How to Store Habanero Peppers: 4 Ways to Store Habaneros

Habaneros are inch-long chili peppers of the Capsicum chinense species, which produces some of the hottest pepper varieties. These pepper plants produce small, round, and orange or red peppers. While habaneros originated in the Amazon, Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula is the modern world’s largest producer of habaneros. The spicy pepper is most commonly used in salsas and hot sauces. Habaneros are hot (350,000 Scoville Heat Units), so take precautions (i.e., wear plastic gloves) when preparing them to protect your skin from capsaicin.

There are multiple ways to store habanero peppers to extend their shelf life. First, wash your fresh habanero peppers with cold water, then dry them with paper towels. Consider the following storage methods:

1. 1. Room temperature: Fresh habanero peppers will last for three to five days when stored at room temperature, either in the pantry or out of direct sunlight.
2. 2. Refrigerator: You can store habanero chilies in a paper bag or plastic bag in the vegetable crisper drawer of the refrigerator. Whole habanero peppers can last up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
3. 3. Freezer: Place whole habanero peppers in a freezer bag or airtight container and put them in the freezer. You can then use these frozen peppers straight from the freezer. Frozen habanero peppers will last for up to a year in the freezer.
4. 4. Dehydrate: You can also dehydrate your habanero peppers, then grind them as a spicier alternative to crushed red pepper. To dehydrate habanero peppers in the oven. place the chilies on a baking sheet or cookie sheet, and put it in the oven at a temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. It should take ten to twelve hours to dehydrate the peppers. You can use a dehydrator, which will take eight to ten hours.

Sliced habaneros and cooked habaneros will keep for only a few hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

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