These can be

• bell peppers
• chiles
• seeds
• dried herbs

Heat the pan or griddle and put the ingredient on the hot surface. Move ingredient around often until you get the proper color or degree of doneness. Move to a cool container or surface to cool off.

For toasted herbs (always use dried) and seeds (cumin, etc.), stop immediately at the first sign of smoke.

Bigger ingredients like chiles or garlic cloves are toasted with the skin on and often left unpeeled even in the final dish.

In toasting, you want to watch the heat closely - if the heat is too high, you'll end up with ashes and bitter taste. It's safer to be on the low side, even if it takes a little longer.

For herbs, always use a small frying pan with a nonstick or smooth surface that will allow the ingredient to slide around easily when you shake the pan. For other ingredients, a griddle works - you can keep things moving with a metal spatula or thongs.