Cool Tip: Cheese: the Antidote to Too Many Too-Hot Chilis
- Jun 24, 2015
So we love chilis ...and we know that many of you do too! We have a dozen varieties growing in our garden, ranging from sweet to very hot …. We smoke many of these - creating a wide range of chipotles - but all of them are so much better fresh. And as the season goes longer, the fresh chilis get hotter ….
A favorite appetizer is the simplest: sauted Padron chilis, dressed with sea salt and served with cheese. Delicious! But which cheese? And why?
We’ve discussed this before but this Cool Tip is more about the science: why do you choose a particular cheese to serve with your hot chilis? Cows’ milk? Goats’ milk? Sheep’s milk? How much? Served hot or cold?
The answer is Casein, from the Latin caseus, "cheese": that special protein found in milk products like cheese. There are two major types of Casein: both occur naturally and comprise ~80% of the protein in milk. One type shows up primarily in cow’s milk, and the other type is more common to goats’ milk and sheep’s milk. There is some controversy about Casein because it is similar to gluten … but we’ll stay away from that dialogue. But the importance of Casein taken in conjunction with hot chilis is that, unlike water or beer, Casein will dissolve the Capsaicin - the ‘heat’ in hot chilis - and quickly relieve the temporary discomfort of that burning sensation in your mouth!
And the answer to the larger question is ...serve whichever cheese, in whatever quantity you wish …it will complement your chilis, alleviate the heat, and be delicious ... enjoy!
