Chili peppers are used to flavor numerous dishes. Plants you grow yourself bear many fruits in autumn, which can be dried and ground into spice powder. However, not every method is equally well suited for this.
Delicious sauces can be made from ground chili
These methods are suitable for processing:
- manual work: as a preparatory measure
- coffee grinder: for fine-grain spice powder
- Moulinette: as a convenient and effective alternative
manual work
The easiest way to pre-cut dried chili peppers is to crumble them with your fingers. For this to work well, the fruit must be sufficiently dry. Residual moisture in the pulp ensures a tough consistency. The disadvantage of this editing variant is that the sharpness sticks to your skin. So wash your hands thoroughly or wear gloves. Alternatively, place the freshly dried pods in a freezer bag and crush them with a meat mallet.
coffee grinder
Both electric and manual models work well to grind up the fall harvest and achieve a fine grain size. With electric grinders, you can set the degree of grinding at the touch of a button. They can be easily and thoroughly cleaned after processing. Hand-operated crank models require adjustment of the burr screw. You should not process any other spices or coffee in these grinders afterwards, as the sharpness settles in the wood.
Moulinette
The pods must be optimally dried and rustle before they can be crushed in the mini mill, which works with cutting knives. Avoid intermediate storage, as this will cause the chillies to absorb moisture again and are no longer suitable for this type of processing. The grinder purees the moist pulp into a pulp.
method
For a fine-grained result, you can remove the pits before putting them in the grinder. Proceed in several steps when grinding and sieve out fine material regularly. This will prevent the chili powder from getting hot.
Food processors, hand blender and mortar
Each device has different properties. Not every machine is suitable for the production of chilli powder. Some hobby cooks report good experiences with products like the Magic Maxx. Blenders, mortars and food processors mainly result in a mushy chilli mass, which you can also use for seasoning. Dust-dry pods can also be processed into flakes.