Make Your Own Chili Powder

By Sherry K on November 13th, 2012

It’s Zippy Tip Tuesday!

One day on my Facebook page, my friend Amber suggested that I show how to dry fresh chile peppers and turn them into chili powder. I thought that was an excellent idea; especially since the process is so easy, and the flavor is TONS better than your typical jarred brands.

And Amber just moved to New Mexico, where the variety of chile peppers is abundant, so she can develop a tasty powder that cannot be beat, I’m sure.

Here in Indiana, we are limited to just a few varieties. My friend Terry (whom I go to for farm fresh eggs) grows them in his garden, and they are HOT. We had a very dry, hot summer this year, so the peppers are unbelievably hot, to the point where the scoville levels were raised considerably.

Since I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to spicy food, I end up using only a minute portion of the pepper at a time in a recipe. So to preserve the rest of the pepper for later use, I turn it into powder.

As the video below states, be careful when using extremely hot peppers. The first time I made powder, I made the mistake of sticking my nose into the blender to see how it looked. The next thing I knew, I found myself coughing and wheezing and sneezing for the rest of the day. Not too smart! So wear gloves, wear your onion goggles; heck, wear a gas mask if you have to! But achieving a freshly ground pepper flavor is well worth it.

Watch video here: