While roasted red peppers are widely available at olive bars or packed in jars and provide great convenience, nothing really compares to the fresh flavor of a pepper you have roasted yourself. Try it sometime and taste the difference!

Stove-top method for gas stoves:

Wash and dry your pepper. Place pepper directly on the grate over the gas flame and turn on the stove. Turn the flame high enough to touch the pepper and allow the pepper to char and blister on the outside. Turn the pepper with tongs to allow as much of the surface area as possible to become blistered and charred.

When the pepper is sufficiently blistered and charred place it in a zipper top bag and seal or put it in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the pepper to cool undisturbed. When the pepper is cool, the skin will slide right off. Open the pepper and remove the seeds. Your pepper is now ready for use in any number of ways.

Broiler method for electric stoves:

Preheat broiler to high. Wash and dry your pepper. Cut in half from pole to pole. Remove seeds and ribs. Place pepper, cut side down on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Broil 1 1/2” to 2” away from heat until pepper skin is blistered and charred, about 5 to 7 minutes depending on the heat of your broiler.

Continue as described in second paragraph of stove-top method.