Chile peppers are one of the hottest food trends around — in more ways than one! Chile lovers everywhere have a burning love for this key ingredient in Mexican and Southwestern cuisines. And they’re firing up the flavor of favorite dishes by adding chile peppers to barbecue sauces, marinades, other ethnic cuisines and even desserts.

But it’s more than the heat of chile peppers that warms a pepper lover’s heart. While heat can vary all the way from mildly zesty to “call the fire department,” chile peppers also have floral, fruity or smoky flavors that add richness and excitement to foods.

You’d be surprised at the number of varieties of peppers, and the ways they can be used in cooking:

• Anaheim chiles can be red or green and are long and narrow. This mild, slightly sweet pepper has just a hint of bite. They’re often stuffed, and are perfect for chiles rellenos.
• Fresno chiles are hot. A little bit goes a long way as a seasoning. They can also be used instead of jalapeño peppers in recipes, since the two peppers are similar in heat.
• Habañero peppers are one of the hottest peppers available, offering a fiery heat with a distinctive fruity, tropical flavor. Use them in salsas, marinades and cooked sauces.
• Jalapeño peppers are loaded with heat and rich flavor. Stuff them or use them in picante sauces, stews or nachos.
• Chipotle peppers are actually dried jalapeño peppers. They have a smoky-sweet flavor and are delicious in soups, salsas and stews and as a table spice.
• Pasilla peppers are dried chilaca peppers. Pasilla peppers have a complex spicy, fruity flavor and can be medium hot to very hot. They are often ground and used in table sauces. Chilaca peppers are rarely eaten fresh.
• Poblano chiles have a rich flavor and can range from mild to very hot. They’re sweeter when fully ripe. Dried poblanos are called ancho chiles and are the sweetest of the dried chiles. When poblanos are dried and smoked they’re called mulato chiles. All three chiles are essential ingredients in many Mexican dishes.
• Serrano peppers become sweeter as they ripen, but they’re still quite hot. Serranos add pizzazz to guacamole, salsas, sauces and Mexican dishes.

Wear disposable gloves or wash your hands thoroughly after handling hot peppers, and avoid touching your eyes or skin. If you’ve eaten a pepper that’s too hot, cool the fire by drinking milk or eating yogurt or another dairy product. You can also tone down the heat before cooking with peppers by removing the veins and seeds, where most of the heat is found.