Why I Haven't Cooked With Black Pepper in Years (article)


 
I really like the Cole and Mason pepper mill I have. Two key factors: the top pops right off for easy filling and the grind setting is clearly indicated on the side of the unit. It also doesn't automatically change when you take the top off. A minor benefit, though important if you need a LOT of freshly ground pepper, is that you can remove the top and attach a cordless drill to the drive stem, creating a motor driven pepper mill. Care should be taken with this operation due to the heat that can be created. I try not to drive it too fast and give it a rest every couple minutes to let the heat dissipate. I've only done this a couple times so I can't say what impact it might have on the longevity of the unit. I've had mine for four years and it still works as well as it did right out of the box.
 
The black pepper backlash is popular right now. Christopher Kimball of Milk Street, formerly of Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen, is among the people arguing against blindly using black pepper as called for in many recipes. He's moving to more exotic spices, which is part of Milk Street's shtick.
 
Rich Dahl said:
I'm a big fan of Penzeys California seasoned pepper. It's a mixture of black pepper, red & green bell pepper, granulated garlic & onion. The mixture really gives a great pepper taste with just a little bit different flavor.
I use it on anything that I would put straight black pepper on.
Click to expand...

Rich,

The pepper mills sold by Penzey's are superior to any others I own. They are their own design.

Jim
 
Rich Dahl said:
I really like Penzey's products. The pepper mill I have now I've had for over 20 years and does the same thing as the Penzey's, you adjust the grind by turning the knob on the top works perfectly.
Click to expand...
I've had several mills like that, some of them quite expensive, and they all suffered from the same problem. The adjusting knob on the top tends to loosen over time, changing the grind setting. It's hardly a catastrophic problem, you just re-tighten when you notice it loosening, but it is an annoyance. That's one of the reasons I like the Cole and Mason mill so much. The grind setting is separate from the mechanism that holds the top on so refilling or simply using the mill doesn't lose your setting.
 
Whaaaaat? A pretentious article in Epicurious? Say it ain't so!;)

I stopped reading as soon as I hit the quote from from the Brooklyn chef with the hyphenated last name.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top