I've tried many things over the years. Gloves(whether latex or nitrile offer "some" protection, but when you're processing superhots for hours, the capsaicin IS going to penetrate). I've tried butter, milk, oils, vinegar, soap...all with very limited cooling. But last year, I tried something different. I used to just deal with the limited "cooling," but the heat really wouldn't subside until overnight. I still don the nitrile gloves, but now I actually wash my hands with just plain white vinegar. BUT... I don't rinse or dry it off. Instant relief, but there's still "some" warmth. So, I'll do it again about 15 mins later. All pain/heat pretty much dissipates within an hour. My theory is that the capsaicin is not only on the surface of your skin, but has started to penetrate deeper layers. So, wash your hands with all the soap or oil you want...if you rinse it off, you haven't given it time to penetrate those other deeper layers. Kevin

Lars, that was my original question because I'd read against eating raw flour - I don't think it was limited to just white flour. It was because of ecoli in the product (I since have read elsewhere to not eat raw flour, so I don't). I suspect the ecoli gets into the flour in the mills, or even from the harvest fields. I know they (FDA) allow a certain # of impurities in our food. I would imagine that feces from vermin in both the fields and the processing plants (how could you ever keep mice and rats from getting into a large facility) end up in our food. Or who knows. Here is a more recent report from the CDC, showing that people DID become ill from eating raw flour. https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2019/flour-05-19/index.html Here is info on another, earlier problem: https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/fda-investigated-multistate-outbreak-shiga-toxin-producing-e-coli-infections-linked-flour eta: one more to read: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6395439/ It's long and scientific, but: Conclusion In conclusion, findings of the present work further confirmed that EHEC and Salmonella could survive for extended periods in wheat flour stored at typical conditions used at home and commercial settings. Heat treatment is an effective method for mitigating risk of EHEC in flour but is more limited in case of Salmonella. On the other hand, storing produced flour at slightly high temperatures (35°C) for a minimum period of 2 months before distribution can be an effective substitute strategy affecting both EHEC and Salmonella. Results from this study further improve our knowledge regarding risk assessment and management, such as predicting thermal process lethality of EHEC and Salmonella in flour.

