Christine Dabney wrote:
> On Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:34:35 -0700, Mark Thorson >
> wrote:
>
>
>> I hadn't thought about roasting and skinning them.
>>
>> I tried them for the first time a few days ago.
>> There was a big display of them on sale, $0.79/lb.
>>
>> I bought three. I wasn't impressed. They're
>> like an Anaheim, except thicker and hotter
>> but still quite mild.
>>
>> The chowhound article is obviously written for
>> people who don't eat many hot chilis. For those
>> people, a Hatch might seem hot. I'm not one of
>> those people. I prefer more interesting peppers.
>
> You might have gotten a mild batch. Trust me, the hot ones are HOT. I
> am living in NM now, and there are all ranges of heat in these things.
>
> When I go to a market selling them, they are in piles marked as to the
> heat level. And they all look the same. And here in NM, sometimes
> they are marked by the variety name as well.
>
> Plus, a Hatch chile is not all about the heat. It is about the flavor,
> which is different than regular anaheims. I am thinking that it might
> have to do with the land in Hatch, that produces that flavor. Put a
> regular Anaheim side by side with a Hatch grown chile, and taste the
> difference. And no, I can't describe the difference or the flavor
> that makes it a Hatch. After a while, you get to know how to spot a
> Hatch grown chile.
>
> Christine

Where I live in Louisiana, they have medium and hot Hatch Chiles. If you
smell the stem end, you will get an idea how hot the pepper is.

Becca