How to Roast Fresh Chiles- the EASY and Fast Way

Canned Chiles (even the fire-roasted ones) cannot hold a red-hot candle to freshly roasted chiles.  

You don't need a spendy culinary torch. You don't need to stand at your stove top and roast over an open flame. You don't need to babysit the chiles under your oven broiler or at the BBQ grill.

What you DO need is a multi-purpose propane torch. If you do a lot of camping, the chances are good that your hubby already owns one.

Entire Kits can be purchased new for about $25. When the propane bottle is out of fuel, just unscrew the torch and put it on a new bottle.

The BernzOmatic that I use is still going strong after 10+ years.

Hubby uses it for soldering and manly things.

I use it to light campfires AND roast chiles for rellenos and poppers... and marshmallows when I want a quick smore fix! ;-)

What you need:

A propane torch
A fork with a heat-resistant handle
Tongs
A brown paper bag

and CHILES to roast! ;-) 

I'm making Chile Rellenos, so the chiles I'm roasting here are a personal preference...  Anaheims. 

Step 1: Roasting the Chiles

Roast your Chiles outside (if possible) so you don't smoke up your kitchen.

Insert the fork securely into the base of the Chile.

Start the torch and begin roasting from the tip of the Chile. The flame is hottest where you cannot see it... about 5-6 inches from the torch spout. Find that ideal hot-spot and start the roasting process.

Rotate the chile around. Roast the skin around the fork LAST. 

A nice, black, blistered char is what you want and it makes stripping the skin easy-peasy!

After the chile is roasted, use tongs to place it in a paper bag to "sweat". 

Fold the top closed and place your next Chile on the fork and roast it. 

Remember...the torch is HOT and the fork is HOT, too! Use caution!!!

When you're done roasting and all of the chiles are happily sweating in the paper bag, find something else to do for about 20-30 minutes.

Step 2: Skinning the Chiles

This is another step that easiest when done outside. Translated: No mess in your kitchen sink.

You'll need:

Paper towels- a few sheets
A clean plate
A serrated knife

The Chiles will be cool enough to handle and will slip their skins easily. 

Gently scrape them with the edge of the serrated knife. Built-up charred skin can be removed from the knife by scraping the blade sideways onto the paper towels.

After almost all of the charred skin is removed, rinse the chiles under cold running water (you sink) and pat them dry.

You now have beautifully roasted, FRESH chiles, ready for Chile Rellenos... almost! ;-)