Jalapenos and All

I buy a lot of jalapenos. Sometimes they're spicy, other times they're not. I store them in a bowl, with my garlic, outside of the refrigerator, on the microwave table. I usually buy about a dozen. They start to turn red after a few days. I've noticed that as they ripen, and start to turn red, that they become spicier. So, even if they aren't spicy to begin with, there is still some hope. I also like the flavor of the red ones. I wonder why they don't sell them when they're red, as they do red bell peppers.

I often saute them, and they lose a lot of their heat when I'm doing so. It is nearly impossible to gauge how much to put in to achieve the desired level of heat. Last night the level was too high and my stomach bothered me a bit this morning. I also find that if I use powdered chiles, or hot sauce, that my stomach bothers me less the next day for the same amount of heat. I believe this is because I don't taste as much of the heat that is actually there when I use fresh jalapenos, as compared to hot sauce, or powdered chiles, but my stomach feels the full brunt of it. So, if I want more heat, but I don't want the after effects I should probably use the latter.

Some people, I've noticed, refer to chiles in general as jalapenos. I don't have a problem with this, in fact, I find it rather endearing, though it can sometimes lead to confusion with the waitstaff at a restaurant, for example.