Most techniques for removing the seeds from peppers instruct you to slice the chile in half lengthwise, then use a paring knife to remove the seeds and ribs. But, while shadowing in the kitchen of Dirt Candy, I learned an easier way. It's quicker and less risky.

Capsaicin's positive effects are modest. But they are real. All of this is to say, the obsession with chili pepper heat may be a fad. Or a form of masochism. But it may also reflect -- for once -- popular taste and nutrition in a happy alliance.

You think you know, but you have no idea.

It took me 21.85 seconds to consume three Carolina Reapers, the world's hottest chilis.

Excess fat is a primary cause of inflammation and explains why packing extra pounds promotes cardiovascular disease, diabetes and several cancers. So how could fat make weight loss easier?