Get to know the range of chile flakes with these five varieties

There s a wide world of chile peppers out there. But mild bell peppers, the scorching hot Carolina reaper and everything in between are all the same s...

There’s a wide world of chile peppers out there. But mild bell peppers, the scorching hot Carolina reaper and everything in between are all the same species. 

"So there’s obviously a ton of diversity,” said Ethan Frisch, co-founder and co-CEO of spice importer Burlap & Barrel.

When it comes to your spice cabinet, that variety goes beyond simply the types of peppers you can find and into how they are processed, jarred and eventually added to all types of foods.

One of the most well-known jars of ground peppers is cayenne, which packs a major amount of spice in a tiny package. Often, just a pinch is all you need, and it’s easy to go overboard. For more mild to moderate levels of heat, here are five types of chile flakes to consider adding to your spice arsenal.

Crushed red pepper flakes - Perhaps even more ubiquitous than ground cayenne, crushed red pepper flakes are my go-to when I want to add heat to just about anything, including slices of pizza, soups, stews and pasta sauces. The jars you’ll find at your local pizzeria and in grocery stores are most often a mix of peppers, with cayenne typically chief among them. The downside is that crushed red pepper flakes have only their spice to offer and are the hottest of the options listed here. "One way to tell quality when you look at a jar of crushed red peppers is fewer [white] seeds,” Frisch said, which also means less spice. (Scoville unit rating: 15,000 to 45,000.)