Chili powder/Cayenne powder

jeffc said:

I'm making a chile con carne recipe that calls for Chili
Powder. I like things MILD - don't like the heat. But I'm gonna
put a little in there. Questions: - I have both and tasted
them - the Cayenne powder tastes hotter. Is that because my
chili powder is older and lost kick? Does that happen? Or is
Cayenne just plain hotter? either way, which should I use?
Is it a flavor issue?

Cayenne is hotter than all typical chili powders. If you like
mild chili, leave the cayenne out entirely, and if that is
still too hot substitute paprika for some of the chili powder.

Yes, older chili powder may have lost some of its heat (and
other flavors).

Steve

jeffc said:

- I have both and tasted them - the Cayenne powder tastes hotter. Is that
because my chili powder is older and lost kick? Does that happen? Or is
Cayenne just plain hotter?

Cayenne is always hotter than regular chili powder. Chili powder
is mild - probably rates a 1 on a scale of 1-10. Cayenne is a 6

Quoted message said:

- either way, which should I use? Is it a flavor issue? Should I use a
little less of the hotter one if that has a better taste?

Use mostly the regular chile powder for flavor, and the cayenne
for heat. The cayenne won't be as flavorfull as the other chili
powder.

-sw

"jeffc" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm making a chile con carne recipe that calls for Chili Powder. I like
things MILD - don't like the heat. But I'm gonna put a little in there.
Questions:
- I have both and tasted them - the Cayenne powder tastes hotter. Is that
because my chili powder is older and lost kick? Does that happen? Or is
Cayenne just plain hotter?
- either way, which should I use? Is it a flavor issue? Should I use a
little less of the hotter one if that has a better taste?

Don't know how this "hot stuff" works :-)

Cayenne powder is (theoretically) just ground cayenne peppers. Chili powder
contains other stuff, which you'll see when you read the label. So, a
teaspoon of cayenne powder will add more heat than the same amount of chili
powder. However, as others will point out, the chili powder will add more
flavor(s) because of its additional ingredients.

"jeffc" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I'm making a chile con carne recipe that calls for Chili Powder. I
like things MILD - don't like the heat. But I'm gonna put a little in
there. Questions:
- I have both and tasted them - the Cayenne powder tastes hotter. Is
that because my chili powder is older and lost kick? Does that
happen? Or is Cayenne just plain hotter?
- either way, which should I use? Is it a flavor issue? Should I use
a little less of the hotter one if that has a better taste?

Don't know how this "hot stuff" works :-)

Chile powder is a spice blend, so different makers have differing heat
and flavours. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_powder

Whereas cayenne powder is a one ingredient thing and of a reasonably
constant heat and taste.

There maybe cayenne powder in chile powder but that's not the only spice
in the mix...there's usually cumin and ancho powder at least if not more
spices. Therefore chile powder is milder than straight cayenne pepper is
a reasonable generalization. But one brand of chile powder can be way
hotter or way milder than another chile powder brand.

Like curry powder you have to try many brands or make your own to settle
on a chile powder you like.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

In article <[email hidden]>,

jeffc said:

I'm making a chile con carne recipe that calls for Chili Powder. I like
things MILD - don't like the heat. But I'm gonna put a little in there.
Questions:
- I have both and tasted them - the Cayenne powder tastes hotter. Is that
because my chili powder is older and lost kick? Does that happen? Or is
Cayenne just plain hotter?
- either way, which should I use? Is it a flavor issue? Should I use a
little less of the hotter one if that has a better taste?

Try 'Gebhardt's Chili Powder' if you can find it. It's plenty mild.

Quoted message said:

Don't know how this "hot stuff" works :-)

Cayenne isn't what you want. Five years after you buy it, it's still
hot. It's one of those two tablespoons per gallon sort of things unless
you're a chili head.

leo

"jeffc" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm making a chile con carne recipe that calls for Chili Powder. I like
things MILD - don't like the heat. But I'm gonna put a little in there.
Questions:
- I have both and tasted them - the Cayenne powder tastes hotter. Is that
because my chili powder is older and lost kick? Does that happen? Or is
Cayenne just plain hotter?
- either way, which should I use? Is it a flavor issue? Should I use a
little less of the hotter one if that has a better taste?

