In Maryland, USA, I had mixed results "air drying" chiles. I built a drying rack using some screen wire and wood for a frame, and keep that on top of my refrigerator. With that, the thinned skinned varieties like Thai Dragon fared well, but thicker skinned varieties like Serrano still tended to mold. So I experimented with drying or at least helping them along by putting them on a tray in a toaster oven on very low heat. They dried well without molding, but they also lost their pretty natural colors and became brown in the process.
Then by accident I found a better way.
In season, I would sometimes use only a portion of a fresh pepper, and since I had my drying tray handy, I began putting the leftover portion of those peppers in my tray. I discovered that cut open, they dried much faster and therefore without molding, and kept their nice color as well.
So now I halve or at least cut open my peppers, put them on the drying tray in that form, and they dry without any help from the oven.
When a batch is dry, I put them in plastic zip-lock bags.
After they all dry, I grind them up with a small electric grinder made for home use grinding coffee beans. After a couple of times doing this and getting lots of hot pepper dust in the air, I decided (with a little "encouragement" from my wife!) that I need to do that job outside.
I had been leaving the stems on until dry, but then it's extra work breaking them off before the grinding, and even with protective gloves I end up with pepper dust on my hands afterwards. This year I plan to cut off the stems when I cut them to dry.
I haven't tried freez>
>> My chilli plants are starting to bear some nice fruit, and by the looks > >> of
> >> the number of buds, I'll be getting lots!!
> >> As a result, I'm looking for ways in which to preserve them for later > > use -
> >> one of which is to make a hot sause of the type you get in the > > supermarket -
> >> peri peri for example.
> >> Anyway, I've found one good looking recipe
> >>
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but can anyone recommend > > any
> >> others ??
> >> One small drawback to the question - I dont know what kind of chillis I > > have
> >> !! One plant looks like birdseye, and the other looks like it will bear
> >> larger rounder fruit - maybe habanero (!!!)
> >> Any suggestions much appreciated.
> >>
> >>
> > Can they be dried, 'spose to improve their flavour/strength and after all
> > it's pretty much what the mexicans do isnt' it ?
> > Duncan
>
> Chillies dry very well. You can either sun dry them (in the UK? not a
> chance), or *sowly* in a warm oven or a microwave on low. Beware - they'll
> produce a cloud of pungent chilli-vapour in your kitchen that probably
> contravenes most international strategic arms limitation treaties. >
> I also freeze a lot, they go soggy when thawed, like paprika does, but they
> can be cut reasonably eaisily while still frozen, then bunged in the pan. >
> You can pickle them, I find a slightly sweet pickling solution to be
> perfect for most types, especialy Jalapeno,something like the sweet
> pickled-onion liquid would do for a start. Just slit them and make sure
> they're not bad inside, and to allow the solution to get everywhere. Do
> wash the chillies carefully and only pickle the perfect ones.
> Tim.