cayenne pepper
See also: red pepper flakes
Also known as: Cayenne
A hot, thin, red chile pepper, most often sold dried and ground into a fine powder; used to add heat rather than complex chile flavor.
Buying guidance
A small jar from the spice aisle. Ground spices fade after about a year -- if the jar has been open longer than that, use a little more. A modest pinch in a large pot reads as warmth rather than heat.
Substitutions
- Hot sauce -- 1/2 to 1 tsp, added at the end.
- Red pepper flakes -- about twice the volume, added earlier so they have time to soften.
- Smoked paprika -- no heat, but adds smokiness.
- A few extra grinds of black pepper -- the mildest option.
Tips & common mistakes
Its heat builds after it's stirred in rather than hitting all at once, so a dish that tastes mild right after adding a pinch can taste considerably hotter a few minutes later -- taste, wait, then add more rather than judging heat immediately. It's also far more concentrated than a chili powder blend, so swapping it in at the same measured amount will overheat a dish meant for the milder blend.
Storage
Cayenne tends to lose its heat before it loses its color, so a jar that still looks vividly red can have far less kick than a fresh one -- if it's been open a long while, taste-test a pinch rather than trusting how it looks.