How to Get Rid of Spicy Taste Step by Step

As well as the explosion of enticing flavors that spicy foods give us, they also give us an unwelcome feeling of hotness and burning. So if you feel like you’ve gone too far with your spicy midnight meal, or you got tricked by your friends into eating spicy peanuts, you’ll need our help!

In this article, we’ll tell you how to get rid of spicy taste step by step. So get ready to say goodbye to the blazing war that’s happening inside your mouth!

The Do’s

As much as you love spicy food, you’re probably wondering, how do you make your mouth stop burning? Here are the steps you should take if you feel like the spicy taste in your mouth is too much to handle.

1. Drink Milk

Contrary to popular belief, water isn’t your knight in shining armor when it comes to spicy food; dairy products are!

The first thing you should do to get rid of the spicy taste in your mouth is to look for any dairy products, preferably milk. Those are commonly found in most houses, so it shouldn’t be challenging to find one. But why does milk help with spicy food?

A glass of milk will do wonders for the burning sensation in your mouth because, first of all, milk has a protein called casein. One of the most famous roles of casein is breaking down capsaicin, which is the main culprit in spicy food.

Casein works as a cleanser in this case as it attracts capsaicin molecules and washes them away so they can no longer burn your mouth. That’s why we recommend you drink milk, not any other dairy products because some of them don’t contain casein and won’t cool your mouth down. However, some products contain casein, such as yogurt, sour cream, and cottage cheese.

Kindly note that this doesn’t go for coconut milk and almond milk.

2. Eat Acidic Foods

Since some people are lactose intolerant or try to avoid dairy at all costs, we’ll tell you about an efficient alternative to milk. This might be shocking, but acidic foods help with the spicy taste.

The scientific explanation for this is that capsaicin is alkaline, so mixing it with acid will neutralize its molecules. As a result, it’ll take just a few minutes to cool down the hot sensation in your mouth.

Accordingly, for immediate relief, you should either drink orange juice, lemonade, or any juice that contains tomatoes. Of course, you can also eat some tomato pieces as an alternative.

3. Sip on Olive Oil

Some people drink olive oil as a healthy habit since it’s beneficial for your heart and bones. What most people don’t know is that in addition to that, it also works wonderfully to cool your mouth after eating spicy food.

In terms of science, it has the same effect as peanut butter as it’s full of fats. Consequently, it’ll dissolve capsaicin molecules in no time.

4. Take a Spoonful of Sugar or Honey

This is quite a famous act against the spice taste. However, while most people think that sweetness has the bigger effect here, it definitely doesn’t. This is because sweetness doesn’t alter capsaicin’s effects. Instead, sugar and honey absorb capsaicin molecules so they can stop irritating your pain receptors.

Consequently, sucking on a cube of sugar will heal the burning sensation in your mouth. Or you can just eat a small spoon of honey or sugar if you don’t have cubes.

5. Eat Carbohydrates

While carbohydrates are mostly marked as foes, they definitely act like friends in this situation. For instance, starch will be your savior if you’re dealing with a burning mouth.

This is mainly because starch is a voluminous food, as most carbohydrates are. This can be highly beneficial because small starch particles will come between your mouth and capsaicin molecules; therefore, they’ll act like a physical barrier.

Among the many foods that contain starch, the ones that’ll probably be in your pantry are rice, bread, and tortillas.

6. Munch on Some Chocolate 

While most people don’t need an extra reason to munch on a delicious piece of chocolate, we’ll still tell you one!

Chocolates have a high-fat content that comes in handy when it comes to the removal of capsaicin molecules from your mouth. This is because capsaicin is more soluble in fats than in water. Therefore, it dissolves quite fast when mixed with fats. However, make sure to eat milk chocolate, not a dark one, because it has a less fat content.

7. Eat a Spoon of Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is a fatty food that we all indulge in shamelessly for temporary happiness. However, it has quite the benefits when it comes to eating spicy food. The high-fat content in it dissolves capsaicin as a hot knife through butter.

As a result, it’d be best to eat a small spoon of peanut butter if your mouth is burning. This also goes for cashew butter and almond butter. You’ll immediately enjoy the cooling effect in your mouth along with the delicious taste that butter has.

The Dont’s

There are some famous myths that are wrongly associated with spicy food, and we’re here to destroy them!

