Q. Hi Dave
We enjoy reading your newletter, we find them informative & entertaining. We have a question regarding chillis. We have some supply of dried chillis, which we find some boxes infested sometimes with bugs, either a chilli moth or small white worms. Someone had told me that refrigerating or freezing the chillis in the box for a certain period of time, will kill any infestation & stop them spreading. Is this correct? If so, how long should we leave them in the fridge or freezer & would this effect the quality or texture of the chilli when we take them out again?
Marycarmen in Australia
A. Hello Marycarmen:
Freezing for a week will kill the moth larvae, but then you’ve got chillis infested with insect parts, not a good thing if you’re going to be eating them. If they are a food source, all infested chillis should be discarded. Freezing dried chillis will not affect them in any way.
Dave DeWitt