Orange bell peppers are medium to large in size, averaging 5-8 centimeters in diameter and 5-12 centimeters in length, and are rounded, square, and block in shape with 3-4 lobes and a thick green stem. The smooth skin is firm, glossy, and bright orange, and underneath the skin, the equally bright orange flesh is thick, juicy, crisp, and succulent. There is also a central, hollow cavity that contains very small, flat and bitter cream-colored seeds and a thin, spongy white to pale orange membrane. Orange bell peppers have an aqueous crunch and are sweet with a fruity flavor.
Orange bell peppers are available year-round, with a peak season in the summer.
Orange bell peppers are best suited for both raw and cooked applications such as baking, roasting, grilling, and sauteing. When used fresh, the peppers can be chopped into salads, sliced and served as an appetizer with dips, layered in sandwiches, or minced into salsas. They can also be sauteed with eggs, cooked into pasta sauce, blended into a soup or chili, grilled on skewers, stir-fried with other vegetables and meats, or served with tacos. In addition to cooked preparations, Orange bell peppers are commonly hollowed and used as a serving vessel for soups, dips, and stuffing. Orange bell peppers pair well with basil, oregano, thyme, spinach, beets, tomatoes, garlic, quinoa, rice, lentils, onion, fennel, sausages, steak, poultry, calamari, fish, eggs, pine nuts, crumbled blue cheese, goat cheese, citrus vinaigrette, and potatoes. The peppers will keep up to one week when stored unwashed in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.
