Thursday, March 25, 2010

Useful Information

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The Periodic Table of Periodic Tables... complete with clickable hotlinks.  Here's an example of one such:


There's actually a pepper hotter than a habanero?  Who knew?  Apropos of the above... the Scoville Food Institute looks like a good place to order hot sauce if your local grocer or other supplier thinks Tabasco = Hot Sauce.  We don't labor under those conditions, Gentle Reader.  We live in New Mexico.

(h/t:  A tweet from Clovia)

12 comments:

  1. Yeah, just don't forget to wear gloves while chopping. If not, you might rub your eyes, the memory will presently remind of your previous tasks.

    For a while.

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  2. Interesting tables! I thought if you wanted it hot, you went to Texas.

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  3. Far Out!
    And in Thailand there are some really hot, yellow-green little puppies!!!!!!!!!!!

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  4. I am far too "North Eastern American" for hot like that. I don't even like black pepper on my food.

    Just thinking about Habaneros makes me perspire. I don't know how (or WHY?) you guys do it!

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  5. I'm with Matt above. However The Oracle prefers more spicey. I make a signature omelette for him that usually includes some Jalapenos.

    So - one day I bought a hot pepper that looked pretty in the grocery store - lovely shape, color very different.

    I seeded it as I do with the Jalapeno and put the entire pepper in the 2-egg omelette.

    Turns out the pepper was a Scotch Bonnet and is #50 out of 53 on the Scoville Chart.

    I don't think he's forgiven me for that yet...and it was 2 years ago.

    He sticks to Jalapenos now with the occasional Habanero in very small doses.

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  6. Heh, a favorite gag of mine while still in the AF was to take a habenero, cut a slice and rub the juice along the rim of "someones" coffee cup! Good fun. Now I wish I had a few of those Bhut Jolokias!

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  7. If not, you might rub your eyes...

    I've done that and it certainly gets your attention!

    I thought if you wanted it hot, you went to Texas.

    Are we still talking chile? Or sumthin' else? ;-)

    And in Thailand there are some really hot, yellow-green little puppies!!!!!!!!!!!

    Tell me about it! There was this time I SERIOUSLY thought I'd been poisoned after eating some of the local peppers. My ears rang, my vision blurred, I thought I was dying. Great good stuff, that was. ;-)

    I don't know how (or WHY?) you guys do it!

    Taste, mostly. But SOME of us have masochistic tendencies. ;-)

    I don't think he's forgiven me for that yet...and it was 2 years ago.

    Heh. Habaneros are GOOD... but it IS possible to have too much of a good thing.

    Now I wish I had a few of those Bhut Jolokias!

    I'd like to try one sometime. I can't BELIEVE the Scoville Unit rating on those puppies! Over TWICE as hot as a habanero? Yowza!

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  8. I read an article the other day about India using peppers for bio warfare. Today I looked up the wikipedia page on the Bhut Jolokias and guess what? That is the pepper! Holy crap.

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  9. All thangs are hotter in Texas.

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  10. Hi Buck -

    Just stopped by to say hello. I've barely been able to open your page 'til now. That last time I dropped by to say thanks for that link, it took literally 15 minutes to get to your comment form. WTH?

    I even asked Suldog why this might be. He thought maybe you had installed a liberal detector ;-) Anyways, I found disabling plug-ins fixes those problems on a bunch of sites, yours included.

    Love the table of hot peppers. I may be from New England, but I eat that stuff almost every day, and Yucateco habanero sauce is like ketchup around this house.

    I heard of a pepper called the "ghost pepper" that was supposed to be million-plus also. I wonder if that's another name for #53. I think I'd like to try it...

    On the other hand, I saw the guy on Man Vs. Food eat a bunch of 'em on a cheeseburger.

    He didn't look so good.

    Great table. I've got to check out those Scoville folks.

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  11. There was some sportscaster who was in Las Cruces for a football game. He went out to the NMSU Chile farm. They laid out a table for the cameras, including some of those really hot habaneros. Smart guy takes a bite of one.

    The farm staff looked seriously alarmed, and started sliding milk his way. He had to be smarter, so he took another bite. Suddenly he asked, "That was mistake, wasn't it?" The staff all nodded.

    When they cut away he was gasping for air, weeping and gulping milk.

    And the Indians are indeed weaponizing the Bhat pepper.

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  12. That last time I dropped by to say thanks for that link, it took literally 15 minutes to get to your comment form. WTH?

    That's useful info, Cricket, but I have NO idea how to fix it. My son and another friend complained about slow loading times for the main page; I cut my main page display down from 30 days of posts to 15 and have heard that helped things. Maybe I'll go to one week...

    No Lib-filters, LOL! I respect the opposing POV even if I don't agree with 98% of it. And it's good to know there are spicy food lovers up in Noo England!

    Gordon: A friend of mine grew habaneros as an experiment when I lived in Rochester and I took a bite of one of the first peppers he harvested. I did so in a semi-informed manner, knowing that climate and soil have a LOT to do with the "hotness." It still wasn't a very good idea. ;-)

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.