# Red Pepper Flakes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 23, 2021, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509 "2021-12-23T01:00:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jebbilene](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jebbilene/32/3414_2.png) [@Jebbilene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jebbilene)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/1 "2021-12-23T01:00:49Z")
A lot of American products have red pepper flakes in the ingredients, and American recipes sometimes use red pepper flakes as well. Where I’m from (Australia), ‘red pepper flakes’ are not something you can buy. The internet says to substitute some other form of dried chili in recipes. For me, products that I buy with red pepper flakes (e.g. taco seasoning) are generally not very hot, sometimes not hot at all. If I added chili flakes in the amounts recipes have for red pepper flakes, they would be significantly spicy. So are red pepper flakes spicy in themselves? Or are they non-spicy, like red bell peppers? Related question, can I use sweet paprika as a non-spicy substitute for red pepper flakes, or are they different flavours? ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/2 "2021-12-23T01:04:31Z")
There seem to be a number of decent options called out in this article: > **[4 Substitutes for Crushed Red Pepper Flakes](https://www.thespruceeats.com/crushed-red-pepper-flake-substitute-4147723)** > > If you don't have crushed red pepper flakes in your pantry, keep your recipe on track with one of four substitutes. ---
**Author:** ![Dandan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@Dandan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/3 "2021-12-23T01:09:18Z")
Just shook some Penzey’s Crushed Red Pepper onto my palm and licked them off. Spicy, hot, but far from brutal. Dan ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/4 "2021-12-23T01:13:33Z")
Red pepper flakes are great on pizza…along with anchovies, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/5 "2021-12-23T01:33:01Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > Red pepper flakes are great on pizza Yeah, in my experience it’s pretty common for pizza places to have a shaker of grated (Parmesan) cheese and a shakerful of pepper flakes on every table. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/6 "2021-12-23T01:40:16Z")
> [@Jebbilene](#): > > So are red pepper flakes spicy in themselves? They can be good and spicy, especially the ones that get stuck between teeth. The aforementioned Penzey’s sells good ones. I bought some that were labelled as “medium hot” that are still plenty hot for scrambeled eggs. If Penzey’s ships to Australia, you should pick some up. Try the flakes on eggs, but especially on pizza. (If you check them out, Penzey’s has great cinnamon, too.) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/7 "2021-12-23T01:48:10Z")
Forget red pepper flakes. If you order from Penzey’s, get their [Aleppo pepper.](https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/aleppo-pepper/c-24/p-878/pd-s) So much better than plain red flake. Or really rock & roll and order from [Flatiron](https://www.flatironpepper.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Jebbilene](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jebbilene/32/3414_2.png) [@Jebbilene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jebbilene)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/8 "2021-12-23T02:15:34Z")
Thanks, Dandan ---
**Author:** ![SacFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@SacFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SacFly)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/9 "2021-12-23T03:13:44Z")
Do you have access to any dried peppers there? Here I’d go to an Asian or Mexican grocery, but I have no idea what you can get. Find a relatively mild dried chili and either give them a course grind with a coffee grinder or chop them fine with a knife. The above mentioned dried Aleppo flakes are probably super. If you have access to any ripe (red), mild chilies you can dry them whole yourself in your oven, store them in a jar, and break them out when you need them. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/10 "2021-12-23T03:47:44Z")
Oh yeah, Aleppo pepper is lovely. Just ate some pizza liberally sprinkled with it, in fact. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/11 "2021-12-23T04:07:04Z")
I use [these Korean red pepper flakes](https://www.myasiangrocer.com.au/wang-red-pepper-powder-coarse-227g/). I buy them at Tong Li Asian supermarkets where I get most of my Asian supplies. There are plenty [Tong Li Supermarket locations in Australia](https://www.australia-shoppings.com/stores/tong-li-supermarket). I use them a lot. They are milder and sweeter than chili. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/12 "2021-12-23T15:39:38Z")
I like spicy but I’ve never been a fan of Red pepper flakes. I don’t like the mouth feel. I typically use paprika or cayenne. I recently discovered harrisa spice. I’ve used harrisa plenty of times in paste form but never in dried spice. I simply love it. And I think you could use that as a substitute too. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/13 "2021-12-23T15:48:36Z")
