Peppers

Use this pepper guide hub to compare chile heat, flavor, size, and cooking uses before you choose a pepper for salsa, roasting, stuffing, pickling, or drying. Chef Steven Pennington covers fresh peppers, dried chiles, smoked peppers, Scoville heat levels, and practical kitchen conversions for home cooks.

Start With Pepper Heat and Flavor

If you are choosing a pepper by heat level, start with the types of peppers guide. It organizes common peppers by heat, flavor, color, and best uses so you can choose the right chile for salsa, sauces, stuffing, roasting, or fresh toppings.

For heat ratings, the Scoville Heat Units guide explains how pepper heat is measured and why the same pepper can taste different depending on ripeness, variety, and growing conditions.

Fresh Peppers for Cooking

Fresh peppers bring crunch, heat, sweetness, or grassy flavor depending on the variety. Learn how to use poblano peppers for roasting and stuffing, how Padron peppers cook into a quick tapa-style appetizer, and how jalapenos work in fresh salsa, pickles, poppers, and Tex-Mex recipes.

If a recipe calls for a weight instead of a count, use the jalapeno pound, cup, and quart conversion guide to estimate how many peppers you need before chopping, slicing, or seeding.

Smoked, Dried, and Preserved Peppers

Dried and smoked peppers are more concentrated than fresh peppers, so they change both flavor and measurement. The chipotle peppers guide explains how ripe red jalapenos become smoky dried chipotles and how to use them in salsa, marinades, chili, adobo-style sauces, and rubs.

Pepper Recipes and Practical Uses

When you are ready to cook, use pepper guides alongside recipes like garden fresh salsa. Choose fresh jalapenos for bright green heat, poblanos for mild roasted flavor, or chipotle peppers when you want smoke and depth.