Here are some great tips to follow the next time you're cooking with pepper:

  • Pepper should be added to cooked dishes towards the end of cooking to prevent creating a bitter flavor, which can occur when pepper is cooked to long.
  • Cooking pepper for more than two hours can cause it to loose its flavor and aroma completely!
  • Wrap whole peppercorns in a "cheese cloth bag" for simmering in soups or stews.
  • Pepper will have a amplified flavor after food it is in has been frozen.
  • Freshly ground pepper goes surprisingly well on fresh fruit. This is especially true for pink peppercorns, they are a common ingredient in fruit sauces and as a garnish for fruit dishes.
  • Try Lightly toasting peppercorns before use.