Dehydrating Peppers

Ok, it depends on what kind of peppers you are talking about. 

With bell peppers, the first thing I do after washing is cut the stems off, split them open and remove the seeds. Be sure to remove the white cell dividers, as they can cause a bitter taste.

You can blanch them, but it isn’t always necessary.

I either cut them into thumb-sized chunks or strips before dehydrating.

Sometimes I lay them in a broiler with skin side up and roast them until the skin is blackened. Check often and try not to burn them. Then plunge them in cold water t cool and rub the blackened skin off.  You can do this on the open flame of your gas stove, too. It’s a lot of bother, but for some reason, roasting gives a really wonderful flavor.

Banana and Anaheim peppers are much simpler.  I cut the stems off, split them open and remove the seeds. Then I cut them cross-wise before dehydrating. 

Jalapeño peppers are a different matter. Put on your rubber gloves before starting!  <grin>  Sometimes I just make thin slices cross-wise. Sometimes I simply cut them in half length-wise.  It takes longer to dry them that way, but Mike especially likes them.  It seems that we have differing opinions about seasoning. I believe that food is to be savored and enjoyed, he believes it should be an endurance test! <chuckle>