The last few years I have reflected on what makes a meal satisfying. I have found out that it has nothing to do with the cost of the ingredients. It comes down to basic chemistry and understanding how one ingredient works with another.

On that note, I’ve been watching Chef John, host of the YouTube channel ‘Food Wishes’ for several years. He’s one of my favorites because the videos he does focuses on what he is doing rather than himself. It was quite a while before I ever saw what he looked like – and it wasn’t from one of his food prep videos!

His signature ingredient in most every dish was a dash of Cayenne pepper. I was always curious as to why. Well, I think I’ve puzzled out the answer.

Cayenne pepper originated in what is now French Guiana in South America. Today, it’s grown commercially from New Mexico to Japan. It can be used fresh in the immature green form in salsas, though it’s most commonly used in the form of dried and ground red pods.

So why would a renowned chef use this hot spice, apparently so indiscriminately?

Cayenne plays a very important part in aromatics. A pinch goes a long way in brightening a dish and bringing out the natural flavors of the what you are cooking when you make anything with seafood, chicken, beef, or pork.

The key is to use it only a pinch at a time until you get it right for the dish you are cooking. Remember, for most things you only want to wake it up a bit not make it so hot you can’t taste what you just cooked. What I strive for is a satisfying warm after glow when I finish a meal.