The Reason Gordon Ramsay Freezes His Chiles
Gordon Ramsay is all about the heat. From owning a restaurant called Hell's Kitchen to entertaining us on TV with "Hotel Hell," Ramsay has culinary vibes that are anything but ice cold. Staying on brand, he's divulged a tip for how to add the right amount of heat to any dish. And it doesn't involve fire.
Hot chile peppers add delicious heat to all types of recipes, from tacos to stews and pastas. Plus, they might help you live longer. According to WebMD, the tiny, red-hot fruits pack a lot of flavor and serious health benefits. The site claims chiles help to prevent heart disease and promote weight loss, and contain more Vitamin C per serving than oranges. So, why does Gordon Ramsay freeze chiles?
If you've ever sliced, diced, or even handled a chile pepper and unintentionally touched your eyes, you know the eternal burn that ensues. But that's not the only problem Ramsay's tip solves.
Freeze chiles to make grating easier
Gordon Ramsay shared a hack with People that will make your taste buds sing. To add the right amount of heat to a recipe, he recommends stashing a few chile peppers in the freezer. Ramsay claims that freezing chiles minimizes the effort of grating, making it easy to add chile into any dish you desire.
Slate says that grating chiles is a quick and easy way to get uniform shavings without having to physically handle the chiles for too long. The site recommends grating chiles in the same manner you'd grate garlic.
World of Chillies shares that freezing fresh chiles is also the perfect way to preserve them for later use. Simply make sure they're dry, place them into a bag or container, remove the air from the bag, and pop them into the freezer. When handling the peppers, World of Chillies recommends wearing latex gloves to prevent your hands from absorbing the heat from the pepper, which may later burn your skin and eyes.