Red pepper flakes are deliciously hot dried bits of pepper and seeds, which are made from hot red peppers of varying kinds. They should not be confused with red bell peppers, which are sweet and have very little heat to them. You may be familiar with red pepper flakes as a favorite topping to spice up pizzas. Many a pizza restaurant has glass shaker jars full of them for people who love extra spice with their slice, or sometimes take and bake places will have small packages you can take home. You can also purchase red pepper flakes in just about any grocery store.

Many people associate red pepper flakes with Italian food, but they are clearly useful in a variety of cuisines, including recipes you make up yourself. Chinese food that you’d like to make sweet and spicy can be given a shake or two of flakes, and Cajun food or Caribbean, virtually any Asian cuisine, and of course most cuisine from Latin and South America benefit from these potent peppers. You will find that some brands of red pepper flakes are simply hotter than others, depending upon the peppers used. If you’re unused to using them, consider erring on the side of caution, and reducing amounts called for in recipes. You can always add more if a dish isn’t spicy enough, but it’s harder to reduce the heat of a dish if you’ve been overgenerous when you first sprinkled.

If you’re not satisfied with store offerings of red pepper flakes, you can make your own, though it requires some time. Essentially the method for making these flakes is to dry whole peppers in the oven at its lowest heat setting for about eight hours (overnight is best). When the peppers are completely brittle and cool, you use a rolling pin to crush the results, resulting in flaky perfection. Choice of red peppers is really up to you, and you can make blends of mild, moderate and spicy peppers to add some different tastes, or make fairly mild ones for kids or people with sensitive palates, and five alarm mixtures for adventurous folks.

Do be wary when you make red pepper flakes at home not to rub your eyes during the rolling out process. In fact it’s best to wear gloves, and to place the hot peppers in a plastic bag prior to rolling to avoid any pepper to skin contact. Even store bought flakes can cause irritation if rubbed in the eyes, so if you’re eating a pizza redolent with dried peppers, be sure to keep your hands off your face.