FOOD NEWS
How To Make Red Pepper Flakes From Scratch And Why You Need To
BY ELIZABETH OKOSUN
Red pepper flakes add a spicy kick to pizza, pasta, stews, and more. They're surprisingly easy to make at home, which gives you more control over the spice level and flavors.
To make your own red pepper flakes, roast whole, dried chile peppers in the oven at 135 degrees Fahrenheit for a few hours, or leave them in a dehydrator overnight.
Once the peppers are so dry that they're crumbling apart, transfer the chiles to a blender or food processor and pulse them for less than a minute to form dry flakes.
If you don't want any whole seeds in the flakes, blend them for longer. Then, pour the blended flakes into a colander with holes smaller than the seeds to sift them out.
Red pepper flakes from the store are typically made with cayenne peppers, but in your kitchen, you can use anything from slightly sweet Halaby chiles to super hot Carolina Reapers.
Pepper flakes can diminish in quality after a year. If stored correctly, you'll only need to make one batch annually, so keep them in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.