I know that dairy products and alcohol do the job well.
But when Wilbur Scoville did his testing back in the early 20th century he used a mixture of sugar and water. How many squirts it takes to ease the burn. (Thanks to Alton Brown) I don’t know the exact mix. I have never tried this. I know water itself is a poor extinguisher of the burn. Does the sugar give the the water properties that make it work?
Has anyone tested it? I have no peppers or I would test it myself.
The pros at the wing place I frequent will give you a tiny cup of chocolate syrup. I can’t say chemically how it works, but the sweet taste and coating effect seem to take your mind off the throbbing heat sensation.
The wings that they serve that typically require this treatment taste very similar to the “Pure-cap” (almost pure capsacin) my friend likes to make us eat. It’s basically hot for hot’s sake, few people can honestly say that they enjoy the taste. I think it’s the endorphin rush that people like.
Personally, if I eat something too hot, a mouthfull of ice cubes does it. But that almost never happens. 
Thanks to our bonds with Indonesia, we know lots of very spicy food.
I know a “dropje” helps. This liquorice is a combination of salt and sweet, so I guess sweet stuff indeed helps against the burn.
Water - or ice - is no good. Believe me, I’ve tried. :o
Cucumber’s good, as is yoghurt. Combine them with a bit of mint or coriander, sugar and a pinch of salt, and you’ve got a delicious raita.
My wife is Thai so I get the occasional burn when she gets too adventurous with the “Pik Kee Noos,” a small and hellish chile they use there. A handful of plain rice usually helps me.
Testy
Do you find that alcohol helps?
In my experience wine enhances the spicyness.
Harder liqour can dull the palate, but it has to be taken in advance. Beer on the other hand can seem slightly soothing, but I think it’s mainly the carbonation and coolness of it, both of which only create a short relief before the heat is back. (Which has to be quenched with more beer.;))
I have found that dairy products (as you mention) are great. Also usefull are white bread and rice - basically anything that soaks up the spicy oils, I guess.
Water won’t do anything because the spices are typically oils. Add a little lemon as an emulsifier and you’re on the right track. Milk has been shown to be the best because the casein acts as a detergent.
Capsaicin, the primary molecule responsible for heat, should be soluble in both oil and alcohol. It has a long (2-methyloctyl) non-polar group which should make it quite soluble in oils, but it also has several more polar groups (a ketone functionality and a hydroxyl group) that would make it soluble in alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are well-known as being good at reducing heat – it doesn’t have to be a lot of alcohol. Dairy products, which contain a lot of oils and also contain some proteins that act as emulsifiers, are also very effective. Adding a bit of acidity might help.
Testy: I’ve always wondered what those peppers were called – I once bit the end off a raw one in a Vietnamese place where the only thing I had to drink was hot tea, and that was memorable. Still better, though, was the time I touched my eye after touching the lid of a bottle of extremely hot sauce; after a few minutes with the restaurant’s eye-wash bottle, I could see again.
Yes, those things are hellish! 
Pik-Kee-Noo is colloguial Thai and translates as “Rat-Shit-Chillies,” due to their size and shape. Gotta love the Thai language, downright earthy at times. As far as touching your eyes’ OUCH!
Regards
Testy
Testy, [hehehehe at Rat-shit-chilies ] I wonder if it’s like what we call “rawit”
Roches, The restaurant had an eye-wash bottle? Just in case? Phew. 
What are those things? Without something to provide scale, it looks like a pile of cockroach wings! :eek:
Testy
Hahahahaha, Testy 
Cockroaches can fly?
These are dried Indonesian peppers called ‘rawit’. Very hot. I use them in a stew containing spare-ribs, soy sauce and onions. They’re about an inch long and - depending on your heat-resistancy - 6 to 12 rawits are enough for a meal for four.
The first time I tried it I thought I’d die. [and was told to eat a “dropje”] But it grows on ye.
Cecils column on the subject:
I think cockroaches can do everything! I was driven out of a house by them once. Those chillies look like vicious little beasts. I’m going to ask my wife if she knows what they are. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten those but she probably has.
As an OBTW, I really want some of that stew.
Regards
Testy