Don't know how this "hot stuff" works :-)

Don't just stick with "paprika" powder, which usually has a blase taste. Try
to find the chile powder that has the heat you want but more importantly,
the taste you want. Go to a Mexican market, where different varities are
sold at very reasonable prices, buy a few and find the one you want.

NM Red Chile Powder - Mild, #3811#
NM Red Chile Powder - Hot, #3810#
NM Green Chile Powder, #3812#
NM Red Chile Crushed, #3813#
NM Green Chile Crushed, #3814#
Guajillo Powder, #3815# ..
Ancho Powder, #3816# ..
Chipotle Powder, #3817# ...
De Arbol Powder, #3818# ...
Habanero Powder, #3819# ...
Green Jalapeno Powder, #3820#
Pasilla Negro Powder, #3822# ..

They're all a bit different, not just with heat, but the subtlety of taste.
Few paprikas are subtle at all. A package I bought in Hungary a few years
ago is excellent. Everything I've tasted here is pretty much a color
additive. Penzy's has a nice smoked paprika.
Cheers, and good luck,

Kent

Steve Pope said:

jeffc said:

I'm making a chile con carne recipe that calls for Chili
Powder. I like things MILD - don't like the heat. But I'm gonna
put a little in there. Questions: - I have both and tasted
them - the Cayenne powder tastes hotter. Is that because my
chili powder is older and lost kick? Does that happen? Or is
Cayenne just plain hotter? either way, which should I use?
Is it a flavor issue?

Cayenne is hotter than all typical chili powders. If you like
mild chili, leave the cayenne out entirely, and if that is
still too hot substitute paprika for some of the chili powder.

Yes, older chili powder may have lost some of its heat (and
other flavors).

Steve

But beware the variation of paprika you get. There are both hot and
sweet versions.

--
Jack N2MPU
Proud NRA Life Member

On Oct 29, 11:13 pm, Leonard Blaisdell <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

jeffc said:

I'm making a chile con carne recipe that calls for Chili Powder. I like
things MILD - don't like the heat. But I'm gonna put a little in there.
Questions:
- I have both and tasted them - the Cayenne powder tastes hotter. Is that
because my chili powder is older and lost kick? Does that happen? Or is
Cayenne just plain hotter?
- either way, which should I use? Is it a flavor issue? Should I use a
little less of the hotter one if that has a better taste?

Try 'Gebhardt's Chili Powder' if you can find it. It's plenty mild.

Gebhardt's is pretty much the standard for chili seasonings.

Quoted message said:

leo

--Bryan

Kent said:

"jeffc" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:[email hidden]...> I'm making a chile con carne recipe that calls for Chili Powder. I like

Quoted message said:

things MILD - don't like the heat. But I'm gonna put a little in there.
Questions:
- I have both and tasted them - the Cayenne powder tastes hotter. Is that
because my chili powder is older and lost kick? Does that happen? Or is
Cayenne just plain hotter?
- either way, which should I use? Is it a flavor issue? Should I use a
little less of the hotter one if that has a better taste?

Quoted message said:

Don't know how this "hot stuff" works :-)

Don't just stick with "paprika" powder, which usually has a blase taste. Try
to find the chile powder that has the heat you want but more importantly,
the taste you want. Go to a Mexican market, where different varities are
sold at very reasonable prices, buy a few and find the one you want.

NM Red Chile Powder - Mild, #3811#
NM Red Chile Powder - Hot, #3810#
NM Green Chile Powder, #3812#
NM Red Chile Crushed, #3813#
NM Green Chile Crushed, #3814#
Guajillo Powder, #3815# ..
Ancho Powder, #3816# ..
Chipotle Powder, #3817# ...
De Arbol Powder, #3818# ...
Habanero Powder, #3819# ...
Green Jalapeno Powder, #3820#
Pasilla Negro Powder, #3822# ..

They're all a bit different, not just with heat, but the subtlety of taste.
Few paprikas are subtle at all. A package I bought in Hungary a few years
ago is excellent. Everything I've tasted here is pretty much a color
additive. Penzy's has a nice smoked paprika.

None of those you've listed is "Chili Powder". Those are all crushed/
powdered chilis. Chili Powder is a very specfic *blend* that varies
only slightly in ratio of each element except for the level of heat,
if any, derived from the addition a hot chili pepper such as cayenne
which is typical. "Chili Powder" must contain all of the following
four; milld chili pepper (typically ancho), cumin, oregano and
garlic. The addition of hot pepper is optional. The poorer quality
Chili Powders contain salt, the more salt the lower the quality. The
best Chili Powders contain no salt, therefore one can use as much as
desired without ruining the dish from over salting. I recommend
buying mild Chili Powder, one can always add more heat but cannot take
it out... also with mild Chili Powder one can choose which type of
hot chili pepper to use as they all add a different flavor.

