While it often seems like restaurants serve freshly ground pepper for the show of it, it is really true that you will get better flavor from freshly ground pepper. The flavor of the pepper actually comes from the oils in the pepper corn that are released when it is sliced. When pepper is freshly ground with a pepper grinder, the oils are newly released and more pungent and robust in flavor. There are three different basic types of pepper: black – the most common, white and green. Along with being most common, black pepper has the strongest flavor. It is often described as being slightly hot with a hint of sweetness. For a smoother flavor, choose white pepper. The white peppercorns are smaller, have a smoother skin, tan color and milder taste. Green peppercorn is the soft underripe berry that is usually preserved in brine. Green peppercorns are less pungent white or black peppercorns.
You can store pepper corns whole in a cool, dark place for roughly one year’s time. Ground pepper will keep its flavor for about four months if stored properly. When you are using ground pepper to fill salt and pepper shakers, you may benefit from this handy pepper refiller which makes the job much more pleasant and minimizes any potential waste. Green peppercorns that are packed in brine should be refrigerated once the packaging is opened up and they will keep for one month. If you need to have these packed in water, they will only keep for about one week.
