I have a question. Yesterday I took a fun cooking class and we made fresh salsa. I started off with half a roasted serano. I tasted the salsa and it was barely spicy. It had a good flavor but the heat was lacking. I added the other half and got the kick I was looking for. Does roasting the pepper bring down the spice of the serano?
by Pinchoguey
3 Comments
Yes, a little, but it also adds smoke, sweetness, and depth to the flavor. And some peppers are just duds. Always taste as you go.
The other half contained more seeds which have a lot of the kick.
cooking typically increases the heat depending on the temperature. I believe capsaicin starts getting destroyed above 400 degrees, but cooking also breaks down the cells so more gets released from the seeds and membranes