Penzeys:
Regular Chili Powder salt free
"Rich flavor, deep color and very little heat. This blend is the
traditional backbone of many Mexican dishes, from burritos to tamales.
Great for family-style chili, use 1-3 TB. per quart. Serve with a
shaker jar of crushed hot peppers on the side for those who like to
add a bit more heat. Hand-mixed from: Ancho chili pepper, cumin,
garlic and Mexican oregano."

Sheldon

"Jack" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:qVFVi.2866$p%.1149@trndny03...

Quoted message said:

Steve Pope said:

jeffc said:

I'm making a chile con carne recipe that calls for Chili
Powder. I like things MILD - don't like the heat. But I'm gonna
put a little in there. Questions: - I have both and tasted
them - the Cayenne powder tastes hotter. Is that because my
chili powder is older and lost kick? Does that happen? Or is
Cayenne just plain hotter? either way, which should I use?
Is it a flavor issue?

Cayenne is hotter than all typical chili powders. If you like
mild chili, leave the cayenne out entirely, and if that is
still too hot substitute paprika for some of the chili powder.

Yes, older chili powder may have lost some of its heat (and
other flavors).

Steve

But beware the variation of paprika you get. There are both hot and sweet
versions.

--
Jack N2MPU
Proud NRA Life Member

Don't forget - smoked -- or did someone already mention it.

I don't know what category - perhaps both hot and sweet - that "smoked"
falls under.

Dee Dee

"Jack" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:qVFVi.2866$p%.1149@trndny03...

Quoted message said:

Steve Pope said:

jeffc said:

I'm making a chile con carne recipe that calls for Chili
Powder. I like things MILD - don't like the heat. But I'm gonna
put a little in there. Questions: - I have both and tasted
them - the Cayenne powder tastes hotter. Is that because my
chili powder is older and lost kick? Does that happen? Or is
Cayenne just plain hotter? either way, which should I use?
Is it a flavor issue?

Cayenne is hotter than all typical chili powders. If you like
mild chili, leave the cayenne out entirely, and if that is
still too hot substitute paprika for some of the chili powder.

Yes, older chili powder may have lost some of its heat (and
other flavors).

Steve

But beware the variation of paprika you get. There are both hot and sweet
versions.

--
Jack N2MPU
Proud NRA Life Member

Don't forget - smoked -- or did someone already mention it.

I don't know what category - perhaps both hot and sweet - that "smoked"
falls under.

Dee Dee

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

I'm making a chile con carne recipe that calls for Chili Powder. I like
things MILD - don't like the heat. But I'm gonna put a little in there.
Questions:
- I have both and tasted them - the Cayenne powder tastes hotter. Is that
because my chili powder is older and lost kick? Does that happen? Or is
Cayenne just plain hotter?
- either way, which should I use? Is it a flavor issue? Should I use a
little less of the hotter one if that has a better taste?

Don't know how this "hot stuff" works :-)

Cayenne pepper is dried and ground cayenne peppers, a specific type of
pepper that is very hot. Chili powder can be one of two things. Ideally
it is nothing but dried and ground chili peppers. It may include cayenne
peppers but also other types, and the hotness depends on the specific
peppers used. Chili powder is also available with added spices (oregano,
cumin, etc.) to make up the typical seasoning mix for chili con carne.

So yes, cayenne is usually but not always hotter than chili powder.

--
Peter Aitken

"Peter A" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

I'm making a chile con carne recipe that calls for Chili Powder. I like
things MILD - don't like the heat. But I'm gonna put a little in there.
Questions:
- I have both and tasted them - the Cayenne powder tastes hotter. Is
that
because my chili powder is older and lost kick? Does that happen? Or is
Cayenne just plain hotter?
- either way, which should I use? Is it a flavor issue? Should I use a
little less of the hotter one if that has a better taste?

Don't know how this "hot stuff" works :-)

Cayenne pepper is dried and ground cayenne peppers, a specific type of
pepper that is very hot. Chili powder can be one of two things. Ideally
it is nothing but dried and ground chili peppers. It may include cayenne
peppers but also other types, and the hotness depends on the specific
peppers used. Chili powder is also available with added spices (oregano,
cumin, etc.) to make up the typical seasoning mix for chili con carne.

