Pepper Mill discovery

[Jenise]

Yesterday we had a late breakfast at a local restaurant who actually put pepper mills on each table. We were late enough that we could have ordered from the lunch menu, which I often do or try do even when it's 9 a.m. instead of 11 a.m.--you guys know how I feel about eggs, and I'm about equally averse to pancakes--so it's a miracle that for the first time in my entire life I actually ordered breakfast when I didn't have to, and a second miracle occurred when I didn't order a la carte--my other usual thing. Sick of my little phobias, I ordered a plate with a scrambled egg AND two buttermilk pancakes.

Third miracle: I put pepper on the egg.

And hence I discovered what was just about the best peppermill I've ever used. Does a beautiful coarse grind, which a lot of us prefer but find most mills don't do it well, and dispenses it prolifically.

It came from Chef Specialties in Pennsylvania. It's not a restaurant supply place as you'd think from that name, they only make pepper mills. And more importantly, they themselves make the grinding mechanism that's in most of the peppermills they sell. As explained to me just now by their representative Sue, the mechanisms include a heavy spring which insures that the mill stays where it's set (unlike my crappy Peugeot).

I just ordered two. If you're interested, do note that the description of the mill I like includes the words "Grinding mechanism from Pennsylvania." If 'Pennsylvania' isn't in that description, then it's an imported mill with a different mechanism they offer, and per the phone person I spoke to, imported and not nearly as good.

https://www.chefspecialties.com/

Note that there's a wine-bottle shaped 10" tall model in ebony wood on the Outlet for $30 ea. (That's what I chose.)

I sympathize on the pancake front... who needs those? Did you know that the Borden family ate them on the morning of the day on which two of the family died? (The breakfast included "jonnycakes", coffee, bananas, and a several-days-old mutton stew that supposedly made everybody queasy but Lizzie, who didn't partake.)

But eggs, ah... Jenise, you're... wei... dam... unusual.

And we love you.

[Jenise]

I sympathize on the pancake front... who needs those?

Pancakes are my very first food memory. I was 11 months old, strapped into a high chair on a camping trip to San Francisco. My grandmother, who probably made them, was along too and attempting to force feed me this soggy thing loaded with maple syrup, which was the worst thing I'd ever tasted. I was trying to spit them out, rather unsuccessfully as I recall. My next encounter was a sixth grade slumber party. Force-feeding wasn't involved but that experience was no more successful than the first. I can eat them now, but I'll never be a fan--and hold the syrup.

(unlike my crappy Peugeot).

Jenise, I have a vague memory of you being pretty excited when you bought that crappy Peugeot pepper mill. Am I just dreaming this?

FYI, I recently bought a Cole & Mason salt and pepper set. It's early days, but I'm very happy with them. The salt grinder is excellent and my memory is that once when I used a Peugeot salt mill it was not very impressive. The pepper mill uses a completely different method than the Peugeot and when you grind the pepper you can smell it several feet away.

God, I am so with you on the pancakes. Even half a traditional pancake makes me feel like I've eaten a brick.

We have a salt and pepper grinder set for the table made by Willaim Bounds. Each has a stepped mechanism for fine, medium, and coarse grinds. They work fine although I wonder how long they'll last. If they die anytime soon, I'll check out the Chef Specialties ones.

For the kitchen, though, I'll never give up using a Unicom.

[Jenise]

(unlike my crappy Peugeot).

Jenise, I have a vague memory of you being pretty excited when you bought that crappy Peugeot pepper mill. Am I just dreaming this?

Only if you might be misremembering anger as excitement. I didn't think it worked well at all. So I took it back to the kitchen store I bought it at and they had the temerity to tell me I was using the wrong pepper, that tellicherry is too large and Peugeot recommends malabar. I went ballistic, as you might imagine. But it was also true that the grinder i'd bought didn't even grind malabar well, so they replaced it. The one I have is better, but still not as good as the little German one I keep stove side. The German one has a lever you just grab and go round in circles. Can put a lot of pepper into a dish--just keep grinding, vs. the grab/twist/grab/twist repetition of the typical mill--fine for a salad, but laborious for grinding a larger quantity into a soup, say. The new one I got from these people, the wine bottle shape, is somewhere between the two. You gotta keep grabbing, but each grab is good for a 360 twist.

This is an old thread, but does anyone have a current recommendation for a compact model that will live hidden in a cupboard? I would like to grind some white pepper but I don't like the cost or size of a Unicorn for this application. Thanks!

Walter, to be be honest some of the supermarket filled pepper mills work reasonably well and last a few fills, then start again with a new one. I found them a good option for camping where I still wanted fresh ground peppper but wanted a cheaper option. The Aldi one isn’t bad, it’s the only store that we might have in common!

[Jenise]

Walter, to be be honest some of the supermarket filled pepper mills work reasonably well and last a few fills, then start again with a new one. I found them a good option for camping where I still wanted fresh ground pepper but wanted a cheaper option. The Aldi one isn’t bad, it’s the only store that we might have in common!

In the U.S., Barb, the whole white peppercorns Walt wants to deploy don't come prefilled, only black of indeterminate origins.

Walt, the Oxy line, which is easy to find (probably any Bed Bath & Beyond) makes a pretty good, inexpensive pepper mill.

