# Cajun too hot (peppery) to eat; how to mellow it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 18, 2011, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435 "2011-07-18T12:51:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/1 "2011-07-18T12:51:39Z")
Wife and I made shrimp etouffee last night. With a jalapeno, a poblano, plus lots of black/white/cayenne pepper in it, it’s tasty, but it’s also a bit hotter than we would like. We have two meals worth of leftovers we would prefer not to throw away. Is there something we can add to it to help take the edge off of the heat without totally bastardizing the flavor? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/2 "2011-07-18T14:00:30Z")
More shrimp? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/3 "2011-07-18T14:08:58Z")
Drink milk along with it, small sips to swish around in the mouth… The casein in the milk will bond with the capsaicin from the cayenne and moderate that effect. It won’t help the black/white pepper heat too much though. That’s from piperine, not capsaicin. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/4 "2011-07-18T14:12:52Z")
Sour cream? ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/5 "2011-07-18T14:17:20Z")
Send it my way! But as far as cooling it down… All you can do is dilute it. Serve small portions over white rice, etc. I know of no way to undo the capsaicin - it’s there to stay. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/6 "2011-07-18T14:26:36Z")
I guess **zoid** beat me to the punch … I was going to say that it’s hopeless, and you’d better just ship it to me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/7 "2011-07-18T15:21:11Z")
To amend my earlier post: Actually, my sources inform me that the casein in milk will also reduce the heat from the piperine, in addition to the heat from the capsaicin. Those two heat molecules are somewhat structurally similar, and both soluble by casein. So just raise a glass of milk as you chow down! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/8 "2011-07-18T15:31:12Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > To amend my earlier post: > > Actually, my sources inform me that the casein in milk will also reduce the heat from the piperine, in addition to the heat from the capsaicin. Those two heat molecules are somewhat structurally similar, and both soluble by casein. > > So just raise a glass of milk as you chow down! Or, as mentioned, mix it with sour cream, or, as my mom does, use ranch dressing. And, yeah, dilute with other stuff. If it’s not breaded, you can also try soaking it in water, which will dilute it more. At least, it works with over seasoned meat. (It’s part of the reason I’m not a big fan of the crock pot.) Heck, since it’s soluable in caesin, try soaking it in milk, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/9 "2011-07-18T15:40:14Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Or, as mentioned, mix it with sour cream, or, as my mom does, use ranch dressing. And, yeah, dilute with other stuff. > > If it’s not breaded, you can also try soaking it in water, which will dilute it more. At least, it works with over seasoned meat. (It’s part of the reason I’m not a big fan of the crock pot.) Heck, since it’s soluable in caesin, try soaking it in milk, maybe? IMHO, adding dairy to the dish has a far greater potential for changing the flavor than using dairy as a beverage/palate cleanser. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/10 "2011-07-18T15:44:17Z")
Along with the milk, try eating a little plain whit rice or cucumber slices with each bite. At least, that’s what we did for spicy Indonesian food. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/11 "2011-07-18T16:37:25Z")
> [@](#): > > IMHO, adding dairy to the dish has a far greater potential for changing the flavor than using dairy as a beverage/palate cleanser. I don’t know much more than the next guy about traditional Cajun cooking, but I’ll bet that there’s some dairy product which is traditionally associated with it, like sour cream for Mexican or yogurt for Indian. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/12 "2011-07-18T16:51:19Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Send it my way! > > But as far as cooling it down… > All you can do is dilute it. Serve small portions over white rice, etc. > I know of no way to undo the capsaicin - it’s there to stay. Dilution would be my answer. I wouldn’t want to add any dairy to the sauce itself–that just sounds all sorts of wrong for an etouffee. If I wanted to save it, I would either do small portions, or strain out the shrimp, and mix the remaining sauce half-and-half with a neutral etouffee base, or just a simple roux-thickened mixture of stock and tomatoes with some spicing (minus the cayenne.) I actually can’t think of any dairy product traditionally associated with cajun and creole cookery. Butter? Maybe buttermilk? Dairy is more common in creole than Cajun cooking but, to my knowledge, I can’t think of any analogue to crema or yogurt in either of these cuisines. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/13 "2011-07-18T17:07:52Z")
Personal experience: get shit faced and eat it. I recently had some left over food that was impossible to eat. Only I had eaten it the night before while in an alcohol induced coma, apparently, as it was left-over. ---
