Ingredient

Black pepper

Black pepper is the one seasoning where the difference between the good version and the poor version costs nothing but a grinder. Almost all of what pepper tastes of is volatile, and volatile means it leaves.

Why freshly ground is not a affectation

Pepper has two separate things going on. The heat — the sensation on the tongue — comes from a stable compound that survives grinding and storage perfectly well. The smell, which is most of what you would call pepper flavour, comes from volatile oils that begin evaporating the moment the corn is broken open.

So pre-ground pepper keeps its bite and loses its aroma. It ends up tasting hot and slightly dusty, which is why food seasoned with it can be peppery and dull at the same time. A grinder fixes it entirely.

The peppercorns

Black

Picked unripe and dried whole, skin on. The most aromatic and the default.

White

The same berry, ripened, with the outer skin removed. Less aromatic, more directly hot, slightly fermented. Used where black specks would show — a white sauce — and heavily in Chinese cooking.

Green

Unripe and preserved rather than dried. Fresh, mild, herbal. Usually brined.

Pink

Not pepper at all — a different plant. Mild, sweet, faintly resinous, and a common allergen concern for people sensitive to tree nuts.

Sichuan

Also not pepper. Numbing rather than hot, and citrusy. A different sensation entirely.

When to add it

Pepper is unusual in that both early and late are defensible, for different reasons.

• Early, in a rub or a sear, to let the heat bloom and the pepper form part of a crust. Some of the aroma is lost to the heat, and what is left is deeper.
• Late, at the table or off the heat, when you want the aromatic top note. This is the right choice on a finished pasta, a salad, a soup.
• Both, on a steak — some in the crust and a fresh grind on top afterwards.
• Avoid long boiling. Pepper simmered for an hour in a stock turns harsh and slightly bitter. Add it towards the end of a long braise.

Getting more out of it

• Set the grinder coarse for finishing and fine for seasoning. Coarse gives you pops of aroma; fine distributes.
• Toast whole corns in a dry pan for a minute before grinding for a deeper, rounder result — useful in a spice blend.
• Crack rather than grind for steak, by pressing corns under the flat of a heavy pan. Uneven pieces make a better crust than powder.
• Buy whole and buy less often than you think. Whole corns keep their aroma for a year or more; ground pepper is noticeably flat after a few months.

Common questions