s favorite peppers. They are also known as chili peppers or hot peppers as they give spicy flavor to various dishes and you need to follow some extra tips to grow hotter pepper in hot.
• People also call them cow horn peppers. They belong to the nightshade family that includes other members too.
• They are serrano peppers, bell peppers, poblano peppers, and others.
• Peppers are not only available in red color but they have other color varieties too.
• Cayenne peppers add spice to your taste and even to your life.
• Cayenne peppers are one of the most common and well-known pepper plants that are grown by every grower in his garden. You can make diverse recipes from cayenne peppers.

Cayenne pepper fast facts

Scoville heat units (SHU)	30,000 – 50,000
Median heat (SHU)	40,000
Jalapeño reference point	4 to 20 times hotter
Capsicum species	Annuum
Origin	French Guiana
Use	Culinary
Size	Approximately 3 to 5 inches long, curved
Flavor	Neutral (peppery)

What is a Cayenne Pepper?

They are the hot chili peppers that give spicy flavors to the dishes. They are even 2 to 5 inches tall. It belongs to the nightshade family of plants. It also relates to the jalapenos and other peppers. Cayenne peppers are green in color at the time you grow them but they become red and bright when they become mature. You can use cayenne peppers for making cayenne pepper Sauce & More.

It is even sold on the market in the form of powder. Cayenne pepper can be used in various dishes and it serves amazingly and is savory. If you want to buy them, they are available online and even in your market.

How Hot Are Cayenne Peppers?

As you know cayenne peppers are also known as hot pepper which indicates that it is hot and spicy. But do you know how hot they are? If yes, then it is great. But if not, you should know about its heat concentration before using it. 

Peppers get scaled on the scale which is known as the Scoville Rating Scale which indicates the level of heat in peppers. You might be wondering who invented this. Guys, there was a man named Wilbur Scoville, who created this measuring tool for knowing the heat level of the peppers. 

This scale tells us that the heat level of the cayenne peppers comes under 30,000 to 50,000 SHU. SHU stands for the Scoville heat units.

They are hotter than the other paper varieties like bell peppers which have 0 SHU and jalapenos about 5,000 SHU. So, cayenne peppers are relatively hotter than them. 

What are the types of cayenne pepper? 

As mentioned there are various types of cayenne peppers. Let us know about them in detail so that you can add spiciness to your life. They are: 

1. Dragon Cayenne peppers

These are one of the types of cayenne peppers that can take harvesting days of about 75. They can grow up to 7-10 inches long. The size of the pepper, which is spicy, is 1-2 inches. The heat of these peppers is 30,000 – 50,000 Scoville units. The ones who love spicier can go for that. 

2. Golden cayenne pepper

The other type of cayenne peppers is also spicy as it has a heat level of 30,000-50,000 Scoville units, they also get harvested after 75 days. They give you the maximum yield. They come in yellow color as different from the red varieties. It is considered to be a hot cultivator. 

3. Carolina Cayenne Peppers

They are just like the cayenne peppers that are even hotter than that. They are even wide and have wrinkled skin. They tend to attain a deep red color. People make sauces, and dishes from them. 

4. Purple cayenne peppers 

These are the varieties that are considered to be cool as they change from a green color to people not red. They are also hot peppers just like the cayenne.

They tend to have a sweet flavor within and can give you the level of heat of about 30,000 – 50,000 Scoville units. The size of the purple cayenne peppers is 3 to 5 inches.

They can be added to any dish if you want a spicy flavor with some sweetness within.  

What are the benefits of growing cayenne pepper? 

There are advantages and drawbacks to everything in this world. So why not the pepper plant? Of course, there are various benefits of pepper that you need to be aware of. Below are its benefits:

• Cayenne peppers have various nutrients like fats, proteins, vitamin C, etc. 
• It will improve your overall health if consumed daily. 
• Without adding salt to your dishes, it will give a delicious taste. 
• It can be used in powdered form, dried form, raw, cooked, etc. 
• It can help in lowering the level of blood pressure. 
• It will help in the good functioning of the immune system. 

