Arri London wrote:
>Christine Dabney wrote:
>>
>> "Bob Terwilliger" 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.
>
>It would be very difficult for a fresh chile to survive the picking,
>packing and washing (at home) processes with a completely undamaged
>cuticle.

Protecting from the elements does not include cooking... pickling is a
form of cooking.

>Dropping whole chiles into a soup or stew, and then removing them later,
>is a common practice. It is less heat than cutting up the chile, but it
>does provide some heat.

All produce/plants have a protective covering/coating of some sort but
does not protect against cooking/freezing. One of the best methods
for flavoring long cooking dishes is to leave the aromatics whole so
that they will release their flavor over protracted time and build a
multi-layered depth of flavor... with very long looking it's
beneficial to apportion and add the aromatics
periodically/continuously. Of course keyboard kuticles are immune to
all elements except Kryptonite! LOL-LOL