to create spice powder, or to preserve for cooking purposes. Peppers can be dried without any special equipment, although a dehydrator or oven can speed up the process. Peppers preserved in this way can keep for several months if stored properly. Once preserved, they can be crumbled in a blender to make a spicy topping, or soaked in water for 20 minutes to regain a palatable texture, then used in a recipe. These methods can be used for any pepper, although green peppers and bell peppers may take several hours longer than red chili peppers. Remove seeds and membranes, then cut into thin strips or cubes for fastest results. Keep the oven temperature at the lowest setting possible to avoid burning, or set a food dehydrator to 140ºF (60.5ºC) or less. Depending on the type of chili, strips or cubes may take anywhere from 4–10 hours to become completely dry. Check every couple hours, or every hour for an oven due to the less consistent temperature. You may preserve roasted peppers this way. Roast until the outer skin blisters, then cut and place the unroasted side face-down on the oven or dehydrator rack. If daytime temperatures are above 85ºF (30ºC), and full sunlight is available, you may dry hot peppers outdoors. First, remove the seeds and membrane from the peppers, then cut them into strips or dice them. Lay them out on a mesh tray or a cookie sheet for several days at least, until brittle. Bring them indoors at night if the temperature drops low enough to form dew. Bell peppers are typically too moist and thick-skinned to sun-dry. Try the oven or dehydrator instructions instead. Creating a string hung with produce, or a ristra, can provide decoration while you dry, and doesn't require anything besides a dry room with good ventilation. Thread a heavy needle with fishing line or twine, pierce the top stem of a chile, and loop the line around the top. Repeat with each chile, using the same length of fishing line, and hang the whole line up to dry.  This method is only recommended for hot red peppers, since they have thin skins with lower water content. Green peppers or bell peppers are likely to grow moldy before they finish drying. Tie clumps of two or three chiles together to create a more decorative braided ristra.
Dry peppers Dry any pepper in an oven or food dehydrator. Try drying chili peppers in full sun. Alternatively, hang red chili peppers up to dry for several weeks.