Chile powder and cayenne pepper

[Technocod]

Does anyone know what is the difference between the Chile powder and cayenne pepper? I know Chili powder is a blend of Chile powder (i.e. ground dried Chilie's) and other things (such as oregano), but is Cayenne pepper just a type of Chile powder, except you know what variety of chile pepper it has come from?

If it is ~ my local asian supermarkets usually have mild, medium, hot and extra hot chile powders, which I assume are made from different chile pepper varieties, or perhaps have more of the seeds in to control heat~ does anyone know where on the heat scale Cayenne pepper would be?

[saucisson]

It is generally rated at 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville Units, but that assumes it has been made from genuine Cayenne chillies.

* Mild: 0 to 5,000 SHUs
* Medium: 5,000 to 20,000 SHUs
* Hot: 20,000 to 70,000 SHUs
* Extreme: 70,000 to 30,000 SHUs


Having said that I'm sure I could find some very different figures depending on the cayenne powder.

Dave

[vinner]

Welcome Technocd!

Most chili powders do indeed have other ingredients (salt, garlic, cumin, herbs, etc.) but not all do. If they are labeled properly, yu should be able to tell. If it is the powder of a chile pepper, it should say so.

Cayenne is, of course, a type of chile pepper. It should be only the ground up chile pepper, but you would have to read or ask the merchant. Cayenne is famous (at least in the US) as the pepper that goes into Tabasco sauce from Louisiana, on every table at every diner. Cayenne is usually around 35,000 Scoville units, ten times the Jalapeno (3500 -4500) and well below the habanero (200,000 - 300,000)

Keep in mind that subvarieties exist (the Texas A&M University mild jalapeno comes to mind) and growing coditioons have an effect on the heat as well.

[Hexain]

Cayenne is made from a specific, hot pepper.

Paprikas are usually made from milder peppers -- sweet paprika is even available, which to me does not taste even a little spicey.

Chili powder, however, is rather different -- it's a mix that includes dried ground chile peppers (often both cayenne and paprika), cumin, garlic, and oregano.

[the chorizo kid]

i think there is no similarity between the ground peppers found in the oriental store and the ground chili peppers found in the mexican store. what do a ground guajillo chili and a ground hot pepper [cayenne; chili japonicum etc] have in common?
nothing but heat. in addition, the chili powders are made with ground chili peppers, not ground cayenne, regardless of heat.