Choose a firm pepper. Its skin should be smooth, shiny and unblemished, and the stem an attractive green.

Be aware that when a pepper is very plump the flesh is thicker, but it holds up better on the barbecue.

Store in a cool dark place. Peppers will keep easily for more than a week, unwrapped, in the vegetable crisper. Plastic bags will make them rot.

They can be frozen if blanched first.

Retain the stem and seeds since they contain a large part of the pepper's good sweet flavor.

One of the best frying peppers on the market.

Cubanelle peppers are often used in casseroles, salads, pizzas, and as a pepper to be stuffed with a savory filling.

Cubanelle peppers are similar to banana peppers and make an acceptable substitute for recipes calling for Anaheim peppers.

It is used extensively in Puerto Rican cuisine.

Most cubanelle pepper imports come from the Dominican Republic (where it's called ají cubanela), which has been the main exporter of this cultivar.