How To Pick The Absolute Hottest Jalapenos In El Paso For Dummies

El Pasoans put jalapenos on everything. EVERYTHING. It's crazy.

Jalapenos are tasty and spicy and they're all different, some being spicier than the others.

Here's how to tell which ones are the hottest with a simple look.

I love jalapenos but I don't necessarily want 'em nuclear. My fiance's the exact opposite, if they're not eating through the plate, they're not hot enough.

Needless to say, one of us is usually disappointed by our selections.

Not any more though now that we've learned this handy little trick. Capsaicin is the ingredient that makes jalapenos hot and the more it contains, the hotter the pepper will be.

Legend has always had it that the older and more stressed the plant was ... "stressed" meaning treated harshly, raised in high heat, little water, etc ... the hotter it's peppers will be.

Turns out that is absolutely true and here's how you can tell how mature and stressed out your jalapeno's plant was.

Unless you want a mild one, forget "pretty" ... get that gnarly looking one.

The easiest way to tell if the peppers in your grocery store are from younger or more mature plants is to look for those telltale lighter stretch marks. The more white lines and marks you see, the hotter the pepper will likely be. The smoother and shinier the pepper, the younger and therefore, milder it will likely taste. - allrecipes.com