The Unique Red Chile Bobby Flay Uses Constantly On Beat Bobby Flay

Successful restaurateur and chef Bobby Flay takes on an impressive array of culinary competitors on his popular Food Network show "Beat Bobby Flay." Flay often emerges victorious, no matter which cuisine he's cooking up.

And part of the reason why this veteran chef wins so often is his impressive arsenal of seasoning tricks and hacks. One of his favorite go-to flavor enhancers on the show is Calabrian chiles. He first discovered these Italian peppers while dining out in New York City about a decade ago.

Since that initial taste, Flay has used Calabrian chiles in many different ways. He likes how the ingredient can give heat to a dish in a different way from some of the Mexican chiles he is famous for using. And fans of "Beat Bobby Flay" know how much he relies on them to bring spice to the competition.

In addition to their many appearances on "Beat Bobby Flay," Calabrian chiles are featured in many of Flay's recipes. For those unfamiliar with these little spicy treasures, these chiles come from Italy's Calabria region.

And there are actually several varieties of them, but generally, they come in three types. There are the thin and tapered sigaretta peppers, the conical naso di cane peppers, and the orb-like carasella peppers. These chiles are well-known for their fruity and smoky quality, and they pack an impressive amount of heat — between 25,000 to 40,000 Scoville heat units. This means they're hotter than jalapeños and similar to cayenne peppers.

Calabrian chiles are remarkably versatile, and Flay has found a way to use them in all kinds of dishes. While he likes to whip up a quick tomato sauce with chiles he keeps in his pantry, he also creates his own seasoned oil with these Calabrian wonders and uses it to spice up different recipes, like paella.