Roasted peppers can be used in recipes or frozen in air-tight containers or reseal-able plastic bags for future use. Roasted sweet bell peppers can be served as-is, or sprinkled with olive oil and salt for a simple appetizer or side dish. Look for peppers with tight, smooth skins. They should also feel heavy for their size, which will indicate both how ripe and how fresh they are. If you have a choice, peppers with fewer ridges and gulfs will be easier to peel.

• Use a sharp knife to cut around the top, or stem end, of the pepper.
• Pull out and discard the pepper core, including as much white membrane along the sides and accompanying seeds as possible.
• Lay the pepper cut-side (removed stem-end) down and cut it in half lengthwise.
• Flatten the pepper halves by squashing them with the palm of your hand on a flat surface. Particularly bumpy or deeply ridged peppers may require that you cut off and remove the pointed (non stem) end to get them relatively flat.
• Lay the peppers skin-side-up on a foiled-lined baking sheet and broil, 4 to 6 inches away from the heat source, until blackened all over, 5 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully and rotate the pan as needed to blacken the pepper skins as evenly as possible.
• Pull up the edges of the foil lining the pan and envelop the broiled peppers. Seal and let the peppers sit for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour. (This step “sweats” the peppers and softens them a bit; it is optional.)
• Unwrap the foil around the peppers. Pull off and discard the skins. The skins should slip right off in whole (or practically whole) pieces. This step can be done under running water, if you like.

Roasted peppers can be used in recipes or frozen in air-tight containers or reseal-able plastic bags for future use. Roasted sweet bell peppers can be served as-is, or sprinkled with olive oil and salt for a simple appetizer or side dish. Here are a few dish ideas that use roasted peppers and chiles: Roasted Red Pepper Pasta, Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Rouille (Red Pepper Aioli), Roasted Chile Dressing, Cream of Roasted Green Chile Soup.