How To Slice a Jalapeno

Jalapeños add a bold, spicy kick to many dishes, but they can also cause a stinging sensation on your hands when cutting them. So knowing how to slice a jalapeño safely is an important thing to learn, not only to keep you safe, but to understand what part of the jalapeño you’ll want to use in your cooking to control how spicy you want your dish to be.

Most of the heat is found in the placenta (or pith), which is where the seeds attach at the top of the pepper, but it is also found in the seeds themselves.

To protect your hands from the hot capsaicin compound found in a jalapeño consider using food safe gloves. If you choose not to wear gloves be extra careful that you don’t have any nicks or cuts on your hands, avoid touching your face and wash your hands immediately after handling the pepper. Wash using dish soap, which is formulated to cut through grease and oil. Another method for removing the capsaicin is to rinse hands well with rubbing alcohol and then wash them.

Before I learned how to slice a jalapeño the right way, I always had a bit of fear when it was time to cut them. Understanding where the heat comes from and how to keep it at bay made all the difference for me to feel more comfortable cutting them.

My knife choice for slicing a jalapeño is the 4" Paring Knife. Its blade length matches well with the size of the pepper and its sharp edge slices through with ease.

Sliced jalapeños can be pickled, tossed on top of a pizza or nachos, and can also be battered and deep fried. 

How to Slice a Jalapeño

1. Wear a food safe glove on the hand holding the jalapeño (you can also wear gloves on both hands for extra safety).
2. Using a 4" Paring Knife, trim off the top and bottom of the pepper.
3. Rotate the pepper and slice crosswise to desired thickness.
4. NOTE: You can insert the tip of the knife into the center of the jalapeño following step number 1 and carefully cut away the core and seeds for less heat. You can also remove the membrane and seeds from each slice (with gloved hands) after cutting to tone down the heat.