There are many varieties of chiles that you'll find in grocery stores all over Arizona and the Southwest. Chiles are used often in Mexican cooking, and add a great deal of flavor, and sometimes heat, to the concoction.
A gentleman named Wilbur Scoville developed a heat index for chiles, which is the industry standard for measuring a pepper's pain to your palette. For instance, green bell peppers have a value of zero Scoville units, whereas habaneros are rated as between 200,000 and 300,000.
Here I'll give you some information about some common chiles you'll come across, and show you a picture, so you can recognize the chile you want for your recipe.
Jalapeño Peppers
Let's begin. First up is the jalapeño. It is pronounced: hah lah pain yo. Most people think of the jalapeño as being very hot, but it actually varies from mild to hot depending on how it was grown and how it was prepared. The heat is concentrated in the seeds and the veins, so if you want it on the milder end of its scale, remove those parts.
Jalapeños are sold canned, sliced, and pickled. Canned jalapeños may be milder than fresh because they are usually peeled and the seeds removed. Pickled jalapeños are always hot.
A chipotle (pronounced: chi poat lay) is a jalapeño that has been smoked. The jalapeño rates between 2,500 and 8,000 Scoville units on the heat index.
Poblano Chiles
The poblano is pronounced: puh blah noe. Poblano peppers are mild, heart-shaped peppers that are large and have very thick walls, which make them great for stuffing. Chile rellenos are often made with poblano peppers. Poblanos are usually roasted and peeled before use. Poblano chiles, when dried, are called ancho or mulato chiles.
The poblano rates between 1,000 and 2,000 Scoville units on the heat index.
Arbol Chiles
The chile de arbol is pronounced: cheel ay day ar boll. Chiles de arbol are narrow, curved chiles that start out green and mature to bright red. The arbol chile is very hot, and related to cayenne pepper. Be careful during preparation. Arbol chiles are also the ones that are dried after turning red and used in many holiday wreaths.
The Chile de Arbol rates between 15,000 and 30,000 Scoville units on the heat index
Habanero Peppers
The habanero is pronounced: hah bahn air oh, or, ah bahn air oh, without the leading 'h' sound. You'll hear it said both ways.
The habanero is the hottest chile pepper you'll find in your local grocery stores, and they are very, very hot. The oil in the habanero, as well as many other hot chiles, can be very painful if you get it in your eyes or on open wounds on your hands. Wearing gloves while handling is your best bet. Unripe habaneros are green, but the color at maturity varies. Common colors are orange and red, but white, brown, and pink are also seen.
A variety of the habanero called Red Savina holds the Guinness World Record as the world's hottest spice, recording up to 580,000 Scoville units!
Most habaneros rate 200,000 to 300,000 Scoville heat units. Yee ha!! That's hot!!
Red Fresno Chiles
The Red Fresno is pronounced: red frez noh. Red Fresno peppers are similar to jalapeños. One difference is that they are less meaty and have thinner skin, making them very suitable for use in salsas. In the summer, you can purchase the milder Green Fresnos. Red Fresno chiles are used only fresh; they don't dry well.
The Red Fresno rates between 2,500 and 8,000 Scoville units on the heat index.
Serrano Chiles
The serrano is pronounced: suh rah noh. Serrano chile peppers have thin walls. They don't need to be steamed or peeled before using, making it the easiest chile pepper to use for salsas. the serrano chile is green in color at first, and ripens to red, brown, orange, or yellow. Serrano chile peppers don't dry well, since they are too meaty. The serrano is said to be about 5 times hotter than the jalapeño.
The serrano rates between 8,000 and 22,000 Scoville units on the heat index.
Manzano Chiles
The manzano is pronounced: mahn zah noh. Manzano chile peppers are relatives of the hot South American rocoto peppers. Manzanos are used most often in fresh form because the pods are so thick they are difficult to dry. They are great for making hot salsas. The manzano is unusual in that it has black seeds.
The manzano rates between 30,000 and 50,000 Scoville units on the heat index.
Green Chili Peppers
Green chile peppers are large, mild chiles are available in most local grocery stores. The green chile pepper may also be referred to as the Anaheim pepper, and is related to the New Mexico green chile. You slice them, dice them, peel them, puree them; people who like to cook Mexican dishes find many uses for them. They are commonly roasted.
The green chile pepper rates between 1,000 and 2,000 Scoville units on the heat index.