1. Don't Drink Water

Most of us automatically reach for water after eating spicy food. However, this couldn’t be more wrong. You’d do better with drinking nothing at all.

This is due to the fact that capsaicin is a nonpolar, oil-based molecule, while water is polar. As a rule of thumb, polar compounds dissolve each other only, and the same goes for nonpolar compounds.

Consequently, water most probably won’t affect capsaicin according to the rules that say oil and water don’t mix. Rather, drinking water might make your issue even worse.

If you drink water, the capsaicin molecules will go wild in your mouth instead of calming down. This will stimulate more pain receptors in your tongue, leading to more suffering. Instead of water, you should try any of the options we listed above to get rid of the spicy taste.

2. Don't Drink Alcohol

We’ve been long led to believe that alcohol diminishes any feeling of pain. This idea cemented in our minds because of movies and old stories where people pour alcohol all over their wounds to numb the pain.

However, when it comes to spicy food pain and heat, it won’t help. The amount of alcohol you need to drink to stop feeling pain is too much for most people and may even be illegal if you aren’t of age. Not to mention, water is the main ingredient in many alcoholic beverages, which brings us back to the oil and water dilemma.

3. Don't Drink Soda

Most people order soda with spicy food so they can chug it while eating. However, this might worsen the burning pain and heat on your tongue. Aside from the fact that sodas are mostly made of water, they also cause fizzing in your mouth.

This fizzing will overstimulate your pain receptors that are already having a panic attack in your mouth. As a result, your mouth will feel much worse than before. Instead, you should order lemonade or orange juice with your spicy dish.

Why Does Eating Spicy Food Cause a Burning Sensation in Your Mouth?

Now that you’ve cooled down the heat in your mouth and got rid of the spicy taste, you should know the main reason for your suffering in the first place. As we’ve previously mentioned, capsaicin is to blame here. It’s an active component and irritant that you can find in all spicy foods.

Capsaicin works by binding to a group of receptors in your mouth that go by VR1 receptors. Those receptors are mainly responsible for warning you about burning your mouth. They do that by detecting heat and sending signals to the brain to act up.

Capsaicin stimulates those heat receptors and activates them. But, of course, in the case of eating a dish full of spice, your mouth isn’t burning. Nevertheless, your brain is manipulated to think so.

As a result, your body puts up the defense mechanisms to put out the fire in your mouth. That’s why you’ll immediately feel a rise in your heart rate and tears in your eyes. In addition, you’ll start sweating to cool down your body. Those reactions are a result of your body producing adrenaline.

After reading this, you’ll probably start thinking about the wicked reason that leads people to eat those manipulative foods that cause waves of heat to attack their mouths. However, we have an explanation.

Eating spicy food causes your body to release endorphins in response to pain, which are the chemicals responsible for happiness in your brain. So if you’re feeling down, we highly recommend you cook a spicy dish, but make sure to keep a glass of milk within your reach for quick pain relief.

Can Spicy Food Damage Your Tongue?

Quick! Your hot sauce is on the brink of expiration and you don’t want to waste this spicy goodness! Well here are some ideas on how to use it in your everyday cooking!

• Add a vinegar-based hot sauce to brownies, yes we know that this sounds bizarre but chili and chocolate is actually a classic combination and the vinegar will react with the baking soda, giving your brownie a little lift and a much-needed kick!
• Take your favorite hot sauce and add it to meat marinades, if there is vinegar in the sauce this will work to help tenderize your meat!
• Mix it into dips, or add to your next pot of bean chili for an extra kick.
• Add your hot sauce to some butter and toss it through your next batch of popcorn.
• Every time you have guests over, stick it on the table as a condiment on its own, we promise your spicy-loving friends will help you finish off your sauce.
• Despite the agony and heat of capsaicin’s effect in our mouths, there’s no denying that spicy food has a kind of magic that manipulates us to keep eating it. As a result of excessive indulging in spicy foods, some people worry about the health of their tongues and taste buds. However, we’re here to reassure you!

Heat and taste sensations aren’t translated by the same receptors in your mouth. And capsaicin only works on your heat receptors. As a result, no matter how hot your tongue will feel, your taste buds will stay intact because they aren’t triggered as much as heat ones.

