A lot of us love the taste of hot peppers, but sometimes even the tiniest bite of a hot pepper can send our senses into overdrive.
If you’ve ever felt the true “burn” of a pepper high on the Scoville Scale, it’s unmistakable. Water won’t help the situation, but there are five quick ways to save yourself from the burning sensation. You probably don’t even need to go shopping, because it’s likely you already have some, or even all of these items in your kitchen.
Dairy
The first oblivious choice for counteracting the burn of hot peppers is dairy. Milk, ice cream, sour cream or yogurt are all good choices after eating spicy food.
The casein found in dairy products is able to neutralize the capsaicin found in hot peppers, and your mouth starts to cool off.
Sugar
Sugar can also help with the burn of hot peppers and spicy food. Try either dissolving a teaspoon of sugar in your mouth or a little bit of honey when the pain gets to be too much.
Rice
There’s a good reason why some spicy hot foods are served with a side of rice. The starch in rice helps absorb capsaicin, which can also help cool things down.
Olive oil
The fat in olive oil helps with the burn, and it’s not just for your mouth. If you touch hot peppers with your bare hands, which we don’t necessarily recommend doing, you can try rubbing the oil on your hands to remove some of the sharpness. If you don’t, you could unintentionally end up rubbing your eyes or your face and spreading the painful burn around.
Lemon
Finally, you can always try a small slice of lemon. You don’t need the entire thing, just cut some off and put it in your mouth to help neutralize the burning sensation.