I like spicy food and burned the heck outta my hands making salsa last year - I'd never used fresh-out-of-the-garden jalapenos before while cooking, only store-bought, and never had a problem with those.

The ones from our neighbour's garden had me in agony for the better part of a day, it was brutal.

I tend to credit it to skin condition. I have old, tough, calloused hands and they don't bother me to work with. Only place I sometimes feel them in down in the webbing between the fingers. Wife also has the old skin (ducking - ok not as old as mine) but her are soft and no callouses and she has to wear gloves.

Dave

I ditto what Dave said. I don't think it has to do with if you like spicy food or not, but rather skin condition. I love spicy food (although I will not touch or grow ghost peppers again!!!) However, when I chop hot peppers I feel my hands burning. Habs & cayennes I have to wear gloves.

I work with the super hots. With gloves and I still end up having to soak my fingers in milk before even thinking about taking out my contacts. I have pretty tough hands for an old dame too.

Well, there goes that theory. ;)

Last time I cut up Anaheims, I wore gloves, but they just have had a couple of pin holes because I had odd burning spots on my hands afterwards.

Any one that say's they don't burn from cutting up hot peppers are telling a story.

I can tell you the gloves don't work well with a mandolin. My recipe suggested it so the slices would be even. I think I cut the tip off the finger on the first pass.

My hands are tough enough that I could cut up a bucket of hot peppers without burning, though I can feel it. That's not really the problem. Even if I could (and have, so experienced), I like to be able to touch other parts of my body afterward - face...and other delicate parts. I wear the nitrile gloves, rather than the latex, and it seems to provide better chemical protection.