How to Hydrate Chilli

Tony shows us what is what with dried chilli and what to do to get the best out of these for flavour and heat, low heat chillies are easy such as the ancho and chipotle but the superhots be careful with these - heating up chilli oil will release fumes
This works best for whole chilli, but you can hydrate flakes the same way
Chilli powder is usually heated up in the food cooking by simmering and stirring for a few minutes
Typically 1 teaspoon of chilli powder is the same as 10g
Large pods like ancho or chipotle are between 8-15g so 1 teaspoon is the same as 1 pod, but cayenne are around 1g per pod so becareful when adding powder to dishes - check our descriptions for the average pod weight
Flakes are great for texture when adding to a sauce, you do not need to hydrate flakes prior to use
Pastes : You can chilli paste out of whole pods, powder or flakes, simply add warm water to any form and allow to soak in for 10 mins. Once the chilli is hydrate blitz with a blender (watch out for warm water and blenders). The paste can then be added to any other ingredient