Where Do Flaming Hot Cheetos Place On Scoville Scale? - Spicy Quest (2024)

Cheetos are one of the most popular snacks in America, and people have been eating them for some time now. But where do these cheesy treats rank on the Scoville scale? This question has sparked a lot of debate, with several figures being thrown around.

Where Do Flaming Hot Cheetos Place On The Scoville Scale?

It’s impossible to know the placement of the Flaming hot Cheetos on the Scoville scale since the pepper used in making it has yet to be discovered. This is because it is part of a proprietary blend that is not listed on the ingredients list.

Where Do Flaming Hot Cheetos Place On Scoville Scale? - Spicy Quest (1)

However, this has kept lovers of the snacks from trying hard to hazard a guess. One of the most popular and widely accepted hotness levels by many experts is the Flaming Hot Cheetos rate, somewhere around 50,000 SHU.

This is a rough estimate. Even if that sounds much higher than what you’d expect from your favorite snack food, this means it’s still nowhere near as hot as many other hot sauces or peppers on the market today.

The hotness will depend on the type of chili used as the snack will take up the pepper’s heat. The hotter the pepper on the Scoville scale, the hotter you can expect your Cheetos to be. Also, the more the quantity of chili used, the higher the hotness as well.

What are Cheetos?

Cheetos are an American snack food made from cornmeal and cheese, and they come in many different shapes and sizes. Invented by Charles Elmer Doolin in 1948, these crunchy snacks were first produced at his factory in Dallas, Texas.

Since then, their popularity has been spreading like wildfire around the world. Today, nothing will satisfy your cravings quite like Cheetos if you’re looking for something salty with a kick of heat. Not only do they taste amazing, but they also come with some pretty interesting ingredients.

Different brands use different chilies in the making of their Cheetos. This creates a range of distinctive hotness that represents the brand. Some Cheeto brands have been thought to use cayenne pepper since it has the same range as most Cheetos’ widely accepted hotness level. Cheetos are junk food even for humans, and Cheetos offer even less nutrition to a cat or home pets like dogs.

Does Cheetos Have Any Health Benefits?

Not only are flaming hot Cheetos a source of fun, but they also have some health benefits. Here are some benefits to consider:

A rich source of calcium, protein, and other minerals

Cheese is a good source of calcium. It contains about 300 mg per slice or about 1% of the recommended daily intake for adults over 19 years old. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it’s necessary to increase the amount of calcium in your diet due to its many benefits for both mother and child.

Calcium helps strengthen the bones thanks to its ability to absorb large amounts of water which gives them elasticity. Furthermore, calcium has an essential role in efficient metabolism respectively by increasing levels of blood plasma as well as hemoglobin levels.

Extremely high vitamin C content

The vitamin C in chili provides Cheetos with a high dosage of it and some other health benefits. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps your body fight infections and heals wounds. It also helps stop bleeding, which is why you should consume chili whenever you have cuts or bruises on your skin.

Vitamin C is essential for producing collagen, which keeps skin healthy and youthful. Also, it helps prevent heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels in the blood vessels while improving their elasticity. Chili is also rich in vitamins A, B6, and E, as well as potassium, all beneficial nutrients when consumed regularly over time.

It contains valuable vegetable oil

Vegetable oil is a good source of healthy fats that helps lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol while improving metabolism. It also contains vitamins such as A, E, K & B. Vitamin A helps shape the vision.

Vitamin E prevents cell damage from free radicals and protects cells from oxidative stress. Vitamin K promotes bone health, while B vitamins help produce energy by converting food into carbohydrates or fats for brain function.

It provides you with carbohydrates, protein, and fiber

The corn used in making Cheetos is a good source of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. Corn contains fair amounts of protein (7%) and fiber (15%). In addition, it also provides vitamins and minerals such as niacin, thiamin, vitamin B6 and folate, and potassium, which helps your body fight against the disease.

Can Cheetos Kill You?

Although the snack can’t directly kill you, it can cause severe damage if consumed in large amounts. In 2018, rapper Lil Xan was hospitalized after eating too many Cheetos and appearing to vomit blood. The spicy food caused him to experience stomach pains and inflammation, leading to hospitalization.

Cheetos’ spice content is what causes these issues. And while this isn’t necessarily dangerous for most people’s bodies, there are plenty of stories about people experiencing discomfort after eating just one handful too many crunchy treats. Here are some most likely adverse outcomes of consuming too many Cheetos:

Possible allergic reaction

An allergic reaction to Flaming Hot Cheetos can range from mild to severe. If you suspect that you have an allergic reaction, seek emergency medical attention immediately. The most common symptoms of an allergic reaction include hives or itching and swelling of the mouth, tongue, throat, or lips. You can also experience trouble breathing or swallowing.

A significant contributor to high blood pressure and obesity

Cheetos contains Monosodium glutamate (MSG), an excellent compound for enhancing food flavor. However, it has been known to also significantly contribute to the onset of obesity and other unhealthy conditions.

Increase in heart disease risk

The amount of sodium in this snack is 250 milligrams, which is about 10 percent of the daily value. This snack could use up a significant portion of your daily sodium allowance, which is terrible for your heart.

It can also lead to an increased risk of high blood pressure and heart disease due to a diet high in trans fats. In addition, the increase in bad cholesterol (LDL) and decline in good cholesterol (HDL) can lead to clogged arteries or atherosclerosis.

Conclusion

When it comes to heat, the Scoville scale tells us how much chili pepper has. The hotter the pepper, the higher the number of SHU it will have. Some experts suggest that Flamin’ Hot Cheetos rate around 50,000 Scoville units which may not be as hot as you think but still pretty spicy.