Jenise, actually at my local markets the only way to buy whole white peppercorns is the prefilled containers/grinders. I just buy a new one when it seems to lose flavor. I can buy containers at Kaluystans, but they'll be stale before I go through 10%, and I'd have to devote a grinder. I guess it varies by region.

I have three mills in my kitchen: one for black pepper, one for white pepper, and one for grains of paradise.

The first is a 6" tall Peugeot which I'd replace in a heartbeat because it does not always grind the Tellicherry Extra Bold corns. I often have to loosen the knob, give it a shake, and tighten it down again.

The second is a 4" tall Zassenhaus which works just fine. It lives in the spice cabinet.

The third is a 3" tall Danton by Vic Firth which works very well on the very tiny grains. It, too, lives in the spice cabinet.

I agree with the general consensus that most companies make workable grinders so just get something that fits the cabinet.

I have a mill that I use for black pepper. It looks just like one of those old classic white porcelain tub faucets. The mill crank mechanism is a four-pronged faucet knob, complete with a ceramic letter H.

-Paul W.

I have three mills in my kitchen: one for black pepper, one for white pepper, and one for grains of paradise.

Only three?

I'm a bit obsessive about pepper - I have 6 grinders on my kitchen counter:

• one for white pepper
• one for black Tellicherry pepper that's adjustible in 5 steps from fine to coarse
• one Tellicherry pepper that's so coarse it's effectively cracked pepper
• one for multi-coloured peppers (black, white, red, green)
• one for voatsiperifery pepper
• one for cubeb pepper

That's not counting the ones in tins and jars: Szechuan, pickled green, dried green, and pickled red peppercorns. They get used whole or ground when needed.

I remember finding a couple of stores - one in Québec City, and one in Tours that each had 15 or 20 different varieties of black peppercorns in bins, so you could smell each one.

• one for voatsiperifery pepper
• one for cubeb pepper

Everyone needs a hobby! What are these two like?

I'm a fan of pickled green peppercorns in Thai curries. I've found that, once you open the jar, the pepper oxidizes and turns black. I've been adding a teaspoonful of ascorbic acid (that "stay fresh" powder that's sold for use with fruit) and that slows the oxidation down. What do others do about it?

-Paul W.

• one for voatsiperifery pepper
• one for cubeb pepper

Everyone needs a hobby! What are these two like?

I'm not the best one to ask, since I have almost no sense of smell, and sense of taste is impaired. My wife discovered these at one of the multi-pepper shops I mentioned earlier. Here's a page that describes the two: https://www.terreexotique.com/blog/terres-poivres-autres-piper/

I'm a fan of pickled green peppercorns in Thai curries. I've found that, once you open the jar, the pepper oxidizes and turns black. I've been adding a teaspoonful of ascorbic acid (that "stay fresh" powder that's sold for use with fruit) and that slows the oxidation down. What do others do about it?

-Paul W.

I've never had a problem like that. I buy green or red peppercorns packed in brine, and just take out what I need, rinse them off and leave the rest in the brine. They last for many months in the fridge. I mostly use them for steak or duck breast with green peppercorn sauce.

I'm not the best one to ask, since I have almost no sense of smell, and sense of taste is impaired. My wife discovered these at one of the multi-pepper shops I mentioned earlier. Here's a page that describes the two: https://www.terreexotique.com/blog/terres-poivres-autres-piper/

Thanks, Ted.

There are more forms of pepper than are dreamt of in my philosophy, apparently! Fascinating.

I am reluctant to buy kitchen gear in the types of shops I'm visiting in person, after one supermarket tried to charge $4.50 for 23m / 75ft of twine. We have a Peugot for table use that's quite nice, though I hear mixed reviews. I'll probably re-purpose it for white in the meantime until I get into a proper kitchen store. Though apparently not Sur la Table! Thanks, everyone.

[Jenise]

A problem with the Peugeot I have is that is that it doesn't like large peppercorns. When I took my new one back to the foofoo kitchen store in Canada I bought it at because it didn't work properly, they had the gall to tell me that I was using the wrong peppercorns (tellicherry regular, not even Extra Bold). I was like, "Do you even hear yourself? I pay $80 for a peppermill and I can only use extra small peppercorns in it?" Mine is all stainless steel, and the fit between the metal parts isn't great either. It's clunky, where it should be tight. I'd never buy another.

A problem with the Peugeot I have is that is that it doesn't like large peppercorns. When I took my new one back to the foofoo kitchen store in Canada I bought it at because it didn't work properly, they had the gall to tell me that I was using the wrong peppercorns (tellicherry regular, not even Extra Bold). I was like, "Do you even hear yourself? I pay $80 for a peppermill and I can only use extra small peppercorns in it?" Mine is all stainless steel, and the fit between the metal parts isn't great either. It's clunky, where it should be tight. I'd never buy another.

Were you able to return it? California and many states have a "fitness of merchantability" law that basically says items must be fit for the purpose for which they are sold. A pepper grinder that can't grind pepper sure seems like it fits the bill! The white corns are smaller (obviously) so I bet they'll work in almost anything. I already bought them from a newish fancy spice shop in Oakland, Calif., Oaktown Spice Shop, so I'm not going to buy a pre-filled grinder anway.