How to get the most flavor out of Black Pepper ?

Crack them first and then tie in a piece of cheesecloth  (make a T-bag)  submerge and cook in whatever you are making. And make sure they are not old or have just been sitting around for a long time .

A slight disagreement, Ed.

Whole peppercorns will last two days longer than forever. It's only after they've been broken or ground that their essential oils degrade.

The entire spice trade was based on the simple fact that whole spices do not lose their potency. The spice caravans typically took two years---and often longer---to get from the spice origins to Venice, with no ill effects.

The important thing for Sunny to understand is that, for best effect, she should be buying whole spices, rather than preground, and crush or grind them just before using.

I personally don;t like black pepper to be in a cloth bag, but i like the direct contact with the food.  I think the black pepper grindings are really appealing to look at, and the full flavor comes out when you bite into them. 

When i want added flavor, i grind the pepper into the oil that i'm going to cook something in.  Maybe it's not any different but i get the feeling it's a more intense pepper flavor. 

Ah, you don't want the heat? Obviously, you know about the importance of freshly cracked and ground pepper. One way to reduce the heat and keep a lot of the flavor is to grind or crack your pepper corns into a saute pan over low heat. Let the pepper roast off a bit without burning it. You won't get any carbon although the pepper corns may darken in color. I've always referred to this as "road tar" although it really doesn't obtain a tar like consistency. If you roast your pepper corns in a saute pan, you will lose a majority of the heat and keep a good flavor while not having to dilute what ever it is that your cooking with liquid. I do this frequently when making almost anything "au poivre". I hope this helps. It certainly works well for me.

Reason I told him bag is because I don't know what he is making and by putting in bag( bouquet garni style) he does not have to strain whatever he 's doing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer 

A slight disagreement, Ed.

 

Whole peppercorns will last two days longer than forever. It's only after they've been broken or ground that their essential oils degrade.

 

The entire spice trade was based on the simple fact that whole spices do not lose their potency. The spice caravans typically took two years---and often longer---to get from the spice origins to Venice, with no ill effects.

 

The important thing for Sunny to understand is that, for best effect, she should be buying whole spices, rather than preground, and crush or grind them just before using.

I agree I only told him to crack it before cooking and adding it then to whatever he's making not just cracking and leaving sit in a jar.

I want the pepper to lose it's potency to whatever he is making at the time.

Sunny, hi :)

It depends a bit on what you are making.  If it's a peppered steak, just grind it from whole and press into the steak.  If it's a stew/casserole/soup, the bagging idea may work for you.

Have you given a thought to using white peppercorns?  They give a great flavour but not the same kind of heat that black pepper gives.  Just a thought, it may be worth playing with.

In an ideal world I would dry toast in a pan all my whole spices then grind/smash for the best effect as per Indian cooking.  It releases the volatile oils and increases the flavour very much.  Take out of pan as soon as they get fragrant, let cool a tad then proceed.