First peppers to be roasted on my new pepper roaster from Santa Fe school of cooking.
I’ve been doing it on the stove, but it’s sort of fiddly. So this was essential. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
That looks like a well-made and practical tool. But is it me, or does $33 plus $16 for shipping to NV seem a bit steep?
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Ha - I must get one @shrinkrap! A kitchen gizmo I don’t already own…I would definitely use that but will look for one through an online restaurant supply store or elsewhere. Because yes @celeryvictor, I do think 33+17 is spendy $$$
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Yes! As I said on the 2020 veggie garden thread
“Shipping seemed a lot (compared to Amazon prime), but I’m telling myself that its more convenient, and less expensive than a real pepper roaster or a shipment from, or trip to New Mexico.”
I did search around a lot before buying, and saw some options, including a Rick Bayliss one, that had not so good ratings and wasn’t available, so please share if you find something. I did see the traditional models that roast outside, but I didn’t think of restaurant supply places. In the past, I didn’t have the credentials for access. Anything I should know about that?
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Typically, if you have a business license, you’re good to go. Perhaps your professional license/certificates would work, I’m not sure. I did order one through Amazon for 9.99. Doesn’t look like yours, but should suffice. Will post pics or a link. I get your reasoning on buying the one you did, too!
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Or you always know someone, or maybe your neighbour to have a card to access those stores that maybe you can borrow or go together? I work as a freelance, and I can applied for one, normally i’m just entitled to buy equipment, but I’ve no problem to buy food as well, since it’s in the same store and they don’t check.
Yes! Works well when that happens. In fact gives me an idea too! Thanks @naf. Would like to buy wholesale flowers from time to time, and can hit up a friend.
The one near my place only sells flowers when there are festive events or mother’s days etc. But they sell edible flowers in the fridge. 
I have no indoor fire (induction), only outdoor. I do like this finer grate you have than the standard barbecue grill. Do you think they make any differences for the pepper, or it’s more for aesthetic reason?
@naf, I think it’s simply a convenience, and also helpful that it can handle a bunch of peppers. The open grid makes it perfect for stovetop. It would work well on an outside grill too, I’m thinking.
When roasting them at home, I’ll use a high oven setting if doing a lot, or will place them directly over the inside gas flame. Not exactly optimal that way.
I used to buy chilis in bulk from New Mexico (20 lb boxes) and I had a cylindrical roaster that worked on propane. (outdoors of course) Could roast ten pounds or so at once. Just fill up the basket, light the burner and turn it until they were done. The peppers were tossed as the cage rolled, so they wound up roasting in a pretty uniform manner. In addition to the fun of doing it, they gave the entire neighborhood the wonderful aroma of roasting peppers, at least for those of us who like it.
Once they were roasted, I put them in brown paper bags for an hour or so, and then rinsed them under water to remove the charred skins. dried them briefly with paper towels, packaged them in quart sized freezer bags and put them in the freezer. Any time I needed some, they were there and waiting. They were as good when defrosted as when new.
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Firstly welcome to Hungry Onion! This is a great place to learn and share. I’m envious of your roaster, but it sounds as if you may no longer have it?
In our area - Puget Sound, Wa., some of the grocery stores around here bring hundreds and hundreds of pounds of Hatch Chiles in at Harvest, with their traveling roasters, as you’re describing. I usually get about 30 lbs, of hot ones, then you give them to the roaster, and they pour them into the original box they come in. Typically H and I then put food safe gloves on and proceed to get the skin completely off, destem, as well as deseed, before bagging into freezer containers. Would much rather deal with them that way, rather than trying to do that when they’re cold during the thawing process.
Do love chiles, with Hatch having my favorite flavor profile. The ones I’ve gotten can be fearsomely hot too! 
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My new pepper roaster came today -$9.99 Amazon prime. Fits nicely on the gas grates.
There was only 1 grocery store in our area, in fact, whole state that did a Chile roasting this year. It happened in Seattle on Sunday from 9-3. H absolutely refused to go, but we wound up on a run up to Seattle any way, but after 3. Irritated, so Thai takeout.
Today he was irritated about the pepper roaster, but told him I needed one now that I’ll have to hunt some Hatch’s down and do them myself. I’ll be lucky to find any, not that easy up here, but will work well for other Chile’s I also love.
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Last year I roasted a package of Hatch chiles outside on our propane grill. After I skinned, seeded, and chopped the roasted chiles I placed them in a freezer bag in a flat layer.
I open the bag and break off a chunk when I want to add Hatch flavor to a dish I’m cooking. Usually I chop the frozen chiles fine before adding to my recipe.
The batch I got last fall was really hot so a little has gone a long way. I hope to find another package locally this fall.
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Good luck to you @tomatotomato in finding them. We should all be looking in our stores now, as the main harvest has happened.
You do your chiles like I do. Preferably I get them roasted at the store, then spend a few hours getting the skin, stems and seeds out. So much easier than trying to do that when they’re cold and slimy. If you order or buy them from Hatch NM, they come in a brick frozen, with all parts intact.
I’ll be a happy camper if I can even find any. Fingers crossed.
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Here in Eastern Massachusetts, Whole Foods or Wegmans have previously been best bets for finding Hatch chiles. I haven’t looked because my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share is still in high gear and we have so much produce. Zero storage space for anything more at the moment.
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I guess it’s possible they could take on a bit too much of the “charred” flavor from the burnt peel, but the main thing I’d be concerned about is that they exude a lot of liquid eventually after they’re roasted, which could make peeling them a little less easy (and thinking about it a little more, the burnt skin sitting in the liquid might also contribute to extra-added burnt flavor/bitterness even if you drain it off later?)
I’ve never “stored” them for any real period of time before peeling them myself, but if you can elevate them above the bottom of the storage container (in a strainer/colander/etc), I think I would…
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