Cayenne

We rely on store-bought cayenne, finely powdered dried red cayenne chiles, but sometimes we run out, and then we put dried red chiles in our coffee/spice grinder or food processor and grind them to a powder (the processor yields a slightly coarser texture). We tend to leave the seeds in, for extra heat, but you can sift them out. The powder tends to be slightly paler in color than the cayenne powder we buy, but it has a good chile heat and pleasant slightly sweet taste.