Myra's Kitchen Blog » Tip: Removing Chile Oils From Your Hands

Last night I taught a class on South Indian cuisine at The Natural Gourmet. Included in the recipes were a variety of types of chiles: Thai, serranos, jalapeños, and dried Indian red. The usual “heated” issue surfaced. How do you quell the burning sensation that invariably comes up after your hands have come in contact with chiles? Chiles add wonderful flavor to dishes; the down side is that the volatile oils cling to one’s hands and fingers. Called capsaicin, these oils are mainly concentrated in the seeds and ribs.

A universal recommendation is to avoid touching eyes or any other body parts after handling the peppers. Since I’ve had first-hand experience at how irritating even a jalapeño can be, I’ll second that advice. One common way out of the problem is to wear kitchen gloves to prevent cuts or sores on the hands from contacting the volatile oils.

If I don’t have any major abrasions to protect, I just can’t be bothered donning gloves, especially if I’m working with just a few chiles. I try instead to touch the seeds and ribs as little as possible.

Then – and THIS is the exciting tip – when I’m finished, I rub a little fat (any type of oil will do) all over my hands, then wash them with soap and water. The fat pulls the irritants right off the skin, and all of the volatile oils are removed. What a straightforward solution to a literally irritating cooking issue!

Leave a Reply