Hmm. I guess I never really answered the question you asked in your opening post: "Can someone explain how this is safe and if I am missing understanding a step in the process?" There are different ways to ferment stuff. However, with lacto-fermentation (which is what will get lactic acid and LABs, vitamins and nutrients in your sauce, hopefully without much else), usually people try to avoid oxygen getting to their ferments, as much as possible. People normally recommend using an airlock, but some people burp the jars, using lids without airlocks. LABs can thrive in anaerobic conditions with a fair bit of salt (sodium chloride), while many other organisms prefer or need oxygen and less to no salt. Not all lacto-fermentation uses salt (yogurt is an example here), but the process can be a lot different without it. The more salt you add, the slower the ferment will likely be, but the safer it will likely be (don't add more than a couple tablespoonfuls of fine salt, and even that can be too much, depending; 1.5 tablespoonfuls ferments much faster). Be sure to use pure salt (just sodium chloride; no anti-caking agents or iodine), or it may interfere with the ferment. Pickling/canning salt is pretty inexpensive in stores (but much more expensive online). People don't usually add vinegar to a lacto-ferment, but you can if you want to. LABs can still live in it. Things that are lacto-fermented include, but are not limited to sauerkraut, kimchi, some knds of pickles, etc. LABs are naturally on freshly picked produce, and if you're doing raw ferments, as most people probably do, the fresher the produce the better (don't use old, raw produce). You can add a starter to make it faster. You'll probably need a starter if you cook it first. Disclaimer: Keep in mind, after I explain the next two items, that I don't drink alcohol, but I am trying to make vinegar, and it helps to know about alcoholic ferments if you want to make vinegar from scratch. It's also helpful to know so you can know how to avoid alcoholic ferments. Another way to ferment will create significant amounts of alcohol, and is similar, but it requires no salt, and whatever you're fermenting should be sugary. Microbes will turn the sugars into alcohol. Yeasts like sugar, and they're good at making alcohol from it. At least some yeasts can make lactic acid, too, I believe. Yeasts don't require an anaerobic environment, but an anaerobic environment is probably going to be more successful for this kind of ferment, to avoid spoilage organisms and other issues. After making alcohol, you can do pretty much what you're doing with your hot sauce (except without salt) to turn the alcohol into vinegar. Alcohol needs oxygen for acetic acid bacteria to change it into vinegar. People might cover it with something that breathes to keep flies out, but I think fruit flies are normal and shouldn't hurt the vinegar. Acetic acid bacteria can be in the air naturally, but people like to add mother of vinegar (essentially acetic acid bacteria) to make the vinegar-making process faster. I've read that you can make vinegar without turning it into alcohol separately, but it's more likely to work if you turn it into alcohol first. When making vinegar, it's normal to see vinegar eels (which are harmless nematodes that I've read eat acetic acid bacteria, apples and probably other stuff). You don't need to take them out after it's done, but I understand if you want to. Making vinegar can take a while, potentially. After the vinegar has finished fermenting, you might want to strain or cook it. You may also want to freeze it to separate the water and vinegar from each other. Another way to ferment is often done with beans, grains, and such. People will soak them, and periodically rinse them, without giving them a strictly anaerobic or salty environment (this is why they have to rinse them*). They typically only ferment legumes/grains in this fashion, and only for up to a few days. Then they cook them. Some people might not realize that this is fermentation. They may just be softening their beans. *I've lacto-fermented beans in a salty, anaerobic environment without rinsing them, for a couple weeks or so, and it does work. I'm sure they taste much different this way: they taste like smoked fish to me, and quite strange, but they were safe to eat (and I noticed some cool health benefits). Most people probably wouldn't prefer the taste or smell. People ferment grains for livestock, for healthier animals, but I'm not 100% sure of the process. Even just letting bread rise is a form of fermentation (as long as yeast or bacteria are rising it). Some people do open air ferments similar to lacto-fermentation. I'm calling covering with a paper towel or cloth an open-air ferment; I don't know that this is standard terminology. Whatever the case, it's not anaerobic. This typically only lasts a few days at the most (unless you're making vinegar). It would assuredly have a wide variety of microbes in it. Whether it's safe or not is a matter of debate, so far, but some people say it's great and some people err on the side of caution. I probably wouldn't do it without knowing and trying safer methods first to get a better idea of what fermented food tastes like, and of how the science behind them looks. I imagine a greater salt content would help. Open-air ferments will ferment more quickly. Some people ferment flour in water (with or without sugar) in a somewhat aerobic fashion to create a sourdough starter, to rise bread. What you're doing sounds like a hybrid between the open-air method I mentioned and the quicker way to make vinegar without turning it into alcohol first (except there may not be enough sugar in the peppers for much vinegar to be produced). I'm not really sure what kind of microbes are brewing, but I did something like that once with blended up, salted cantaloupe with extra sugar added to see if it would make salty vinegar. It did become acidic enough to bubble somewhat if I added baking soda, but it got lots of kahm yeast, eventually. I didn't feel good about it after a while (it didn't seem to be getting acidic enough); so, I threw it out. I never tasted it. It never got vinegar eels. It did produce a lot of some kind of gas as it fermented that smelled dangerous (kind of like chlorine and something else), though (although sniffing the contents did seem to clear my sinuses and my head, and did seem to me to have a positive microbial influence, if you believe that; maybe that was the kahm yeast). I made sure to stir it often, to prevent mold. Stirring does help to prevent mold. I did something similar first, without stirring and without adding extra sugar, and it smelled like vinegar after a few days, but it molded. I've probably missed several methods of fermentation in my list above, but I hope that helps. I'm glad what you're making tastes good. That's usually a good sign. Fermentation should make the food more acidic (sour), however, but IMO not all lactic acid ferments get very sour. The worry some may have is that it might attract too many yeasts, which might not be beneficial to the health if you consume too many, but some people might not care. I don't claim to know what's best for people there, but caution might be advisable, especially if you're on anti-biotics or something (which may give yeasts a clear advantage over LABs). You could probably cook it afterward to make it safer if you're concerned. My concern is that adding salt wasn't in the original recipe (and you're still using the same recipe besides that). Salt should in theory only make things safer, however, but it could maybe disrupt a lesser-known fermentation process that the recipe maker intended. You're probably somewhat safer fermenting hot peppers than you are many things. If health/safety is your primary concern, I'd go with the salty, anaerobic LAB (lactic acid bacteria) ferments, since those are very common and well-established. But if you're feeling adventurous, there are lots of other things to try. I meant to mention earlier that in lactic acid ferments, the LABs produce carbon dioxide as they ferment. Carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen; so, as it builds up, it pushes oxygen out of the jar (hence the need for an airlock or burping your jar). When there's only carbon dioxide by the top layer of your ferment, it shouldn't mold. Fermentation is usually done at a cool room temperature. Yogurt, however, requires much warmer temperatures for a faster fermentation, but I believe the process is more controlled, to prevent dangerous microbes from proliferating. Warmer temperatures fit to ferment yogurt may cause dangerous microbes to flourish (as well as the good ones); so, you have to be careful and really know your stuff there. I've never heard of anyone fermenting anything but yogurt and maybe the starter for salt rising bread at those temperatures. Salt rising bread starter actually does at least sometimes contain dangerous microbes, but I believe cooking the bread kills them (and there are no known deaths from salt rising bread, from what I read about it).

Awwww how sweet! I had to order my Deodorant, it's difficult to find locally, well then there was that tempting you only have to spend so much more for free shipping! Well of course there were other things I needed! Like underwear! And some cute new Avia shoes I found on sale! And I needed my Krill oil. By the time I finished I definitely had free shipping. Three different packages arrived today and my husband said I thought you ordered some Deodorant. Well yes I did! I am well stocked with my Deodorant.