How Do You Battle Chile Burn?

Has this ever happened to you? You’re going about your business in the kitchen, making chili, salsa or some other deliciously spicy dish, slicing up hot peppers and – yowch! – suddenly you feel the burn. The chile oils and capsaicin are doing their fiery thing on your hands, and before long you’re miserable and not sure what to do.

It happened to me the other night while I was chopping jalapenos, and after a few hours of repeated and fruitless hand washing, I set my stinging fingers gingerly tapping on my keyboard in a desperate search for whatever ingenious solutions the Internet might present.

I discovered that a) I probably should wear gloves next time I cut peppers, b) I should refrain from touching my face or eyes and c) people swear by some pretty far-out solutions for jalapeno burn.

Luckily, the not-so-wacky solution I tried — coating my hands with olive oil and then washing them under hot water — brought me instant, if not entirely complete, relief. Several online commenters swapping tips suggested coating your hands with oil as a preventive measure before working with jalapenos, which I may do next time I make chili.

I’ve also read that treating your hands with alcohol (rubbing alcohol or even a high-proof vodka), whole milk or yogurt, a weak bleach solution (5 parts water to 1 part bleach) or a paste made from baking soda and water will help banish the burn.

Seeking clearer answers, I asked Food Network Kitchen researcher Jonathan Milder for insight and guidance.

Milder acknowledged that there were tons of chile-burn remedies floating around out there.

“The most intriguing I’ve found comes from Cook’s Illustrated, which swears by a paste of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and water, used topically or gargled,” Milder told me.

Gargled? Milder allowed that he hadn’t actually tried it himself and said he was more inclined to follow the advice of Harold McGee, who writes about the chemistry of food and cooking.

McGee’s solution? “Cold,” Milder says, explaining that running our hands under cold water or wrapping them around “something cold from the fridge” may cool inflamed nerve receptors and offer relief.

“I might add that washing your hands well wish dish soap, again under cold water, adds an extra layer of relief,” Milder advises. “Capsaicin, the molecular source of your suffering, is an oil-like substance, and dish soap is specially formulated to dissolve oils.”

Do you have any tried-and-true solutions for preventing or relieving chile-burn? Please share them in the comments.

from FN Dish – Food Network Blog http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2014/12/how-do-you-battle-chile-burn/

Posted in FN Dish – Food Network Blog