Cayenne chiles come in a variety of heat, but are mostly moderately hot in relation to other hot chiles. Ground cayenne is bright orange in color with a strong lingering heat and a pungent aroma and flavor. Our cayenne is not too hot for everyday use, and this spice will give a fun kick to any dish to which it's added. Try it on savory breakfast foods like eggs or sausage.
Cayenne chile pepper is used in Southwestern American, Mexican, Cajun, Creole cuisine. It is also usually the main ingredient in the crushed red pepper mixes, famously found in pizza parlors. Those mixes are not usually designed for nuanced flavor notes, so much as for more one-dimensional heat. Therefore when cayenne chiles are used in those mixes, their very spicy seeds are not removed before crushing; these are the lighter colored specks that mottle the spice.