Roasting chilies: Paper or plastic?

September 5, 2018 6:25 AM

Am I ok to use plastic bags to steam roasted chilies before peeling?

I am spending most of today roasting the 9lbs of Hatch chilies I now have (YAY!)

Normally, when roasting smaller quantities of peppers, I would use paper grocery bags to steam them before peeling. Many people I've seen online use large plastic bags to do big quantities like this. However, the only plastic bags I have are trash and lawn & leaf bags. Suitably large, but are they safe enough to use?

Once steamed, I will peel the skins off the peppers, so I'm thinking any possible contamination will be discarded with the skins. The peppers won't be in the bags for very long to begin with; just long enough to steam and cool down.

Obviously, being able to steam the peppers in large batches will make the day go quicker, than if I use paper bags. FWIW, I don't have access to any sort of food-grade bag.

What say you, hivemind? Will I be good with the trash bags? Or, should I stick with the paper bags?

posted by Thorzdad to Food & Drink (21 answers total)

I would be afraid that the plastic would melt onto the chilies when you first put the hot peppers in there. I'd stick with paper.
posted by coppermoss at 6:29 AM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]

I would try some Ziplock zip n steam bags. They are specifically made to steam items in the microwave.
posted by jraz at 6:41 AM on September 5, 2018 [5 favorites]

Could you haul over to your nearest nursery or hardware store? They usually have big yard debris bags made out of kraft paper for just a couple bucks.

Food grade buckets can also be found st hardware and restaurant supply stores. They’re handy to keep around regardless of your pepper prepping needs.
posted by furnace.heart at 6:44 AM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]

Here at the mother ship of chile roasting, I have seen not a single person use paper in the two decades that I have lived here. When you go to your favorite roaster, as one does here in the land of chile, they put your 25-pound bag of roasted chile in a double-strength clear plastic bag. This allows them to steam, which loosens the skins, and makes them easier to peel when they're cool. It also produces one of the best smells in the world that stays in your car for weeks.

The chiles are roasted, and not boiled, so they aren't THAT hot. The plastic doesn't melt. Here's the official guidance from chile school. They recommend food-grade plastic, so I'd use one of those extra large Ziplock bags. People use the small Ziplock freezer bags to eventually store the peeled roast chile in the chile freezer.
posted by answergrape at 6:47 AM on September 5, 2018 [16 favorites]

Oh! People use coolers for steaming sometimes. A large stock pot covered in cling wrap would also do the trick.
posted by furnace.heart at 6:47 AM on September 5, 2018 [6 favorites]

You don't want bags with holes, because that would make a mess. You want the heat and steam to stay IN the bag. The longer they steam, the looser the skins are.
posted by answergrape at 6:50 AM on September 5, 2018

Plastic is fine. If you're roasting a bunch and plan on freezing them, you can bag them up with the skin on and freeze them like that instead of peeling them all at once. I think it's less of a hassle and they peel really easily out of the freezer.
posted by clockwork at 7:01 AM on September 5, 2018

I am not contradicting the knowledgeable roasters above who use clear plastic, but a lot of actual trash bags have extra scent-dispelling chemicals. I wouldn't want that steaming onto or into my food, even if you peel the (thin) skins afterwards. I am not saying it would make you immediately sick, but who knows what these things do in the long run... I'd just get some less chemical-laden bags.
posted by nantucket at 7:28 AM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]

I just invert a bowl over a plate.
posted by kate4914 at 7:28 AM on September 5, 2018 [3 favorites]

I always just put them in a big bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Or a tea towel if I discover I'm out of plastic wrap.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 7:31 AM on September 5, 2018 [4 favorites]

I just skip the steaming, it doesn't seem to matter much. Use gloves and peel while still hot.
posted by masquesoporfavor at 7:44 AM on September 5, 2018

i wouldn't use a trashbag probably, just because not made for food preconsumption but if a ziplock isn't big enough, one of those turkey cooking bags would work.

or just a big bowl and throw a cookie sheet over the top to seal in the steam.

yum! i love it when the local grocery near my house is roasting hatch chilis in a giant tumbler with fire underneath. the smell is unbelieveable.
posted by domino at 8:42 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

When I have chile roasted for me, the place I go puts the roasted chiles in a black GLAD trashbag. I probably get more poisoned from other things, so the trashbag isn't high on my list of worries.
posted by BooneTheCowboyToy at 9:01 AM on September 5, 2018

I steam mine in a large ziploc bag or I put them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Both of those plastics are food safe. I wouldn't use a plastic bag that isn't meant for food.
posted by joan_holloway at 9:15 AM on September 5, 2018

Heating plastic releases volatile chemicals which I wouldn't want near my food. I wouldn't do this in a million years, but others sound okay with it and YMMV.
posted by thegreatfleecircus at 9:27 AM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks, all!

I wanted to get the roasting done this morning, before it got stupid-hot outside. So, I opted for my tried-and-true paper bags. Worked out great. Peppers are roasted and skinned. Now to chop them up, portion them into those little snack-size ziplocks and freeze 'em for personal-sized portions year-round.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:55 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

Glad you had success, Thorzdad! I have used a glass bowl and plastic wrap as a steaming vessel with good results. BUT now instead of roasting, I attack the peppers with a propane torch to blister them, and it works brilliantly.
posted by MonkeyToes at 10:05 AM on September 5, 2018

I realize I'm late to the game, but in case it's still useful for anyone else - my first thought was crockpot liners. They're large, and designed to be used with high temperatures. You can also get them in food-service size if you have a restaurant supply store around.
Example (with mefi-supporting amazon link if I did it right)
posted by BekahVee at 12:08 PM on September 5, 2018

" I'd just get some less chemical-laden bags."

I hate when I accidentally buy stink-bags. I'd rather smell ripe garbage than whatever perfume they spray onto the scented bags.

OP, is removing skins a necessary part of making hatch chiles? I haven't had fresh green chile since I was a kid and lived in New Mexico and back then I didn't pay attention to the process, plus I think I was still acclimating to mild and hot salsa at that age. A while back I bought some fresh and just chopped em up and use em in burritos or whatever I was making, but it didn't quite taste how I imagined in my head. I'm guessing perhaps the skinning/roasting stage is what I missed out on.
posted by GoblinHoney at 3:08 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

Most of the places that sell roast chilies toss them in a food service type large plastic bag that is frosted white in color. I've never actually purchased them without chilies in them, but look for something food safe and indicating a max temperature.

Don't use black plastic trash bags as these are not food safe, and will also make your food taste bad.

GoblinHoney, yes most people take the skins off. Roast first, then skin. You don't HAVE to, some (well only one that I can think of actually) restaurants don't, but having to pick a bunch of skins out of your teeth is not an enjoyable experience for most people.
posted by yohko at 3:21 PM on September 5, 2018

I occasionally roast non-industrial quantities of peppers on the stove--in fact I just did a half dozen. I always toss them into a large ziploc bag wrapped in a towel until I feel like peeling them. I have seen the roadside chile roasters in Albuquerque, but sadly it is difficult to check twenty-five pounds of peppers. I sure admire those roasters, though. Doing it on the stove is fussy.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 3:48 PM on September 9, 2018