Best Ways to Use and Preserve Extra Hot Peppers

Question

Help! I have an abundance of hot banana peppers, poblano chiles, and jalapeños. Could you suggest ways to use them? Most recipes require just 1-2 and I have bags! I'm at a particular loss for using the hot banana peppers. Or if there are good ways to preserve/freeze them. Thanks.

Lynn Clark · Accepted Answer

Hi Marie - Here are some ideas:
Pickling - This is an especially good option for the banana peppers. Use them on sandwiches, in salads, on pizza, or for nachos.
Freeze - You can chop and freeze peppers for future cooking. I would chop, spread on a sheet tray, then freeze. Once they are frozen you can transfer into small zipper-lock freezer bags. They will lose much of their crunch, though, so I would only recommend using them in cooking where you are hoping to soften them anyway. You could also use these to make hot pepper jelly.
Drying - This is a little bit more complex, but could be a fun project. The easiest way to do this is with a food dehydrator. They \can\ be dried in the oven on a very low temperature, but it can take days of having your oven on continuously to do that. You can also string them up and let them dry outside in the sun. Follow the instructions here.
Here are some Milk Street recipes that could help "deplete" your abundance as well!
Pickled Chiles
Cilantro-Jalapeño Adobo Sauce
Guatemalan Salsa (Chirmol)
Good luck! Best, Lynn C.

Best Ways to Use and Preserve Extra Hot Peppers

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