Invent Your Own Chili / Chili Scoville Units

By Hklbrries

Invent your own salsa recipe. When developing a salsa recipe, try to achieve balance among these elements:

Color: The huge variety of heirloom tomatoes and peppers now available provide a nearly unlimited palette.

Heat: Check the table (below) to see where chilies rank on the Scoville scale, which measures heat. You can also add heat with hot sauces or ground spices. For chili flavor without much heat, use ground spice mixes.

Sweetness: Sweet flavors can moderate hot ingredients. Sweetness can come from expected sources, such as fruit, but also unexpected sources such as balsamic or other sweet vinegars, or even from the “fruity” flavors of the peppers themselves.

Acidity: In addition to its role in balancing the other elements, acidity – from vinegar, many fruit juices, slices of whole citrus fruits and other sources – can amplify the other ingredients’ flavors.

Aromatics: These will often be contributed by herbs, with cilantro a prime example. You can also use cumin, rosemary or another favorite herb, or an exotic element such as coffee.

Texture: Complementary or contrasting textures can add interest to a salsa. Corn, apples, pears and nuts are some examples of crunchy ingredients that can enhance smooth-textured salsas.

Hot, hotter and hottest: The heat of various chilies is measured in units on the Scoville scale, developed in 1912 by pharmacologist Wilbur L. Scoville. Here are estimates of how some common chilies measure up (ranges will vary based on growing regions and seasonal factors):

500,000-1,000,000+: Bhut Jolokia (ghost)

100,000 to 500,000: habanero, Scotch bonnet, African birdseye

50,000 to 100,000: Thai, chiltepin

30,000 to 50,000: aji Amarillo, piquin, cayenne

15,000 to 30,000: de arbol

5,000 to 15,000: hot wax, serrano

2,500 to 5,000: jalapeno, mirasol, chipotle

1,000 to 2,500: ancho, pasilla, Espanola, Anaheim, poblano

100 to 500: Mexi-bell, cherry, canned green chilies, Hungarian hot paprika

0 units: bell peppers, pimiento, sweet banana, U.S. paprika

Ingredients

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Preparation

Step 1

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