Hot Stuff

I was listening to a program on chocolate and one of the bars being sampled was made with chili peppers!

I've grown to like moderately hot dishes over the years. And, if I weren't so lazy, I'd probably experiment with cooking with chilis, but I prefer to have someone else prepare the hot stuff for me.

It can actually be dangerous preparing a meal with fresh chili peppers due to a substance called capsaicin that is concentrated in the membranes. Wear rubber gloves when you work with them, and NEVER EVER rub your eyes while working with peppers!

If you're intrigued by chili peppers, this book can't be beat: The Chile Pepper encyclopedia: Everything You'll Ever Need to Know About Hot Peppers with More Than 100 Recipes by Dave DeWitt [641.6384 DEW].

Hot peppers have developed their own mystique and lore, which you can explore in Rooted in America: Foodlore of Popular Fruits and Vegetables [398 ROO].

And who doesn't love a big bowl of hot chili on a cold winter's day? Browse our cookbooks for a variety of recipes. While you're cooking up a batch, listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. We have Stadium Arcadium [CD ROCK RED] in our collection. Then, treat your kids to a bedtime story: Armadilly Chili by Helen Ketteman [JP KEL].