Yes, in my experience crushed red chili peppers are hot. I generally like hot foods, but I really find little use for them. I used to use them in various ramen noodle concoctions to give them extra kick, but I’ve lately preferred making them without and, if desired, just adding some garlic chili sauce on top. I also thought of adding it to the chipotle chile I like to buy from a local store, but that stuff is plenty spicy enough in itself! So really, I hardly ever use it. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2021, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/14 "2021-12-23T15:59:26Z")
> [@Jebbilene](#): > > For me, products that I buy with red pepper flakes (e.g. taco seasoning) are generally not very hot, sometimes not hot at all. If I added chili flakes in the amounts recipes have for red pepper flakes, they would be significantly spicy. “Pepper” and “chili”, in this context, are exactly synonymous. Red pepper flakes are chili flakes. The question is just what kind of chili. And I’m not sure of the answer to that. I can say that the product sold in the US and labeled as “red pepper flakes” tends to be fairly consistent from brand to brand, and it has a detectable amount of heat, but not all that much. But while the label may show a picture of a pepper, it never says what variety. ---
**Author:** ![SoToasty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sotoasty/32/2803_2.png) [@SoToasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoToasty)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/15 "2021-12-23T16:08:54Z")
> **[How To Make Your Own Red Pepper Flakes Using Fresh Peppers](https://oldworldgardenfarms.com/2018/09/18/homemade-red-pepper-flakes/)** > > If you like red pepper flakes, like the kind you find at your favorite pizza restaurant, you are going to love how easy it is to make your own! This site says to use ripe red cayenne peppers ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/16 "2021-12-23T21:12:09Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Forget red pepper flakes. If you order from Penzey’s, get their [Aleppo pepper.](https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/aleppo-pepper/c-24/p-878/pd-s) ^ This gets my vote, too ---
**Author:** ![Jebbilene](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jebbilene/32/3414_2.png) [@Jebbilene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jebbilene)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/17 "2021-12-23T21:44:50Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > “Pepper” and “chili”, in this context, are exactly synonymous. Red pepper flakes are chili flakes. The question is just what kind of chili. That’s good to know, thanks. I had heard that Americans use ‘bell pepper’ for what I call ‘capsicum’, so I wasn’t sure. America has so many different types of chili pepper. In Australia, we have long green chillies, long red chillies, and short bird’s-eyes. It’s pretty random how hot they are. Jalapenos have started to turn up in the last couple of years, but that’s basically it. It’s always interesting to read a recipe with 4 different kinds of chili in it, and wonder what the differences between them might be, that someone bothered to specify what kind. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2021, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/18 "2021-12-23T21:57:22Z")
I don’t know what you call “capsicum” (which is another blanket term for all of them), but a “bell pepper” is one specific variety, about the size and (vaguely) the shape of a Red Delicious apple, and with no detectable heat (they come in sub-varieties of several different colors, as well). Even aside from the heat levels, different peppers have different flavors, and some of them might be smoked or otherwise treated to yet further modify their flavors. You’d probably get very close to the same result by just picking any one pepper of the desired heat level, and using entirely that, but chili (as in the stew) recipes are the sort of thing that inspire people to pursue fine nuances and distinctions of flavors (or at least, to imagine that they’re doing so). ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/19 "2021-12-23T22:09:38Z")
Yeah. They add a little heat but not much. Unless someone is really sensitive to “spicy” foods I consider them pretty tame. Great on a pizza (sprinkled on after cooking). ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509/20 "2021-12-23T22:16:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I don’t know what you call “capsicum” (which is another blanket term for all of them), but a “bell pepper” is one specific variety, about the size and (vaguely) the shape of a Red Delicious apple, and with no detectable heat (they come in sub-varieties of several different colors, as well). FWIW there is no difference between the different colors of bell peppers. The yellow, orange and green ones are just more ripe version of the green bell pepper. They have the same nutrition and flavor as green ones but are substantially more expensive than green ones. So, unless you care about the aesthetics of your dish (and sometimes you might) green bell peppers are the better buy. And no, a green one will not change color on your counter. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-pepper-flakes/956509.md?page=2)