Chili pepper · Galicia, Spain
Padrón
1,000 Scoville heat units
Blistered in oil and salted. Same lottery as the shishito, and the Galicians made a proverb of it.
What this rung gets you A whole basket of chips and salsa, no water
How hot Padrón actually is
Padrón is roughly 5 times milder than a jalapeño, and it does not hold still — published figures run from 500 to 2,500 SHU. Sunlight, drought stress and ripeness all push a pod up its range, so the number on a chart is the middle of a wide spread rather than a promise.
On the twelve-rung ladder
It sits on rung 3, Glow, which spans 450 to 1.2K SHU. Warmth that lingers a few seconds after you swallow. This is the level most "mild" restaurant options sit at.
Training to this rung is what gets you: A whole basket of chips and salsa, no water.
Comparable heat
Anything here burns at roughly the same level, which is what makes them interchangeable when you are training at this rung.
- Frank's RedHot 450
- Louisiana Hot Sauce 450
- Texas Pete 750
- Anaheim 900
- Valentina 900
- Cholula 1,000
Common questions
How hot is Padrón on the Scoville scale?
Padrón measures about 1,000 Scoville heat units, with a published range of 500 to 2,500 SHU. That is roughly 5 times milder than a jalapeño.
Where does Padrón sit on the ladder?
Rung 3 of twelve — Glow, covering 450 to 1.2K SHU. Warmth that lingers a few seconds after you swallow. This is the level most "mild" restaurant options sit at.
What stops the burn from Padrón?
Dairy. Capsaicin is fat-soluble, so water spreads it rather than removing it; the casein in milk, yogurt or ice cream lifts it off the receptor. A spoonful of sugar held in the mouth measurably helps too. Starch — rice or bread — physically carries it off the tongue.
Padrón is rung 3 of twelve. Which rung are you on?
A whole basket of chips and salsa, no water. That is rung 3. Name the hottest thing you eat without thinking. See how far that is.
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