Test Kitchen tips: Roasting chiles

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Roasted chiles are great for adding wonderfully rich flavors and depth to a recipe, and they’re amazingly easy to prepare.

To roast peppers, place whole fresh peppers on a rack over a stove-top burner (if you’re roasting large peppers that will fit directly onto the burner grate without slipping through, you can skip the rack) and turn on the burner. Rotate the peppers over the fire using a set of tongs just until the outer skin blackens and blisters and becomes charred on all sides. Don’t leave the peppers over the burner too long or the peppers can burn.

Place the charred peppers in a paper bag or in a bowl covered with plastic wrap just until they’re cool enough to handle. After about 10 minutes, remove the charred skin by rubbing it off using a paper towel or dish rag. Never wash the peppers to remove the skin -- this will only wash off all that great roasted flavor you worked so hard to get.

If you have any kitchen tips or questions you’d like me to explore, leave a comment below or shoot me an email at noelle.carter@latimes.com.

ALSO:

Go behind the scenes at the Test Kitchen

134 recipes for your favorite restaurant dishes

Browse hundreds of recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

-- Noelle Carter
twitter/noellecarter