So yes, cayenne is usually but not always hotter than chili powder.

But be aware that different packagings of ground cayenne pepper
have considerably different heat levels; at the store linked below,
for instance, from 30,000 scoville units up to 100,000 units. And
that three-fold difference can be deadly. I once inadvertently picked
up a bottle of Whole Foods' ultra house brand without reading the
label and added a normal amount of what turned out to be one of
the 100,000 type. Quite a revelation.
http://vitanetonline.com/forums/1/Thread/844

pavane

"Sheldon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Kent said:

"jeffc" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

snip

Quoted message said:

None of those you've listed is "Chili Powder". Those are all crushed/
powdered chilis. Chili Powder is a very specfic *blend* that varies
only slightly in ratio of each element except for the level of heat,
if any, derived from the addition a hot chili pepper such as cayenne
which is typical. "Chili Powder" must contain all of the following
four; milld chili pepper (typically ancho), cumin, oregano and
garlic. The addition of hot pepper is optional. The poorer quality
Chili Powders contain salt, the more salt the lower the quality. The
best Chili Powders contain no salt, therefore one can use as much as
desired without ruining the dish from over salting. I recommend
buying mild Chili Powder, one can always add more heat but cannot take
it out... also with mild Chili Powder one can choose which type of
hot chili pepper to use as they all add a different flavor.

snip

Quoted message said:

Sheldon

I'm curious. . .where did you find the source that said Chili Powder MUST
contain chili pepper, cumin, oregano and garlic. I can find no source that
specifies base ingredients.
Janet

"pavane" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

But be aware that different packagings of ground cayenne pepper
have considerably different heat levels; at the store linked below,
for instance, from 30,000 scoville units up to 100,000 units. And
that three-fold difference can be deadly. I once inadvertently picked
up a bottle of Whole Foods' ultra house brand without reading the
label and added a normal amount of what turned out to be one of
the 100,000 type. Quite a revelation.
http://vitanetonline.com/forums/1/Thread/844

pavane

This difference certainly must be true. The cayenne I usually buy comes
from an Indian store. If a recipe calls for 1/2 tsp of it, I will use 1/8.
And I love spicy foods. I believe it is "House of India" brand.
Dee Dee

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
says...

Quoted message said:

I'm curious. . .where did you find the source that said Chili Powder MUST
contain chili pepper, cumin, oregano and garlic. I can find no source that
specifies base ingredients.
Janet

sheldoon is wrong, as usual. Some chili powders do contain cumin etc.,
but the better (and more authentic) ones are pure chili.

--
Peter Aitken

Bobo Bonobo® said:

Gebhardt's is pretty much the standard for chili seasonings.

Gebhardt's is my favorite chili powder, but I also use Mexene and Fiesta
Fancy Light. It depends on what I am cooking, and who is eating it.d

Becca

Peter A said:

sheldoon is wrong, as usual. Some chili powders do contain cumin etc.,
but the better (and more authentic) ones are pure chili.

I thought those were spelled chile powders?

On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 09:42:50 -0600, "Janet B." <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

"Sheldon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Kent said:

"jeffc" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

snip

Quoted message said:

None of those you've listed is "Chili Powder". Those are all crushed/
powdered chilis. Chili Powder is a very specfic *blend* that varies
only slightly in ratio of each element except for the level of heat,
if any, derived from the addition a hot chili pepper such as cayenne
which is typical. "Chili Powder" must contain all of the following
four; milld chili pepper (typically ancho), cumin, oregano and
garlic. The addition of hot pepper is optional. The poorer quality
Chili Powders contain salt, the more salt the lower the quality. The
best Chili Powders contain no salt, therefore one can use as much as
desired without ruining the dish from over salting. I recommend
buying mild Chili Powder, one can always add more heat but cannot take
it out... also with mild Chili Powder one can choose which type of
hot chili pepper to use as they all add a different flavor.

snip

Quoted message said:

Sheldon

I'm curious. . .where did you find the source that said Chili Powder MUST
contain chili pepper, cumin, oregano and garlic. I can find no source that
specifies base ingredients.
Janet

if there was an authoritative source, sheldon would have cut and
pasted it. it would still likely be wrong.

your pal,
blake