On Tue, 23 Feb 2016 13:47:42 -0500, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

> On 2/23/2016 11:37 AM, wrote:
> > I recently found 1.5 ounces of ground pepper for $1, which is maybe 40% less than what I would pay, per pound, for peppercorns at my local Indian store. (Incredibly, my local health food stores charge MORE for peppercorns than the Indian store, even though they sell spices from bulk bins, unlike in the Indian store!)
> >
> > So, given that it IS convenient to buy only a small amount at a time, is there any good reason not to buy ground pepper?
> >
> >
> > Lenona.
> >
>
> The difference is flavor.
>
> Many years ago I had breakfast a a friend's house. Fresh egg from his
> chicken and fresh ground pepper. A couple of days later I bought a
> pepper grinder and never bought the tasteless powder again.
>
> Pepper starts losing its flavor the second it is ground and exposed to
> air. Soon you will be sprinkling black dust with no flavor.

IMO: pepper "dust" depends on which grind you buy. I hate fine grind
- it's should go straight into the garbage. Coarsely ground pepper is
good for cooking convenience if you don't buy a boatload and use it up
in a couple of months. If you want a lot of bang for the buck without
grinding, try cracked pepper sometime. Your teeth act as the final
pepper grinder and it packs quite a wallop. Not for the faint of
heart.

--

sf