How do I handle chillies without burning my hands?

Where the heat actually lives, how to remove it selectively, and why cold water makes the burn on your hands worse.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 10 min
Read: 3 min
Safety: caution

Short answer

Most of the heat is in the pale pith, not the seeds. Scrape the pith out with a teaspoon to reduce heat while keeping flavour, wear gloves for anything hotter than a jalapeño, and wash with soap and warm water — cold water spreads capsaicin rather than removing it.

Chilli heat comes from capsaicin, an oil-soluble compound concentrated in a specific part of the fruit. Knowing where it is lets you control the heat, and knowing that it is oil-soluble tells you how to get it off your hands.

Safety

Capsaicin does not dissolve in water, so rinsing spreads it. Never touch your eyes, contact lenses or any sensitive area after handling chillies, and wear gloves for very hot varieties — the burn from a scotch bonnet or habanero can last hours and needs medical attention if it reaches the eyes.

Where the heat actually sits in a chilli

Step by step

Know where the heat sits.The pale membrane running down the inside, called the placenta or pith, carries most of the capsaicin. The seeds are hot only because they touch it, and the flesh is much milder.
Scrape the pith out to reduce heat.Halve the chilli lengthways and run a teaspoon down the inside. You keep the fruity chilli flavour and lose most of the burn.
Leave it in for maximum heat.Chopping the whole chilli, pith and all, gives everything it has. Do this deliberately rather than by accident.
Wear gloves for hot varieties.Scotch bonnets, habaneros and anything hotter. Disposable gloves, or a plastic bag over your hand. The burn from these can last many hours and no amount of washing shortens it much.
Wash with soap and warm water.Soap emulsifies the oil so it can be rinsed away. Cold water alone spreads it around the hand and does not remove it.
Or wipe with oil first.Rub cooking oil over your hands, wipe with kitchen paper, then wash with soap. Oil dissolves capsaicin and the paper carries it away.
Keep hands away from your face.Especially eyes and contact lenses. This is the most common chilli injury and it is genuinely painful.
Clean the board and knife immediately.Hot soapy water. Capsaicin transfers readily to the next thing you chop, which is how a mild salad ends up burning.
Use dairy for a burnt mouth.Milk, yoghurt, lassi or ice cream. The casein in dairy binds capsaicin and carries it away. Water spreads it and makes it briefly worse.
Handle dried chillies with the same care.Dried chillies and chilli powder are concentrated, and the dust is easily inhaled or rubbed into eyes. Grinding them is worse than chopping fresh ones.

Tips

The pith is the heat. Seeds get the blame for something they mostly are not responsible for.
Oil then soap gets capsaicin off your hands. Cold water alone does not.
Milk or yoghurt for a burnt mouth. Water makes it worse.

Common mistakes

Removing only the seeds to make a dish milder — The seeds are not where the capsaicin is made — the pith they are attached to is. Deseeding without removing the membrane makes far less difference than people expect.
Rinsing burning hands under a cold tap — Capsaicin is oil-soluble and does not dissolve in water, so cold water spreads it across a wider area of skin and provides relief only while it is running. Soap and warm water, or oil first, actually removes it.

If it doesn't work

Hands burning after chopping

Cause: Capsaicin on the skin — Fix: Rub with cooking oil, wipe off, then wash with soap and warm water. Repeat if needed.

Chilli in the eye

Cause: Touched face with contaminated hands — Fix: Flush with plenty of clean water or saline for several minutes and seek medical advice if pain persists. Milk on a clean cloth around the eye can help.

Dish far too hot

Cause: Pith left in, or too many chillies — Fix: Add dairy, fat, acid and bulk. Yoghurt, coconut milk, cream, potato or extra tomato all reduce the perceived heat.

Everything tastes of chilli afterwards

Cause: Board and knife not cleaned — Fix: Wash both in hot soapy water immediately after chopping.

Mouth burning

Cause: Capsaicin on the tongue — Fix: Milk, yoghurt or something fatty. Water spreads it and offers only brief relief.

Questions people ask

Are the seeds the hottest part of a chilli?

No. The pale pith they are attached to is where capsaicin is produced and concentrated. Seeds pick up heat by contact, so removing the pith reduces the heat far more than deseeding does.

How do I make a dish less spicy after cooking?

Add dairy, fat, acid or bulk — yoghurt, cream, coconut milk, a squeeze of lime, or more of the base ingredients. Sugar also blunts the perception of heat. Water does nothing.