[net.cooks] Tame Flames

nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) (10/23/85)

> >I don't like cooking something and then
> >saying, "Gee, I guess that *was* too many chili pods" while my guests
> >run for the fire extinguishers.
>    I'd help you out with the recipes you requested, but *my* dinner guests
> run for the fire extinguishers when I think the Szechuan/Indian/Mexican
> dish I lovingly created was perfect.  So it goes.

Know your guests, or if not or if there is a wide range in tastes, (or
even if there is not), be sure to have a range in the spiciness of the
dishes you serve.  In either case, it is easy to add heat at the table.
Some dishes require that the picante be cooked in, nost do not (ie: chili).
For those fire-eaters, serve a side dish of jalapenos, or hot chutney,
have a dish of red pepper paste or a bottle of hot oil on the table.  The
spiciness is often best if added at the last minute, so why not allow the
guest to pull his/her own switch when it comes to pepper.  It is also a
good idea to have some shortbread handy for dousing the over-ambitious
mouth.  Sweet, starchy, oily things seem to take the burn out quickly.
Finally, don't blindly trust the recipe.  I have experienced a wide range
of fire within the same variety of pepper.  It's easy to add a few more,
but it is really hard to take them out!
Nemo
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