For years, my kitchen altar<\/a>\u2014the little marble tray full of cooking essentials that sits next to my stove\u2014has looked exactly the same. It includes a wooden utensil crock<\/a>, squeeze bottles of olive and vegetable oil, a butter keeper<\/a>, a salt cellar<\/a>, and a large wooden pepper grinder<\/a>. But recently, I\u2019ve made a noteworthy change, swapping out the pepper grinder for a small bowl of pre-ground pepper.<\/p>\n I, like many of you, have long been under the impression that pre-ground black pepper is somehow inferior to freshly ground, but after these past few months of cooking with pre-ground pepper, I have to admit\u2026it might be time to reconsider. After all, why should we be beholden to the cult of \u201cfreshly cracked\u201d pep? Is the Big Grinder lobby to blame? Is the phrase \u201cfreshly cracked\u201d akin to Lucky Strike\u2019s tagline, \u201cIt\u2019s Toasted<\/a>,\u201d technically true, but signifying nothing?<\/p>\n At a recent dinner with friends at Edo\u2019s Squid<\/a> in Richmond, Va., I noticed that their black pepper was different somehow\u2014punchier, more star than back-up singer\u2014so I asked a friend who works there about it, and she pointed me toward the bulk section at the natural foods store. There, I helped myself to a baggy of organic, fair trade-certified Frontier Co-Op Black Pepper<\/a>, and I\u2019ve been happily using it ever since.<\/p>\n I’ve always adhered to the belief that freshly ground is better due to some kind of alchemy involving releasing oils, and while that may be true (especially if you\u2019re hiding a tin of ground pepper in the pantry and rarely cooking with it), what I’ve learned by using liberal pinches of pre-ground pepper in the likes of cacio e pepe<\/a> and pomegranate chicken wings<\/a> is that, if you’re using enough of it, the pre-ground stuff is just as fresh and flavorful as the pepper that comes out of a mill.<\/p>\n In my 20s, I worked as a line cook, and cooking with a dish of pre-ground pepper by the stove reminds me of those days of working on the line. Instead of buying ground pepper in bulk, we ground black peppercorns pre-service, storing it in a deli container with the rest of our mise en place. Can you imagine Jeremy Allen White<\/a> wielding a pepper grinder in the middle of the rush? No chef, that would be absurd.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Ethan Frisch, co-founder of the spice company Burlap & Barrel<\/a>, says he often sees chefs using their own blend of salt and pre-ground pepper for service. That idea led him to collaborate with celeb chef Marc Murphy on a new product called Chef\u2019s Best Friend, a combination of ground Zanzibar black peppercorns and crystal salt. \u201cCombining ground black pepper with salt is great for extending its shelf life,\u201d Ethan explains. \u201cThe salt helps prevent moisture and preserve the zinginess of fresh-ground black pepper.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s also the issue of access for folks with motor ability issues. My stepmom suffers from both carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis, making a pepper grinder about as intimidating as it gets. Pre-ground pepper solves that problem in one fell pinch.<\/p>\n Plus, pre-ground pepper has the advantage of consistency. Because the grind is always the same, you know exactly what you\u2019re getting in every teaspoon, which is a boon for baking recipes like Black Pepper Popovers<\/a> and Black Pepper Fantails<\/a>. So from now on, I\u2019ll keep my pepper in a pinch bowl<\/a> by the stove and save the pepper grinder for tableside topping of Caesar salads<\/a> and any other dish that needs a little extra flourish.<\/p>\n It\u2019s Convenient<\/h3>\n
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You Can Pre-Mix it With Other Seasonings<\/h3>\n
It\u2019s Accessible<\/h3>\n
Pre-Ground Means Better Consistency<\/h3>\n
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\nDo you have a favorite use for pre-ground black pepper? Tell us in the comments!<\/em>
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