Recipe Talk

when adding too much black pepper to a soup, is there any way to take some out, as you can with salt?

911 - Putting Out The Fire!
Excerpt from "Peppers: A Cookbook," by R. Berkley

There are several remedies for the effects of eating a hot sauce that is too torrid for you, something that is usually discovered when it is too late. (Eventually, you can build up tolerance to the heat of peppers, and will be able to eat hotter and hotter sauces without having to resort to these cures.) Many people recommend drinking tomato juice or eating a fresh lemon or lime, the theory being that the acid counteracts the alkalinity of the capsaicin. Some people won't begin eating peppers or hot sauce without a pitcher of cold water handy, though this is not the best idea. The capsaicin, which is an oil, does not mix with the water but is instead distributed to more parts of the mouth. More useful solutions include drinking milk (rinsing the mouth with it as you sip) or eating rice or bread, which absorb the capsaicin. My own favorite retaliation against attack by hot sauce is to simply eat some more. And if that doesn't work, eat some more...

Note: Another sure-fire cure for a burning mouth is yogurt or sour cream. These foods contain casein, a protein that breaks down the bond that capsaicin forms with the mouth's pain receptors.