Chilies are a part of traditional Mexican cuisine. They come in a variety of shapes, colors, sizes and of course heat levels. The habanero pepper is one of the hottest peppers you’re ever likely to cook with. It’s hotter than a serrano or a jalapeno. But regardless of the heat level of any particular pepper, it pays to know how to work with fresh chilies.
The Dangers of Working with Fresh Chilies
All Chilies contain a chemical ingredient called capsaicin. This ingredient is what gives a pepper its heat. Capsaicin is found in the seeds of a pepper, which also contain the oil. Get this oil on your hands and you can suffer burns ranging from mild irritation to a trip to the hospital. And if this oil gets in your eyes, nose, or any other potentially sensitive areas you can experience extreme discomfort.
Unfortunately, simply washing the burning area with soap and water doesn’t work to alleviate the irritation. The best method for treating a chili burn is to learn how to prevent it.
Tips and Tactics to Safely Handle Chili Peppers
#1 When possible, wear gloves. The best way to prevent chili oil and capsaicin from getting on your skin is to wear disposable rubber gloves. Once you’re done handling the peppers you can simply peel them off and throw them away. This is the most straightforward method; however it’s not always feasible or economical.
#2 Grease your hands. Another option, should rubber gloves not be available, is to generously grease your hands. You can use shortening, oil, or even cooking spray. Make sure your hands are well coated and then you’re safe to handle the peppers. The challenge to this method is handling a knife with greasy hands. You’re introducing another potential danger; getting cut.
#3 Never touch your face. Whether you choose to wear gloves or grease your hands, it’s also important to remember to never touch your face. Getting pepper oil in your tear ducts, eyes, nose or even your ears or mouth can cause irritation and pain for several days. Be extremely conscientious when working with peppers.
But What if You Do Get the Oil on Your Hands?
Let’s assume you don’t have gloves or grease and you’re determined to work with the peppers anyway. Now you have burning, stinging, and itching on your hands. What do you do? Consider applying vinegar or lemon juice to the affected area. The acid will counteract the oils and potentially neutralize them.
Fresh chilies are delicious and a wonderful way to add heat and flavor to your Mexican meals. However, before you handle fresh chilies, make sure you have the necessary tools and materials to be safe. Gloves are the surefire way to make sure you don’t have to deal with pepper oil burns
I live in a small Georgia town that you most likely have never heard of and I LOVE it! My house is more than full as I am a single mother of four & caregiver to my aging mother and uncle. Lover of all things Outlander. Goes to the beat of her own drum woman.
![\\\\\\\"\\\\\\\"](\\\\\\\"https://d5nxst8fruw4z.cloudfront.net/atrk.gif?account=r2cEh1aAod000d\\\\\\\")
I never realized that peppers could burn your skin. I don’t use peppers much because I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to hot foods. I do like a little heat though.
Oh yes they can burn your skin very easily. I had to learn this the hard and was not pretty trust me.
Thanks for the tips on how to handle these hot little buggers. Of course we all have to learn the hard way. 🙂 I know for a fact it can burn on your hands like a son of a gun. I now always try to wear gloves. I like the tip about shortening if you don’t have gloves.
They can burn your hands and various other body parts, especially if someone forgets to wash their hands well enough.
thanks for the tip. i have been working with chilies for a long time now and have gotten pretty good at using them in lots of dishes and cutting them up. i learned from the best (my mom) and am pretty used to the heat now.
I had to learn on my own and you would not believe all the trial and error I went through.
I have burned myself more than once with chiles but never seriously. I did not know about greasing hands. I can see that that would be a hazard though, so maybe the gloves would be best. Thanks for the tips.
You’re welcome. I have used plastic baggies when I didn’t have gloves as well.
I am very careful when handling peppers, as I have before accidently touch my face near my eyes, and it was painful. It is a great idea to wear gloves, I always keep a pair in my kitchen for this particular reason. We a huge on spicy and hot foods in our house. We love our peppers.
We love them as well and they end up in a lot of our different dishes.
I have totally cut hot peppers and then put my hands near my eyes…bad news!! On the note of hot peppers…my son loves spicy foods and we ran across a bag of ghost pepper tortilla chips at Whole Foods recently…bought them and oh sheesh…they are almost inedible due to the heat!
I only tried using fresh chilies once I didn’t know they were hot and put them in the oven to make roasted peppers – yikes! I found out the hard way to be careful, these are good hints, I feel brave enough to try again!!!