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Look at most any savory recipe and one of the main ingredients will be pepper. I love pepper! I put it on everything. Up until recently I’ve always used store bought ground pepper, the kind that comes in those plastic shakers. Now I’ve discovered a whole new world with fresh cracked pepper.
I’ve see a lot of recipes that call for “fresh cracked pepper”, but I’ve always just used the regular ground. I got curious one day after watching a cooking show where the chef grinded peppercorns, so I decided to give it a try. What a difference! Using freshly ground pepper completely added a new depth of flavor to the dish. I like to grind it more coarse instead of super fine; that way, when you take a bite you get a woody pungent kick that you just can’t get with pre-ground pepper.
There are several ways you can grind whole peppercorns: mortar & pestle, a pepper mill, wrap the peppercorns in something such as tin foil and beat them with a hammer, or my personal favorite, an electric spice grinder. Just simply put the peppercorns in the grinder, grind for a few seconds, and voila fresh pepper. Electric spice grinders are very inexpensive. I bought mine on Amazon.com for about $20.
For best results, you should grind the peppercorns right before you use them since they start to loose flavor after grinding, but I usually grind about a half cup at a time and keep it in a small container on my counter. Then when I’m cooking I can just throw in pinches of pepper, or hell even handfuls, into the dish. It’s really convenient and makes you look fancy AF!
I use fresh pepper on a wide variety of dishes. It not only tastes great but it can also make the food look more appetizing too. It’s great for seasoning meat! It’s also great on salads, pastas, and soups. The possibilities are endless. I definently recommend using fresh pepper to give your food an added punch of flavor.
