This Simple Trick Makes Seeding Chile Peppers A Snap

Chile peppers can add an intense and flavorful kick to a wide variety of dishes, sauces, and salsas. Popular chile pepper varieties like jalapeños and habaneros contain very low amounts of fat and calories but pack a powerful punch, which makes them a great way to add intense flavor to a dish without a lot of extra ingredients.

They also add a healthy dose of capsaicin, an anti-inflammatory molecule that has been shown to provide a host of health benefits. According to Penn Medicine, consuming capsaicin has been linked to lower levels of bad cholesterol, which may help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Livestrong also reports that some promising initial studies have shown a link between capsaicin and reduced growth of prostate cancer cells. The spicy molecule can also aid in weight loss and help reduce the risk of obesity by improving the body's metabolism. It may also improve gut health and lessen the risk of developing intestinal tumors. With all these benefits, it's no wonder that chile peppers are such a popular ingredient in many parts of the world.

As delicious and as healthy as they are, there is one big downside when it comes to cooking with chile peppers: handling the super spicy skin and seeds. The pepper's spiciness can make touching the pepper with bare skin uncomfortable, and the effects of the heat can linger on your hands for a while after cooking with it. However, many recipes require the removal of seeds from the pepper before it can be used, which is a time-consuming process that can be irritating — both figuratively and literally. Luckily, Food52 recommends one simple technique that makes removing the seeds from chile peppers a breeze.

To seed the pepper without hurting yourself, begin by cutting off the top of the pepper and inserting a small teaspoon into the pepper's interior lengthwise. With the spoon, scrape out the white membrane, and then twist the tool inside the pepper to capture the seeds. Once you have scooped up all the seeds from inside the pepper, simply dump the seeds and membrane out, and voilà — you'll have a perfectly seeded chile pepper. With this method, seeding the peppers is no sweat, at least not until you bite into it.