Christine wrote:

>> Chile skins have a natural wax-like coating (called a "cuticle") which
>> protects them from the elements when they're on the plant. Putting a
>> whole chile into a soup will do nothing whatsoever for the flavor.
>
> Well..Martha Stewart seems to think that it does something for the
> flavor..as she recommends doing what I would do...cooking it in the
> soup, then removing it before pureeing. She didn't say that it needs
> to be cut in half...and she says it does add some heat.
>
> Maybe cooking it helps release the flavor..that is certainly a lot
> more than just the elements... I would think that cooking it would
> break down that coating...
>
> Maybe not.. But I have heard of doing this from many sources..so I am
> inclined to think that maybe it does add something to the soup.

marthastewart.com is usually a pretty good source for recipes, but I have
personal experience as well as science on my side, so I will continue to say
the web site is wrong.

Bob