Red hot chili peppers, anyone?

[HansV]

Peppers.jpg

Source and full size version: Chili Harvest

[StuartR]

That reminds me of a story from when I was a young man.

I once worked in a warehouse that packaged food flavoring. Everything from vanilla to strawberry to beef flavor. One day I had to pour out a few dozen small bottles of chili flavor from a large carboy. I followed all the safety instructions, and then when I was finished I did exactly what I had been told. I washed my hands thoroughly with the rubber gloves still on, I then stripped off the rubber gloves and threw them away. Then I washed my hands very thoroughly again.

I then made the mistake of going to what my American friends euphemistically call "the bathroom" and I came out in a great deal of pain. Lesson learned. NEVER TOUCH ANYTHING after handling concentrated chili flavoring, even if you have washed thoroughly.

[HansV]

[John Gray]

NEVER TOUCH ANYTHING after handling concentrated chilli flavouring, even if you have washed thoroughly.

How can you "not touch anything"? Presumably the effect must wear off after a time.
Presumably also there would be a better 'chilli solvent' than water?

[StuartR]

I suspect I should have used something other than soap and water John, but that was all we had.

[Rudi]

It seems the sun is hotter than those chili peppers.....

[jonwallace]

I suspect I should have used something other than soap and water John, but that was all we had.

Chilli's active ingredient, Capsaicin, is soluble in oil. Chilli mouth is relieved by swilling milk (NOT skimmed) round your mouth. (not sure what you should do for affected other parts :) A quick rub down with a wee bit olive (or other) oil, then a wash with soap and water would probably do the trick.

Footnote: my other half was slicing chillis when she also sliced the tip of her finger. Without thinking she stuck her finger in her mouth...

Added footnote: She also did the same after finding out that a furry-looking cactus wasn't furry at all. We spent the evening picking cactus spines out of her lips. (she's a botanist...)

[StuartR]

I'm trying hard not to laugh at her misfortunes John

[BobArch2]

On Tuesday, August 8th, Stephen Colbert conducted an interview with Sean Evans where they experimented with some spicy sauces. Here's the video clip.
They referenced the Scoville ratings. The highest they tried was a Scoville rating of 550,000. I think a 1,000 units would be my limit.

[HansV]

I saw that interview. I thought Colbert was crazy to do that. He clearly wasn't able to handle the two hottest sauces!

I once ate spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino. Even though the quantity of peperoncini (10,000-30,000 Scoville) was small, the dish was too hot for me. Even peppadew is too strong to my taste...