What is the best way to dehydrate reapers? I also have scorpion peppers almost ready to be harvested. I do have a digital ambiano dehydrator. Whats the best method?
by roonicles_
Peppers
What is the best way to dehydrate reapers? I also have scorpion peppers almost ready to be harvested. I do have a digital ambiano dehydrator. Whats the best method?
10 Comments
Cut off the stems and then cut in half. Then dehydrate on a tray at 135F.
The main question you need to answer is how big of peppers you want to be left with. The peppers will lose at least 40% of their volume before they are done. I like to put my peppers into soups so I make the pieces very small.
And it’s best to dehydrate them outside- superhots can gas a place without good ventilation.
I’m not sure if there’s a best way I just used a plain old dehydrator with racks I run it at about 160° Fahrenheit for around 8 to 14 hours depends on how many sometimes it might need longer…
But you can also do the old fashioned method if you don’t live in a humid environment and you have some decent airflow you can string them up using a needle through the stem.
And let them dry that way.
You could set them out on a hot day on some tin foil and have Sun roasted or sun dehydrated 😅.
I guess you could always slowly smoke them too that may work never tried it.
I use my oven. Set on lowest heat, 160-170.
Leave door open a few inches so air can circulate. That will let the moisture out and they’ll dry.
The as long as you heat them low the pepper gaswont get bad. I did try to speed up the process and gassedthe house pretty good.
At 170 mine took 4 to 5 hours, I do quarter my peppers.
You can search for the process on the internet for additional details, that’s where I got mine.
First, cut them into small pieces without wearing gloves. Put them in a dehydrator, or in the oven if it goes as low as around 150–160°F. Then, without washing your hands, touch all your mucous membranes so you have something to do while they dry. So many beautiful memories waiting to be made.
I just made flakes yesterday and ran my dehydrator at 140 for 18hrs. Idk if that’s optimal or not. Just how i done it and it worked well.
Cut peppers in as many pieces as possible for larger drying surface area. Dry at around 118 – 125 F. Low temp would take more time but would be gentler on the pepper.
source: been drying peppers as a business for 8 yrs.
I freeze dry mine. The freeze dryer has been the best thing I ever got for turning my garden into long term food
You can freeze whole peppers in trays in your regular freezer and then freeze dry them in the Harvest Right. If you do that none of the oils get into the air and all stay in the pepper. The peppers come out with a Styrofoam like texture and you just put them in a sealed bag with an oxygen absorber, store whole, crush into a rough power, or grind into a fine powder in a blender
I haven’t had an issue with cutting off the stem end, slicing in half (removing seeds but not necessarily the veins) and making 1 layer on each tray- 135 degF. I find the seeds add a bitter component.
I bet those would be lovely fermented for a hot sauce. They’re beautiful.