Is this question still primarily opinion-based?

Question

I asked a question on chili peppers that was placed on hold as opinion-based. To myself and others it clearly was not, even especially after I edited it. No one commented why they feel it is still opinion based or even before the edit, as it is still on hold.

Is this question actually primarily opinion-based, or can it be reopened?

Answer 1

Thanks for trying to edit to get it reopened! Sorry no one explained in the first place; they probably thought it didn't really need much explanation. I did go ahead and edit again and put back some of the stuff you removed though. Context isn't what makes something like this opinion-based, and in fact the context helps explain what you actually mean by getting the most out of the peppers. (In particular, explaining that the heat is fine but you want more chili flavor is a lot less vague than "improve flavor".)

Anyway, as for how it's opinion-based, I wasn't one of the original close voters, but I can think of a couple possible issues. First off, totally not your fault, but some people might've mistakenly thought you were asking about the dish called chili (a meat stew). If you were asking about that, it would indeed be really subjective.

As for the actual question, I think the big issue is really that there are a lot of things people think improve flavor, and asking people to recommend them often does bring out a lot of opinions. Some people might like the mellower flavor extracted after long cooking, some people might like the brighter flavor from adding fresh peppers right at the end. Some people might think vinegar brings out the flavors they want, some might prefer salt. This leads to a mix of subjectivity and broadness, both of which can be reasons to close a question: there are a lot of answers, and some of them may be more about personal preference than anything else.

So, should it be reopened? I think my answer is a cautious yes. I'd like to see whether others agree first (not just use my binding mod vote to do it) but it seems like there are some reasonably objective things that we can suggest here, and hopefully it won't end up too broad.

Answer 2

I don't agree with the question being placed on hold as opinion-based, but as written I think it's still too broad.

There are a couple reasons for this:

• There's likely to be a major difference between fresh or dried chili peppers, and you don't specify which you're using (or want to use).
• It's not particularly clear what "flavor" you're trying to capture. You seem to have ruled out the spicy burn of capsaicin, but otherwise... what kind of flavor are you after? This probably depends on what kind of pepper you're using; to me this could be anything from the smoky flavor of some dried peppers to the grassy, vegetal flavor of fresh green chilies like jalapenos or poblanos. Or maybe you mean something else entirely and you're after more of a comprehensive "spice blend" flavor?
• You specifically ask about "any spicy dish" and that's inherently broad. Spicy dishes come in a lot of forms and it's difficult to come up with guidelines that would improve any and all of them.

If you further edited to add some more detail, I would support reopening the question. Even better, if you have the recipe or method for a specific dish you've tried to make at home and been less than satisfied with, and you can describe what seems to be missing, I think someone can almost certainly provide specific suggestions to help you get there.