4 ways to hang on to hot peppers for winter

Food52

The heat of a jalapeno can be a welcome shiver-remedy when the frigid months of winter set in. But what's the best way to ensure that you'll be equipped with a stock of hot ones to battle the cold?

The home cooks of Food52 weighed in on this question with four different ways to preserve a bounty of summer chiles. Even if you don't have a glut of them from your own garden, pick some up at your local farmers' market (at a steal right now!).




Whether you decide to freeze, dry, roast or jar them, Jack Frost won't stand a chance. Spicy tacos and warming winter soups, here we come!


1: FREEZE THEM

"What I do is cut them in half; stem and seed them, then spread them on a cookie tray and put them in the freezer for an hour or so. Afterward, I store them either in vacuum sealed bags or Ziploc bags in the freezer." --wssmom

"Even simpler -- I just put the peppers in the freezer and deal with the stems and seeds as I use them. They are easy to work with straight from the freezer." --susan g

2: ROAST THEM

"For many years, whenever I find a bounty of them, we split them, remove the seeds and pith, toss them in olive oil with some salt & pepper, arrange them skin side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment, and roast them in the oven at 375 degrees until dark.

From there I put them into large plastic bags for 15 minutes or or, then peel off the skins, bag and freeze. They're ready to chop up and toss into anything at that point." --boulangere

3: DRY THEM

"Use a needle and some thick thread. Go through the top of pepper .. tie off a knot .. repeat. Then hang them up on the ceiling to dry so you have festoons of peppers drying the kitchen." --Sam1148

4: JAR THEM

"I like to pickle them according to this Pickled Green Chiles recipe. They last in the fridge for quite a long time, and are very welcome in the middle of winter!" --lastnightsdinner

Pickled Green Chiles
Pickled Green Chiles



Get inspired by more jalapeno recipesand 214 otherchili pepper recipes from Food52's Your Best Chili Peppers contest.



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