A little success

[susandennis]

Google told me that you could mitigate the heat in spicy foods by adding citrus. So I squirted yesterday's too hot Chinese with lime juice (from the plastic fridge lime) and darned if it didn't work! It wasn't perfect but it was way better and delicious.

So. Lesson learned there.

Laundry all done and folded and put away.

It took a couple of failed efforts but I think I have the treadmill shock/stop stopped. It's not the prettiest fix but unless the static is not the issue, it should work.

My latest 'find' is for the kitchen. I've been using these for dishcloths, towels and hot pads and instead of paper towels, I have to say, they are pretty darned good.



Of course, I'd rather have them in bright jewel colors but they are so useful, I forgive their dull looks.

Comments

[restoman.livejournal.com]

you could mitigate the heat in spicy foods by adding citrus.

Good to know! And it makes sense: Years ago, I chopped up several jalapeno peppers. I made the mistake of touching my face afterward. The burning sensation was terrible, so I called the poison control center. They told me to put lemon juice on a cloth and dab it on my face. It worked perfectly! So apparently the "hot" in spicy foods is an alkaline compound, and you can neutralize it with an acid, like lemon or lime juice.

[meowmensteen]

I'll have to remember that about the citrus. Usually if I put too much pepper in the soup at work, I just add honey and it seems to do the trick, but not all soups taste good with honey in them.

[cerezamarrero.livejournal.com]

Nice--I think citric acid in general works to tame spicy food...I use sour cream AND citrus. lol Didn't intentionally add citrus to make things less spicy, however, but it does make sense. Sugar or honey can also help to tame a too-piquant dish. Glad you found something that works!

[mairi-dubh.livejournal.com]

When the "hot" in food is due to something like hot peppers, it's the capsaicin which is giving you grief.
Any acid will work : citrus, lemonade, iced tea, hot tea, coffee with milk or cream, a mouthful of tomato or tomato juice (as long as it isn't spiced up, itself); any dairy product will do the trick : milk, butter, whey, buttermilk, cheese; starchy foods will do it, so you can eat beans, pasta, bread, oatmeal, any grain product; and alcohol will do it, too, so you can enjoy a big swallow of beer or, say, sangria because you enjoy it as well as for the fire-quenching benefit conferred.

The one thing which not only does NOT work, and which only serves to spread the irritant around (and the misery, too), is water. Temperature doesn't make any difference.

[rsc.livejournal.com]

I knew that about water, and also about beer (I pretty much always order beer at Thai restaurants, partly for that reason, although it doesn't always work). But it's good to know about the citrus (I can imagine that as a solution for when we get something take-out or from the supermarket deli counter that's OK for me but too spicy for jwg).

[mairi-dubh.livejournal.com]

Beer's usual, I think, with Asian foods (among westerners. ) But it wouldn't have to be beer: wine, rum, whisky, a shot of Stolichnaya; and the acid doesn't have to be citrus.
You could take a big swig of plain old Coke or Pepsi, or if you like it, have a mouthful of rum and coke. Add a bit of lime, and you've got a Cuba Libré.

And, I forgot this one in my comment above: sugar, even if you have to very gauchely open one of those little packets of sugar at the table (if you're dining out) and either pour the contents into your mouth or moisten your finger, dip it into the sugar crystals in the packet, and then put that finger in your mouth.

Here's an FYI if you didn't already know this: capsaicin (the active ingredient in hot peppers) also has the effect of quieting your body's pain signals, and easing arthritic discomfort and pain; stiff, arthritic joints loosen up and move more easily. From what I've observed, however, it's a lot more effective to take the stuff internally than to rely on capsaicin creams or ointments on the outside of the body, where it only may decrease the intensity of the pain signals.

[sparky955.livejournal.com]

I like the look of those towels. Can they be found online?

[susandennis]

if you click on the photo, it will take you to the amazon link

[theonlyrachel.livejournal.com]

I was eating with a group at a Thai restaurant years ago and we asked for the spicy to be amped up a bit. Well, it was amped up to the limits of what we could all tolerate. Our serve brought us coconut ice cream. That did the trick. Indian cuisine has the yogurt-based raita to balance the phaal and the vindaloo. Dairy is great for countering spice.

[sleepybadger.livejournal.com]

Those look nice! Do they dry well?

[susandennis]

they do but i don't mind if they don't — moist towels are great for counter clean up!