Where Do Flaming Hot Cheetos Place On Scoville Scale? - Spicy Quest (2024)

FAQs

Where Do Flaming Hot Cheetos Place On Scoville Scale? - Spicy Quest? ›

However, based on the ingredients listed on the packaging and some research, unnamed "experts" have estimated that Xxtra Flamin' Hot Cheetos could have a Scoville rating of around 50,000 SHU. This places them at a similar heat level to cayenne pepper.

How is it decided where a spicy food is placed on the Scoville scale? ›

It involves extracting the capsaicinoids from a pepper and diluting them with a solution of sugar and water until the heat of the pepper can no longer be tasted by a panel of professionally trained taste testers. More dilutions indicate a higher heat index rating and therefore a higher concentration of capsaicinoids.

How hot are flaming hot Cheeto puffs? ›

Flamin' Hot Cheetos are often compared to cayenne pepper, which sits around 50,000 Scoville heat units.

What level is hot on Scoville? ›

The ranges of Scoville Heat Units (SHU) typically used to call a pepper mild, medium, hot, or extra hot are: Mild (100 to 2,500) Medium (2,500 to 30,000) Hot (30,000 to 100,000)

What is the hottest food on the Scoville scale? ›

It took hundreds of chilli hybrid experiments and over ten years to perfect. Despite a surprisingly sweet and fruity flavour, the Carolina Reaper tops out at a blistering 2.2 million Scoville heat units.

How to test Scoville Scale? ›

Scoville Organoleptic Test

In the test, human subjects taste a series of prepared chile samples to determine the heat level. The samples are diluted in the laboratory until heat can no longer be detected by the tasters. A single unit of dilution is called a Scoville Heat Unit.

How is Scoville level calculated? ›

The formula used is Scoville heat units = capsaicin concentration (in ppm) x 15,000. This formula assumes that capsaicin is the only heat-producing compound in the pepper, which is not always the case. However, it remains the most widely used formula for converting capsaicin content into Scoville heat units.

How many Scoville units is a Flamin Hot Cheetos? ›

However, based on the ingredients listed on the packaging and some research, unnamed "experts" have estimated that Xxtra Flamin' Hot Cheetos could have a Scoville rating of around 50,000 SHU. This places them at a similar heat level to cayenne pepper.

Who is the hot Cheeto girl? ›

"The Hot Cheeto Girl is a stereotype that has historically been used to make fun of high school girls who are hyper-feminine, working-class, either Black or Latina (or both), and have a taste for spicy chips like Flamin' Hot Cheetos."

What is the spiciest Cheeto? ›

Cheetos' Smoky Ghost Pepper Puffs Are Only Here for a Flamin' Hot Minute. This pepper-shaped addition to the Flamin' Hot family is the hottest one yet.

How much Scoville is Takis? ›

In Scoville units, they are listed at 100,000 to 300,000 SHU. Because of this, they are hotter than cayenne, jalapeno, and serrano peppers but milder than ghost peppers, Trinidad Moruga scorpion peppers, and Carolina reapers.

Is 2.5 million Scoville hot? ›

According to this article, Dragon's Breath peppers are even hotter than the Reaper, with an eye-popping 2.5 million Scoville Heat Units! Apparently, Dragon's Breath is NOT meant to be eaten. Because of its ability to numb human skin, the pepper is for medical use, as an alternative to anesthesia.

How many Scoville is a Carolina Reaper? ›

The Carolina Reaper was rated an average of 1,640,000 SHU on the Scoville Scale, making it an extremely hot pepper. With its hottest specimens coming in at over 2.2 million Scoville Units at its peak if you're looking for some serious heat this will certainly do the trick.

How bad is 10,000 Scoville? ›

1,000-10,000 SHU – marked, but still pleasant heat. For people unaccustomed to spicy foods or especially sensitive to heat, this level may result uncomfortable (e.g. Jalapeño) 10,000-100,000 SHU – strong heat, often uncomfortable; can cause sweating, hiccups, stomach cramps (e.g. Tabasco)

What's hotter than a Carolina Reaper? ›

The Pepper X dethroned the Caroline Reaper (also created by Currie) in October 2023 and now holds the Guinness World Record title. It clocked in at just under 2.7 million Scoville Heat Units, the scale used to rank how spicy peppers are.

How hot is a ghost pepper? ›

The ghost pepper is a cultivar of Capsicum chinense, as are spicy Scotch bonnet and habanero peppers. The ghost pepper has an average of about 1 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU), compared to a jalapeño with around 8,000 SHU or a habanero with up to 350,000 SHU.

How is spicy food detected by the tongue? ›

Spicy foods contain a chemical called capsaicin, which activates a receptor found in your mouth and on your tongue called a TRPV1 receptor. There is some variation in the sensitivity of these receptors, and even the amount of them, from person to person.

Where are jalapeños on the Scoville scale? ›

So, where do jalapeños fall on that scale? They usually fall in the range of 2,000 to 8,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), which sounds like a lot, but it really isn't! Some of the hottest peppers in the world measure up to 1,000,000 SHU, muy caliente!

Is the Scoville scale logarithmic? ›

The Scoville Scale is a logarithmic scale, meaning that each step up represents a tenfold increase in heat.

How is Scoville recorded? ›

Quantification by HPLC

Since the 1980s, spice heat has been assessed quantitatively by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which measures the concentration of heat-producing capsaicinoids, typically with capsaicin content as the main measure.

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