[Koukouvagia]

I'm thinking about expanding my pepper selection and I wonder how everyone uses the different peppers that are out there. I've never used pink or green peppercorns, what do you use them for?

I only use fresh ground black pepper. I also have a pepper combo with all the colors in it that I use every once in a while (if I run out of black peppercorns).

I'm ok with white pepper when it appears in food, but I dislike using it to cook with. The smell is very offputting to me.

[jerkseasoning]

Good day, I have used green peppercorns in a Chicken liver pate, I felt it ruined the taste of what is usually delicious, they are quite overpoweringly hot. I always use white pepper as dislike the taste of the black variety, makes me feel queazy. Am almost certain pink peppercorns have been dyed that colour for appearance sake only. (but could be wrong on that one}

[ED BUCHANAN]

Guys keep in mind 1 thing. Black pepper has been proven to heighten bacteria counts in raw as well as cooked food when added at the end. I didn't believe this till I tried putting tuna salad in petri dishes and experimented. The tuna made and handled same way. the one with black pepper in it turned first.

[French Fries]

I LOVE pepper. All kinds. On my spice shelve, about half the jars contain some form of pepper. Black, white, green, pink, mixed, mignonette, szechuan, tellicherry, etc...

Black is definitely the go-to pepper. It has that "classic" black pepper taste, at least to me, since I grew up with it. It's produced from unripe berries from the pepper plant.

FUN FACT #1: Peppercorns are fruits. So next time someone wants to show off and convince you that "tomatoes are not a vegetable, but a fruit" (that statement is wrong BTW), you can tell them that peppercorns are fruits too!

Green peppercorns are immature black peppercorns. They're not as hot as black pepper. It's less spicy but has a bit more flavor than black IMO. It works really well on duck, fish, chicken... but also on steak! I actually use both the dried green peppercorns for rubbing on meat or fish, and the canned green peppercorns in sauces, they are quite different.

Pink pepper is not pepper (despite its name and appearance), but it wasn't died pink for appearance's sake, no. In fact here in Los Angeles you find pink pepper trees at every street corner. It's got a very subtle lemony/anis kinda flavor which is just perfect with fish and poultry, but just really really good with fish.

White pepper is black pepper without the skin. It is classically used instead of black pepper in white dishes (like a velouté or a béchamel for example), although it does have a different flavor, and personally I really don't mind the black specks in my white food. But white pepper is good too - kinda hard to describe the difference.

Mignonette is just black and white pepper mixed together.

[cape chef]

I just finished smoking some black peppercorns as well at coarse sea salt. I personally don't like the whole pepper blend as more times than not allspice berries are added.

[shelta]

Re pink peppercorns, be warned that the 'pink pepper trees' found in L.A. and Florida are "NOT" pink peppercorns and could cause a bad allergic reaction if eaten.
The real pink peppercorns come from Madagascar from a plant different to black pepper and usually imported via France. The FDA has now officially approved them as safe to eat with no health risks as once believed.
The "best" black pepper available to buy, and the most expensive, is a blend of Tellicherri, Sarawak and other varieties chosen for taste, aroma, heat etc. and which come in blends with varying proportions, so lots of blends on the market.

[French Fries]

Originally Posted by shelta

Re pink peppercorns, be warned that the 'pink pepper trees' found in L.A. and Florida are "NOT" pink peppercorns and could cause a bad allergic reaction if eaten.

Where did you get that info from? Me, my wife and my friends have been eating the L.A. pink peppercorns for years and have never had a problem. All pink peppercorns, independently of where they come from, should be eaten in moderation as they become poisonous if you eat too much.

The L.A. or Florida trees are Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi , or Brazilian Pepper Trees. I'm pretty sure they're the same or the same family as the ones that come from the Reunion or Madagascar. They also have the exact same flavor profile.

[siduri]

I guess i should worry about the quantity of pink pepper i eat. I love it on meat. I crush it and chop it with herbs and garlic, mix with butter and stuff under the chicken skin before roasting.
I use it on all meats along with black.
I hate white pepper, all heat and no flavor. Why add something without flavor?
Not crazy about green.
I use black pepper on absolutely everything, including cottage cheese (cottage cheese, salt, pepper and raisins).
I particularly like the little black flecks on white foods, like potatoes, eggs, bechamel, etc. I find it one of the most appetizing looks and flavors. Strange to me that people prefer to use white pepper on those things, when black is so appetizing.

[jerkseasoning]

Sorry to disagree, but white pepper has a far superior taste, also black pepper is carcogenic, so if you have to use it, sparingly in the idea.

[DC Sunshine]

White pepper does seem to have gone out of fashion. What I like it in is Cornish pasties - they just don't taste the same with any other pepper. Yum!

White is also handy when you want a white sauce seasoned but want it to stay white.

Green is good for a peppery sauce for meats. Had some other night with rare steak, made mushroom, red wine and green pepper mix to go with, all on top of long grain boiled rice. Ah, 'twas good!

Szechuan wins hand down for me. Heat and flavour - its good stuff.

[shelta]

Originally Posted by French Fries

Where did you get that info from? Me, my wife and my friends have been eating the L.A. pink peppercorns for years and have never had a problem. All pink peppercorns, independently of where they come from, should be eaten in moderation as they become poisonous if you eat too much.

The L.A. or Florida trees are Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi , or Brazilian Pepper Trees. I'm pretty sure they're the same or the same family as the ones that come from the Reunion or Madagascar. They also have the exact same flavor profile.

The Madagascar pink peppercorns come from the Baise rose tree.
Sorry, haven't figured out how to post links yet, or if I can...
Here are 2 links with info.
http://www.epicurious.com/tools/food.../entry?id=3973
http://southamericanfood.about.com/o...pinkpepper.htm

[French Fries]

"Baies rose" tree... that's just French for "Pink Berries", not an exact plant name. As far as I can tell they're all the same tree. I'm not sure why that first article points the ones in California and Florida to be different. Your second article says they are "Schinus terebinthifolius" and that's what we have here in Los Angeles. So it's the same thing.

I know you shouldn't abuse, but I've never heard of allergic reactions - before that article you linked that is.

[jerkseasoning]

mmm! Cornish pasties DC - were you born in Great Britain?

[cyberdoc]

Here is a link on peppercorn varieties.

Pepper and Peppercorn Varieties

[French Fries]

Originally Posted by cyberdoc

Here is a link on peppercorn varieties.

Pepper and Peppercorn Varieties

I'm pretty sure they're wrong when it comes to pink pepper. A quick search for "Euonymus phellomanus" will show you that those baies don't even look like a peppercorn, and certainly aren't what we think of as pink pepper.

Furthermore, many other articles, including some linked in this thread, say that pink peppercorns are Schinus terebinthifolius, the very tree we find here in Los Angeles. Those are the ones that look like pink peppercorn.