Not to mention, all the hotness you’re feeling is nothing but a devious trick played well by your mind. You aren’t actually burning. As a result, you can eat as much spicy food as you want without damaging your tongue. Just make sure you have milk in your fridge first!

However, we can’t say the same about the rest of your body. If you suffer from any gastrointestinal issues, especially ulcers, you should stay away from spices. It might worsen your ulcers if you already have them or cause them altogether.

How to Get Rid of Spicy Taste in Food

Actually, you can get rid of the spicy taste in food the same way you get rid of it in your mouth. Of course, it differs according to the dish you’re cooking. You can’t add milk or chocolates to any meal! However, for example, if you’re preparing a delicious chili, you can complement it with a gallop of sour cream on top.

In addition to its beautifying effect, the sour cream will also tone down the spice taste a bit. Therefore, you won’t be sweating loads throughout your whole meal. The same goes for any dairy product you have. For instance, you can add milk to a soup to thicken its texture and balance its taste.

On the other hand, if you’re preparing any sauce, you can add sugar to lessen the spice effect. It’ll add a delicious flavor to your sauce without affecting the dish too much. If you don’t eat sugar for health-related reasons, you can use honey instead.

Finally, one of the easiest additions to any meal you’re cooking is acid. You can add vinegar or lime to nearly any food on the planet. They’ll complement your dish without changing its flavor, and they’ll successfully make your spicy food more edible.

You can also get creative with your spicy meals and add other ingredients like yogurt and tomato juice. If you already finished cooking and aren’t willing to make any changes to your plate, you can simply serve a glass of milk next to your dish to control the pain!

Does Getting Rid of Spicy Taste Decrease Capsaicin’s Health Benefits?

It’s a known fact that capsaicin has many health benefits that people often disregard amidst the spice dilemma. However, it’s been proved that capsaicin can greatly enhance your metabolism and energy expenditure. Not to mention, the fact that it’s spicy prevents you from overeating. Therefore, you’ll have a smaller chance of getting obese.

As a result, some people worry that if they add spice taste suppressants like milk to their meal, capsaicin will no longer be beneficial. However, we’re here to prove them wrong! Using sugar or milk to get rid of the spicy taste in your food won’t affect capsaicin’s benefits. This is because they merely calm down your taste buds while you’re eating till you swallow your food.

But you’ll still fully digest the capsaicin, and it’ll be broken down in your liver. Consequently, you’ll still enjoy the metabolism-enhancing properties that the spicy compound generously provides.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Fastest Way to Get Rid of the Spicy Taste?
Milk ranks among the top foods that can diminish the effects of capsaicin in a few minutes. If the heat is too much for you while eating, immediately take a few sips of milk, and you’ll be okay in no time. If you’re lactose intolerant, take a small spoon of sugar.

How Long Does It Take for Spicy Taste to Go Away?
To be completely cool, you’ll need to wait for about 15-20 minutes. It’s all about giving the chemical reaction time to work and capsaicin molecules to get neutralized. This will quickly fade the heat in your mouth away and give you your long-awaited relief.

What Are the Disadvantages of Spicy Food?
In addition to the heat storm that spicy food unleashes upon us, it often irritates ulcers that are found in our mucosal linings in the small intestine or the esophagus. This may lead to various health issues like peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, and acid reflux. As a result, if you eat way too much spicy food, you may suffer from nausea, weight loss, vomiting, and stomach pain.

However, if you enjoy your guilty pleasure every once in a while without overdoing it, the chances are that you’ll be fine.

How Do You Neutralize Spicy Food?
Acidic foods like vinegar, lime, tomato juice, pineapples, and lemons will all neutralize your spicy food successfully. You just have to choose the suitable ingredient to add to your meal without ruining it.

To Wrap Up

Spicy food is a guilty pleasure that we all like to enjoy from time to time. However, there’s no denying that it causes unfavorable burning in our mouths. To make the burning more bearable or even cool it down completely, there are a few tricks that you can try out.

First of all, you can drink some milk or eat other dairy products like yogurt and sour cream. They’ll alter the spicing effect of capsaicin in just a few minutes. As an alternative, you can munch on a delicious piece of chocolate or take a spoonful of honey.

Second, you can drink lemon or orange juice to neutralize the spicy flavor. Now that you know enough about the topic, you can enjoy your spicy food!