The Slick Tip For Cooling Down Your Mouth After Eating Spicy Food

Plenty of foodies out there agree that indulging in spicy cuisine makes for an exciting culinary experience. From tender slices of jerk chicken to intricate plates of sushi laden with wasabi, there are plenty of options to choose from.

While some spicy foods lend just a tiny splash of heat that dissipates after a few seconds, other flavors can hang around in your mouth for a while. But if that fiery heat lingers for too long, a once enjoyable spicy meal experience becomes a moment of panic. At this point, victims of the lingering spice will consume just about anything to beat the heat.

While spice lovers everywhere swear by different methods — from tall glasses of milk to lemonade — for getting rid of those lingering spicy notes, one trick reigns as the best of them all. To cool down your mouth after eating spicy food, reach for something that has oil in it. From a greasy spoon of peanut butter to a spoonful of olive oil, a lot of different ingredients can fit the bill. Just as long as your spice-killer of choice is oily, it should work to help cool you down. Here's exactly how oil can do just that. 

Spicy foods, such as peppers, contain something called capsaicin.This simple element is what makes the food spicy. It's also oil soluble and will dissolve when it comes into contact with something oily. So, if you consume something oil-based after eating a spicy dish, it can easily help lift the spicy flavors from your mouth. The oil overwhelms your taste buds and helps to distract the nerves in your mouth while it's washing away all that stubborn capsaicin. 

As previously mentioned, fatty spreads like peanut or almond butter work well in these spice emergencies, as can any other regular cooking oils, like vegetable oil or grape-seed oil. Just swish one of these substances around in your mouth and then spit it out once you've found relief.

Most people have a bottle of oil or peanut butter already sitting around in the pantry, so this is a good tip to keep in your back pocket. If you want to have some other options ready as a backup, here are more ingredients that can get rid of lingering spicy notes.

If the thought of swishing oil around in your mouth is too unappealing, there are other ways you can get rid of those leftover spicy sensations. Milk is a popular choice among people wanting to escape the heat of spicy foods, and it does actually work. A protein called casein is present in milk, and it works hard to scrub away any leftover capsaicin sticking around in your mouth. Other dairy products, like a spoonful of yogurt or a glass of kefir, can offer the same relief.

Anything high in sugar can also work to neutralize lingering spice. since sweet flavors directly counteract the flavor of spicy foods. In fact, experts determine the Scoville Scale rating of a pepper by testinghow much sugar it takes to negate the pepper's heat. Anything from a spoonful of honey to some plain sugar can help you beat the heat of an overwhelmingly spicy dish. 

So, the next time it feels like your mouth is on fire, don't panic. There are a lot of ingredients out there that can help you quickly take away the heat.