Cayenne Pepper Nutrition:

The following is the nutrition that is contained in 5 grams of Cayenne pepper

Nutrition information	Serve size 5 grams
Calories	17
Fat	1 gram
Carbs	3 grams
Fiber	1.4 grams
Protein	0.6 grams
Vitamin A	44% of the RDI
Vitamin E	8% of the RDI
Vitamin C	7% of the RDI
Vitamin B6	6% of the RDI
Vitamin K	5% of the RDI
Manganese	5% of the RDI
Potassium	3% of the RDI
Riboflavin	3% of the RDI

What does this chili look like?

Most people are used to seeing the chili in Flake or powdered form but in the case of the cayenne peppers, they do have a typical Bell or poblano pepper shape. They look similar to Thai peppers in shape they are thin, long in size from 3 to 5 inches, and curved. The color of Cayenne pepper does change from green to red with the growing stages. 

Where did it originate?

The Cayenne pepper originated from South America and the name is given to the peppers from a city in French Guiana such as the city of Cayenne. There were various names given to the peppers such as Guinea spice, bird pepper, and cow-horn pepper. The peppers when converted into powder form are called Red peppers

Cooking with cayenne pepper:

Basically, the cayenne peppers are being used by professional chefs for cooking food and have become a go-to Spice on Spice rack. You can add the peppers to any dish from soups and pizza to meat and baked desserts. they are even used as red pepper flakes that you find at pizzerias that add a kick to the hot peppers. They are becoming more popular day by day with the chili powder. In Asian cuisine people do use the cayenne pepper more often. They are also used for making medium Spice Salsa and hot sauces.

More tips for cooking with cayenne:

The following are some tips for using Cayenne pepper for cooking:

• You need to use a dry hand if you are dealing with Cayenne people. 
• Don’t use heavy hands as they are available in many Spice rack sets which are not so spicy but if you use heavy hands you can ruin a dish especially if you are using powder which does affect much more than red pepper flakes. 
• In case you want a less intense taste then you can choose flakes rather than using chili powder. 
• The Cayenne powder is used to get mixed into a fish while pepper flakes sit at the top of the food. 
• In the case of red pepper, you can remove the pepper and see it from the dishes but powder is impossible to remove. 
• You need to use gloves to handle Cayenne pepper while cutting the pepper but not necessary to wear them when they are uncut. 
• The Cayenne pepper is basically a potent medium-heat that leads to burning if you touch the chilis membrane directly and rub it on your skin or eyes.
• You need to be extra careful specifically in case your eyes and need to handle the powder safely.

Popular cayenne pepper recipes from PepperScale:

The following are some recipes that you can make from cayenne pepper:

Sweet and Spicy Bacon: 

Using cayenne pepper with sweet and spicy bacon is the most simple and favorite way and for that, you need to pair it with brown sugar to give bacon an amazing taste.

Cayenne-Spiced Pumpkin Pie: 

You can also use the cayenne pepper with pumpkin pie to make them as spicy as the summer months.

Fiery Apple Chips: 

The other popular way to use cayenne pepper is with fiery apple chips with cinnamon to give a fiery sweet taste.

Spicy Candied Pecans:

You can use the cayenne pepper with Powder sugar and salt pair them and you can make a pre-dinner snack with it.

Cayenne Pepper Tea with Ginger:

You can use cayenne pepper tea with ginger to follow a healthy life and drink it as a tea ingredient.

How do you store cayenne pepper?

• You need to store cayenne pepper to use them for the long term and I will suggest you to store them in the refrigerator. 
• For that you need to use a plastic bag after that you can place them in a vegetable drawer.
• You need to maintain the storage temperature from 40–45°F.
• Don’t wash your peppers before storing them in your refrigerator.
• You need to put them in the refrigerator in dry conditions only as having water in them will increase the rot condition.
• Make sure to store pepper at the proper temperature so that you keep it for upto 2-3 weeks.
• The peppers that have thicker walls than the thin-walled peppers will not last for the long term.
• The duration of peppers to stay long does depends on the purchasing time and thickness of the peppers.

Concluding lines

In this guide, you come to know about the Cayenne peppers that add spice to your taste and even to your life. Cayenne peppers are one of the most common and well-known pepper plants that are grown by every grower in his garden and if you want to substitute the cayenne pepper you can use red pepper flake. It is one of Gardner’s favorite peppers. They are also known as chili peppers or hot peppers as they give spicy flavor to various dishes. Read the full article to know more about cayenne peppers. 

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