Have you ever seen food preparations making food look so good?  So gorgeous and so hot?  You just have to take a bite and when you do… what in the world! It is really HOT!  Not just tastes good hot, but out-of-this-world-spicy-burning hot!

Been there done that right?  Well it happens to almost all of us.  It happened to me recently and it made me wonder “what’s the best way to get rid of this burning sensation?”  

The first thing that comes to mind is cold water right?  Don’t!  Water will only make it worse as it scatters the spice all over your mouth and sometimes even down your throat.  

The reason for this is that the cause of that burning sensation is an oil called capsaicin.  Meaning it will not attached to and be washed away by the water. We all know from high school chemistry that oils are generally insoluble cold water.

So how do you wash off that burning sensation effectively?  We go back to chemistry and we’ll know that oils are soluble or attracted to other oils, some would use vegetable oil to rinse away the heat.  But if you think like me, surely your thinking “I don’t want to put oil in my mouth, I’d rather bear the burning sensation!” Right?

When we go to bars, beer is often offered together with spicy food, ever wondered why?  Yes, we go back to high school chemistry and we learn that oil, capsaicin included, is soluble in alcohol, Beer being an alcoholic beverage is way better than water in rinsing off that burning sensation.  But then again, you cannot offer beer to an underaged accidental chili eater right?

So what is the Best remedy to effectively rinse away that burning sensation?  

According to antoine.frostberg.edu, for quick relief from chili burn, drink milk.  Milk contains casein, which is a fat-loving substance that acts as a detergent to capsaicin and its burning heat, much like kerosene can clean grease off dirty automobile parts.

So the next time you get that burning sensation from eating too much chili, drink cold milk it gives you calcium as well! 

http://www.chilliworld.com/FactFile/Measuring_Chilli_Heat.asp

http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/features/capsaicin.shtml

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