Chili Pepper Oil!

[DonDuck]

I've always used a variety of vinegar based hot sauces to flavor dishes I cook or simply to add some spiciness to dishes after they are cooked. While I like the vinegar flavors of the sauces, I sometimes think the vinegar flavor over powers the flavor of the different peppers in the sauces. I'm curious if many people use pepper oils instead of vinegar based sauces and if the neutral flavored oil allows the pepper flavor to be more pronounced,

I thinking about making some pepper oil this fall with some of the worlds hottest peppers, The preparation requires heating the oil before adding the peppers. I'm concerned that it may make my home uninhabitable and send me to the hospital.

[GrowingCoastal]

Yikes! Some hobbies are more dangerous than others! That is worth some serious consideration and research.

[imp]

I'm thinking this might be better made outside. Vapors maybe?

Though I am curious as to why you would make it, since there are so many varieties of chili oils around, unless it is the special pepper?

[Worth1]

I make it at home with no ill effect whatsoever.
You dont want the get the oil that hot and you dry the peppers and crush them first.
You can even get it to a toasty taste if you take your time.

Keep the heat very low.

Worth

[Worth1]

Oh yes adding a little cumin to the mix and toasting it is to die for.
With low heat you can bring on flavor profiles like you can making a roux without burning it.

Never done it with super hots but have with chili arbol.

You can get a big bottle of red pepper flakes and experiment too.
And the oil, you can use any kind you like because you should never get it up to anything close to a smoke point.
This allows you to use stuff like walnut oil.
Any spice you can toast to make the taste better is suitable to put in that oil.
It is an infusion.
Not talking out my rear here, I do this at home.

Worth

[pmcgrady]

A couple years ago I made Carolina Reaper jelly in my kitchen... I don't recommend it. The jelly boiled over and made a toxic mess, cleanup was horrible and my lungs were messed up for 3 days.
Then the jelly was so hot it was worthless...

[Worth1]

Well he wont have to worry about foaming boil over monsters because he isn't boiling syrup.
Or water and sugar which you have to watch like a hawk.

Worth

[Salsacharley]

You don't really have to use dried peppers to infuse in oil. You can "bruise" the pods. You don't need high heat either. When oil gets hot enough to smoke it produces toxic free radicals, not to mention off-flavor. We just put a freshly crushed pod in a jar of olive oil and let it "infuse" out of direct light for a couple of days, then put in in the refrigerator. We did this with brain strain peppers and the oil was way hot enough (from the pepper, not the stove burner) and had enough of the pepper flavor characteristics to exceed our goal of pepper flavored oil.

[Old chef]

Originally Posted by Worth1

I make it at home with no ill effect whatsoever.
You dont want the get the oil that hot and you dry the peppers and crush them first.
You can even get it to a toasty taste if you take your time.

Keep the heat very low.

Worth

We do the same preparation at the restaurant. We also purée a few to give a red color.

In Italian it’s call Olio Santo- Holy Oil

Old chef

[ako1974]

I grow and use them as well. I just open window and put on an exhaust fan in the kitchen. I'm used to it by now. My wife and kids head for the hills, though

[oakley]

I used this recipe last batch. I just made a half pint. Just keep the oil temp under or
around 190º. No fumes. The only cough cloud would be if spice grinding whole hot
peppers.
This one is more traditional and nutty flavorful without much heat. Using fresh
garlic and ginger lessens the shelf life even kept in the fridge so smaller batches are
best.
https://omnivorescookbook.com/how-to-make-chili-oil/

[DonDuck]

Originally Posted by imp

I'm thinking this might be better made outside. Vapors maybe?

Though I am curious as to why you would make it, since there are so many varieties of chili oils around, unless it is the special pepper?

Imp,

I haven't seen many chili oils for sale in grocery stores. I will double check next time I'm in a store. I would like to cook with some of the lower heat chili oils.

Why I want to make some super hot oil! My wife has an on going battle with squirrel's raiding her bird feeders. She has tried many things including placing the feeders on top of long, skinny poles. The squirrle's keep winning the battle by climbing the poles. She discovered she can delay the raids by coating the poles with vegetable oil and watching the squirrels slowly slide down the poles. They usually spend a few minutes grooming the oil off their fur after each attempt. I am curious if hot chili oil will end their attempts to climb the poles.

[TexasTomat0]

You could add the peppers in to room temp oil then bring it all up to temp to stop the oil from popping everywhere. I agree with Worth, toasting beforehand bring out a lot of great flavor but if your're just trying to keep squirrels away you probably don't need to toast anything.

There is always the pellet gun route for the squirrels....

[DonDuck]

I like the idea of using the pepper flakes to make chili oil for my consumption. I coat most things I eat with a generous sprinkling of pepper flakes. No one else in my family likes the eye burning and sneeze inducing effects of me cooking with pepper flakes.

[imp]

DonDuck, check the Asian foods area in stores, and online too, for hot chili oils. I am not sure how they taste or the heat levels as I just don't use them myself. From what old chef posted, it may be a safe enough thing to make at home if you so desire, LOL, to entertain yourselves watching the squirrels. But, what if the squirrels LIKE the hot oils?