Do I need a pepper mill?

Maylar

Maylar

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Most of the recipes I see call for fresh ground black pepper. I've always used the ground stuff in a can. Does it matter?
 
I much rather crack my own pepper. I buy the whole peppercorns at Costco and bought an electric coffee grinder. I set it to the most coarse setting and let it rip. Really quick and easy, but still inexpensive.
 
Yes, it matters. Most of the time the difference would be pretty subtle but something where pepper is a core flavor you'd likely notice
 
Most of what I cook the pepper is a minor thing. Like S&P on a fried egg sammich. Why grind it fresh?
 
There's just something about a good freshly ground/cracked black tellicherry pepper...

If I'm doing a large batch of something like wings seasoning, I'll use the preground stuff for ease of use and the fact that I'm probably going to hit the meat with a pungent sauce.
 
Fresh cracked pepper will always have a stronger flavor due to the oils in the pepper. Pepper that has already been ground tends to have less oil.

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Honest opinion here...We have a pepper mill on the table because we prefer the taste of the fresh ground pepper directly on the food over the pre-ground, but I can’t tell the difference with fresh vs pre-ground pepper in my rubs, even in higher concentration like my 1:1 S&P Texas Brisket rub.


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IMO yes fresh ground/cracked pepper is noticeable and worth it.
 
Love fresh cracked pepper. Tried a number of mills over the years and settled on this as my favorite. Excellent for coarse sea salt also. Ceramic grinding stone and infinitely adjustable. This is the small model. They make a larger version. I have both.

Kuhn Rikon Vase Grinder, Mini, Black
 
I can't add any more to what has already been said. I love my fresh ground pepper!
 
Most certainly there is a difference. Once you have tried it you will understand.

However, for expedience I do,at times, use the already ground stuff.

I will use the "ground stuff in a can" when I am cooking something liquid. If I am going to use pre-ground on meat ... I use the "course restaurant grind" from the big plastic jar from Sam's Club.

Although not the same as fresh ground, it is way better for surface application than the fine powder in the can.
 
I prefer fresh ground, but Costco has ground Malabar black pepper that is quite potent. Good stuff.

iu
 
And what about recipes like Steak au Poivre which tell you to crush whole peppercorns under a cast iron skillet - bigger chunks. You think they do that for fun - or FLAVOR?
Fresh is best.
 
If it matters to you then it does.

I use different peppers and different grinds for different things, but this is probably my favorite one. One of my favorite smells in the world is a heaping helping of this stuff on fresh-plated hot cheesy scrambled eggs. I eat a lot of eggs in all different forms and this is my favorite black pepper for them.

20200222_202136 - Copy.jpg
 
Has to be fresh. For brisket sometimes I will grind the night before to take a bit of the bite off but otherwise always fresh ground
 
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