I'm Making My Own Homegrown Red Pepper Flakes

 

Those who know me will tell you that I'm an avid gardener.  Not only do I love to cook, I love to grow my own food.  I normally grow jalapeno and chili peppers in my garden.  I don't eat them, but my grown kids do.  

I like to use red chili flakes to liven up recipes, so this year I decided I would use my Ninja Speedi to dehydrate sliced chili peppers to use in place of store-bought red pepper flakes.

The cute little red peppers were plenty this year.  My granddaughter, Abby loved to pick them for me.

I bought a Ninja Speedi a couple of years ago and it has become one of my most used kitchen gadgets.  Not only does it act as an air fryer, slow cooker, sous vide, and steamer, it also dehydrates.  This quickly became an "I can't live without you kitchen gadget"!  One hot July day Abby brought me a handful of chili peppers and I thought maybe I should slice them and dehydrate them and take a swing at making my own red pepper flakes. My "Ah Ha" moment!

I sliced each of the peppers into 1/8 - 1/4" slices.  Be very careful to keep your hands away from your eyes during this process.  These peppers are hot and will burn your eyes if you accidentally rub them before thoroughly washing your hands.  

The crisper tray was placed in the elevated position in the Speedi.  Then I scattered the sliced peppers evenly across the tray.  The temp was set at 135 degrees and the time at six hours.  

Six hours later this is what I found.  About a tablespoon of red pepper flakes.  I've done this multiple times this summer and have plenty of red pepper flakes to make plenty of dishes this coming fall and winter.  I keep them stored in an airtight container that is easily stored with my other spices and seasoning blends.  I find these to be a lot more potent than the store-bought flakes, so use sparingly until you find your own sweet spot.  

Happy cooking!