**Author:** ![zeldarae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/f14d63/32.png) [@zeldarae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeldarae)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/14 "2011-07-18T18:02:05Z")
Why, oh, why did you put a jalapeno and pablano pepper in your etouffee? 😕 Try this recipe next time. [https://www.crawfish.com/crawfish-etouffee.php](https://www.crawfish.com/crawfish-etouffee.php) Feel free to substitute crawfish with the your crustasean of choice. As to the OP question, I’m sorry to say that the longer the food sits in the fridge, the spicier it’s going to get. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/15 "2011-07-18T18:09:13Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Dilution would be my answer. I wouldn’t want to add any dairy to the sauce itself–that just sounds all sorts of wrong for an etouffee. If I wanted to save it, I would either do small portions, or strain out the shrimp, and mix the remaining sauce half-and-half with a neutral etouffee base, or just a simple roux-thickened mixture of stock and tomatoes with some spicing (minus the cayenne.) > > I actually can’t think of any dairy product traditionally associated with cajun and creole cookery. Butter? Maybe buttermilk? Dairy is more common in creole than Cajun cooking but, to my knowledge, I can’t think of any analogue to crema or yogurt in either of these cuisines. Most recipes I’ve found recommend [heavy cream](http://www.wqad.com/marketplace/johnnys/wqad-johnnys-recipes-blackened-ribeye,0,6573712.story). Although the mechanics of adding it to an existing dish are rather dicey. I’d just serve it over rice & drink milk with my meal. For a festive occasion, [milk punch](http://www.louisianacookin.com/category/recipe-ingredients/milk-punch) would do… ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/16 "2011-07-18T18:14:57Z")
> [@zeldarae](#): > > Why, oh, why did you put a jalapeno and pablano pepper in your etouffee? 😕 Hey, I was just following orders. We followed the recipe pretty much [as it was written](http://www.amazon.com/Real-Cajun-Rustic-Cooking-Louisiana/dp/0307395812/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311012657&sr=8-1) (though we substited shrimp for crawfish). I’m not a Cajun, so you’ll have to cut me some slack if I don’t know what’s supposed to go in “real” Cajun food. > [@](#): > > Try this recipe next time. [https://www.crawfish.com/crawfish-etouffee.php](https://www.crawfish.com/crawfish-etouffee.php) Feel free to substitute crawfish with the your crustasean of choice. That’s missing the jalapeno, poblano, and cayenne that our recipe had, so there’s a good chance it’ll be edible for us; thanks. > [@](#): > > As to the OP question, I’m sorry to say that the longer the food sits in the fridge, the spicier it’s going to get. Yeah, we’re not optimistic, but I figured I’d ask. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/17 "2011-07-18T18:30:34Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Hey, I was just following orders. We followed the recipe pretty much [as it was written](http://www.amazon.com/Real-Cajun-Rustic-Cooking-Louisiana/dp/0307395812/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311012657&sr=8-1) (though we substited shrimp for crawfish). I’m not a Cajun, so you’ll have to cut me some slack if I don’t know what’s supposed to go in “real” Cajun food. Cool looking book. I’m going to have to add that to my wish list. I have a few old school Creole and cajun cookbooks here, but nothing specifically cajun. That photo on the cover looks awesome: rustic and delectable. ---
**Author:** ![zeldarae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/f14d63/32.png) [@zeldarae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeldarae)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/18 "2011-07-18T18:44:51Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Cool looking book. I’m going to have to add that to my wish list. I have a few old school Creole and cajun cookbooks here, but nothing specifically cajun. That photo on the cover looks awesome: rustic and delectable. Just remember, as a rule, we don’t really use jalapenos in our recipes. Most of our recipes get their heat (if any really) from cayenne pepper. It’s a different mouth-feel than jalepenos. The very best Louisiana cookbooks are River Road Recipes and River Road Recipes II, A Second Helping. [http://www.juniorleaguebr.org/?nd=recipes](http://www.juniorleaguebr.org/?nd=recipes) They are authentic to the region. But that gumbo on the cover does look good. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/19 "2011-07-18T18:51:25Z")
> [@zeldarae](#): > > Just remember, as a rule, we don’t really use jalapenos in our recipes. Most of our recipes get their heat (if any really) from cayenne pepper. It’s a different mouth-feel than jalepenos. > > The very best Louisiana cookbooks are River Road Recipes and River Road Recipes II, A Second Helping. [http://www.juniorleaguebr.org/?nd=recipes](http://www.juniorleaguebr.org/?nd=recipes) They are authentic to the region. > > But that gumbo on the cover does look good. Oops. I already placed my order. But I’ll put your books on deck. Yeah, I’ve never come across poblanos and jalapenos in cajun recipes before, but I’m willing to give them a shot, especially after reading the reviews of the cookbook. Looking at those River Road cookbooks, those look up my alley, too. ---
**Author:** ![zeldarae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/f14d63/32.png) [@zeldarae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeldarae)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435/20 "2011-07-18T18:58:17Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Looking at those River Road cookbooks, those look up my alley, too. I cannot recommend them highly enough. I inherited my Grandma Hebert’s (nee’ Achee) copy of the first one when she passed away. Great notes in the margins. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cajun-too-hot-peppery-to-eat-how-to-mellow-it/589435.md?page=2)