On 27/10/2011 10:18 AM, James Silverton wrote:
> Today's "word of the day" in the online Oxford English Dictionary is
> "Scoville" as in the heat measure for peppers. This was once a test done
> by diluting capsaicin solution until a board of tasters said that its
> heat reached the level of the pepper in question. Pure capsaicin is
> supposed to be 15,000,000 Scoville units. I wonder how on earth they
> measured that?



I can offer a tip on the above. When a recipe calls for 2 large hot red
peppers to make red pepper jelly, and you cannot find those, 4 little
Scotch Bonnets is not a good substitute. Not only was it hot as blazes,
but the pot boiled over and the mixture burned and sent up plumes of
smoke that were like mace. I could have quelled a prison riot in my kitchen.