Peppers

Peppers: Hot, Medium, and Mild

Cooking and Entertaining Tips

Bell peppers
Although green peppers will eventually turn red if left on the vine, some varieties of bell peppers are grown for their colors, such as the yellow, orange, and purple ones. Red, yellow, and orange peppers are milder than the green and purple varieties, which are slightly more assertive.

Italian sweet peppers
These long, mild green peppers are often grilled or sautéed.

Banana peppers
Pale yellow in color, these mild, sweet peppers are about 5 inches long and are enjoyed raw, grilled, roasted, or sautéed.

Jalapeño
These hot green or red peppers can be used whole, or remove the seeds and veins, which eliminates some of the heat.

Poblano peppers
Available fresh, canned, and dried (dried pobalnos are known as ancho chilies), these peppers range in color from green to red–red poblanos are sweeter than the green. Poblanos can be mild or somewhat hot.

Habanero peppers
An extremely hot pepper, habaneros are available fresh and dried and range in color from light green to bright orange.

Serrano peppers
A very hot pepper that can be found in specialty stores fresh, dried, canned, pickled, or packed in oil.