How to make chili burning stop: 5 useful tips and methods

When we talk about chili peppers, we are of course talking about its spiciness and that burning sensation due to contact with the fruit or more simply from ingesting it.

Who hasn't tasted a hot pepper and immediately afterwards felt their mouth literally on fire; the symptoms of a burn are easily recognizable: flushing, pain, difficulty swallowing, tearing, and shortness of breath.

Let's find out who is responsible for the spiciness of chili peppers; it is called capsaicin and the chemical compound found in different concentrations in chili peppers that is responsible for their spiciness.

Capsaicin can add flavor and spiciness to food, but it can also be very irritating when it comes in contact with the delicate skin of the hands, lips or palate. There are several methods to quickly soothe the burning caused by chili peppers; we recommend 5.

5 useful tips to relieve chili burning.

1) MILK

In the first place to stop our palate burning we find milk and all its derivatives. Obviously drinking a glass of milk during a really too spicy dinner is not the ultimate pleasure. We can remedy the problem by eating a nice slice of cheese, stracchino or yogurt. Milk is considered the most effective remedy for relieving the burning sensation that invades the mouth after eating chili; thanks to the fats it contains, particularly casein, milk is able to remove capsaicin from the oral cavity fairly quickly. If, on the other hand, the dish you are cooking turns out to be too spicy, you can use cooking cream to tone down the spiciness.

2) ALCOHOL

A second method to make our palate stop burning is to rinse our mouth with alcoholic beverages. The best solution would be a shot of vodka or gin, obviously without overdoing the alcohol. In fact, alcohol binds to capsaicin and can be a good ally in eradicating it. Slightly alcoholic drinks, such as beer, on the other hand, make the situation worse, as they are composed largely of water and will make the capsaicin spread more in the mouth.

3) HONEY AND SUGAR

Another remedy to soothe the burning sensation due to hot peppers is honey and sugar. The molecular composition of honey and sugar binds with capsaicin, thus helping to relieve the spicy sensation from the palate. You can mix a significant amount of sugar in a glass of water and immediately rinse your mouth afterwards, avoiding swallowing the solution; or it is also recommended to eat two or three tablespoons of honey.

4) BREAD

Another valuable ally for relieving the burning caused by capsaicin is bread. It proves a non-immediate but nonetheless effective method of being able to remove it mechanically by "scraping" it off the affected mucous membranes.

5) RICE

In many Eastern countries, they are able to combat burning due to hot chili simply by eating steamed white rice. Eating a product that contains starch, such as rice, should be able to give you some relief. They are not able to effectively and quickly dissolve the capsaicin but are still able to soothe the burning.

And remember this well, avoid drinking water to make the chili burn subside. Not only will it not solve your problem, in fact it will only spread the capsaicin in your mouth making it worse.

To find out the ranking of the world's 5 hottest chili peppers click here. Are you sure you know them all?