How Many Habanero Peppers to Substitute for Jalapeño Peppers?

Question:

You must prepare dinners for 312 hot-pepper fans. Your recipe calls for 2 jalapeño peppers per serving (one serving per person). However, you have only habanero peppers on hand. The spiciness of peppers is measured in terms of the scoville heat unit (SHU). On average, one jalapeño pepper has a spiciness of 4000 SHU and one habanero pepper has a spiciness of 300,000 SHU. To get the desired spiciness, how many habanero peppers should you substitute for the jalapeño peppers in the recipe for the 312 dinners?

Answer:

Final answer: To get the desired spiciness, you should substitute 75 habanero peppers for the jalapeño peppers in the recipe for the 312 dinners.

To calculate the number of habanero peppers needed to substitute for the jalapeño peppers in the recipe for the 312 dinners, we need to consider the ratio of spiciness between the two types of peppers.

First, let's calculate the spiciness of one serving of the recipe using jalapeño peppers. Since each serving requires 2 jalapeño peppers, the total spiciness per serving would be 2 * 4000 SHU = 8000 SHU.

Next, let's calculate the spiciness of one serving using habanero peppers. Since one habanero pepper has a spiciness of 300,000 SHU, the total spiciness per serving would be 2 * 300,000 SHU = 600,000 SHU.

To achieve the same spiciness as the original recipe, we need to find the ratio of spiciness between the two types of peppers:

Ratio = Spiciness per serving using habanero peppers / Spiciness per serving using jalapeño peppers = 600,000 SHU / 8000 SHU = 75.

Therefore, to substitute for the jalapeño peppers in the recipe for the 312 dinners, you would need to use 75 habanero peppers per serving.