Jump to content

Recommended Posts

I do like a Scotch Bonnet, unparalleled flavour. Though I risk evisceration for saying so, I've never really understood the heat for heats sake in food thing. It kills all flavour when overused, you might as well just take periodic swigs from that God awful Death Sauce chilli(The one with the skull and crossbones on it) whilst munching on a bowl of fresh chillis with a nice chilli cheesecake afterwards. Then of course you'll have to arrange a bowel bypass for the following morning to avoid the napalm-like ring sting that is inevitable with such flagrant chilli abuse. For the love of God, WHY???
The endorphins - it has to be. When I have had a fantastic curry/stir fy/chilli - it is the buzz from the heat I love. It is addictive and you can increase your tolerance. I myself came from a meat and two veg family and didn't try chilli until I was sixteen. I had an Indian friend whose Uncle would wake up and start cooking at 3am in the morning. So many nights sitting in that kitchen whilst he taught me how to make great food.

Heat for heat's sake is for occasional fun. Like vodka jelly or something.

you're right, untrammelled use overpowers flavour.


The correct chilli should complement a dish's flavour, hence scotch bonnet would be a disaster in a thai green curry.

The trick with the heat is to get a decent buzz without ruining the dish, wel, that's the trick for a chilli-head anyway.

There is something to be said for heat for heats sake, in its proper place though. It isn?t really about the food and flavour but all about the rush*.


If eating a perfectly seasoned, well prepared meal is like taking a scenic stroll down a mountain, appreciating the different aspects of the scenery on your way down. Piling spoonfuls of chilli onto a cheese and tomato pizza while your brain slowly melts out of you ears is the culinary equivalent of running headlong at a cliff and jumping off in the blind faith that there is a plunge pool at the bottom to break your fall.


They both have their appeal but for very different reasons and the latter is probably not for everyone.


* maaan!

I'm guilty of getting the balance wrong - Mockney Piers and Fear n'Boozin had the misfortune to first try my chili just weeks after a box arrived from chilipepperpete - so enthused was I by the variety I used about 5 different kinds of chili in the paste and ended up making something that was close to inedible


Take 2 was just last week and I was so keen to not repeat the mistake that I ended up too far the other way and had something close to stewed mince with no kick at all


I blame big game nerves

I really rather enjoyed numero uno chilli as it happened, though to continue Brendan's similes, it was akin to running down a hill with your eyes closed in the full knowledge, that though there is plenty of gorse on it, there's a good chance you'll be thorn free at the end of it.

Crazy heat is fun once in a while, but normally I like hot, but well seasoned food. At the Goose Green fair I picked up a mixed box from Chilli Pepper Pete which has a good range from mild to decently warm. All of them are very flavourful. The good stuff isn't just hot, but tasty as well.


However.... On Friday night I had some leftover chilli that Lady Onion had left for me. Seeing as she doesn't share my taste for all things spicy I figured stirring in a tiny bit of Dragon's Blood would help things along. The tiny bit came out as more of a large dollop. Oops. Not being one to waste it I stirred it in & tucked into the meal. There was much whimpering & possibly some tears by the end of it! To be used with care.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • “There was an excellent discussion on Newscast last night between the BBC Political Editor, the director of the IFS and the director of More In Common - all highly intelligent people with no party political agenda ” I would call this “generous”   Labour should never have made that tax promise because, as with - duh - Brexit, it’s pretending the real world doesn’t exist now. I blame Labour in no small part for this delusion. But the electorate need to cop on as well.  They think they can have everything they want without responsibilities, costs or attachments. The media encourage this  Labour do need to raise taxes. The country needs it.  Now, exactly how it’s done remains to be seen. But if people are just going to go around going “la la laffer curve. Liars! String em up! Vote someone else” then they just aren’t serious people reckoning with the problem yes Labour are more than a year into their term, but after 14 years of what the Tories  did? Whoever takes over, has a major problem 
    • Messaging, messaging, messaging. That's all it boils down to. There are only so many fiscal policies out there, and they're there for the taking, no matter which party you're in. I hate to say it, but Farage gets it right every time. Even when Reform reneges on fiscal policy, it does it with enough confidence and candidness that no one is wringing their hands. Instead, they're quietly admired for their pragmatism. Strangely, it's exactly the same as Labour has done, with its manifesto reverse on income tax, but it's going to bomb.  Blaming the Tories / Brexit / Covid / Putin ... none of it washes with the public anymore  - it wants to be sold a vision of the future, not reminded of the disasters of the past. Labour put itself on the back foot with its 'the tories fucked it all up' stance right at the beginning of its tenure.  All Lammy had to do (as with Reeves and Raynor etc) was say 'mea culpa. We've made a mistake, we'll fix it. Sorry guys, we're on it'. But instead it's 'nothing to see here / it's someone else's fault / I was buying a suit / hadn't been briefed yet'.  And, of course, the press smells blood, which never helps.  Oh! And Reeve's speech on Wednesday was so drab and predictable that even the journalists at the press conference couldn't really be arsed to come up with any challenging questions. 
    • Niko 07818 607 583 has been doing jobs for us for several years, he is reliable, always there for us, highly recommended! 
    • I am keeping my fingers crossed the next few days are not so loud. I honestly think it is the private, back garden displays that are most problematic as, in general, there is no way of knowing when and where they might happen. For those letting off a few bangers in the garden I get it is tempting to think what's the harm in a few minutes of 'fun', but it is the absolute randomness of sudden bangs that can do irreparable damage to people and animals. With organised events that are well advertised there is some forewarning at least, and the hope is that organisers of such events can be persuaded to adopt and make a virtue of using only low noise displays in future.
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...