Hello everybody. Everytime I watch the TV chefs in action, they always use freshly ground black peppercorns.

Is there really any problem with using ground black pepper in a shaker tub, bought from Safeway? I'm not going to throw away my pepper, just for the sake of showing off!

What do you think?

Cheers, Francesco.

well ckristoff

I love the smell of freshly ground spices including pepper. I would always use freshly ground as pre- ground starts to loose its flavour from the moment it is ground.

A peppermill can be so expensive but also very cheap, once it is purchased, you can have freshly gound pepper for years to come, so why compromise. Of course it's your choice, but a peppermill can be picked up very cheaply now a days, so why worry.

i grind my peppercorn up in a pestle and morter as i need each small batch. smells delicious and good for stress busting. I dont have a mill.

It is not about showing off - it is about what tastes better. Try comparing the two side by side and you will never ever use ground black pepper again if you can help it.

And it makes you sneeze more , another reason to grind your own. What about salt then? Again I grind my own, taste so much better.

So blondie, do you use my local Moldan salt :D

Yes ,have used it. I buy a lot from Julian graves along with my peppercorns. I use sea and rock salt also bathe my aching feet in it after a long day.

Can't you just pop down to the beach and get a bucket of sea water Blondie?

it's like cumin and corriander seeds, it loses flavour if it's pre-ground, I think personally

Every day when it's warm I go for a paddle and exfoliate my feet on the sandy bits. It's pebbles at the top and sand down the bottom. So when I have a break you will know where I am. I have half the pebbles in my garden though!!!! The overseas visitors, well you wouldn't believe what they bring into their rooms. Nice for them though as many never see the sea.

i totally agree, it is always worth grinding pepper fresh, the oils dry out a loose the flavour - like coffee beans. another great skin exfoliator is salt and olive oil mixed together, rub it over your dry pathches (?!) and it will exfoliate and moisturise in one. a shower is recommended after though!!

There's nothing like a foot exfoliation session in the sea! I did mine today too.

Thank you all for your interesting comments, that's what life is about. Your opinions and suggestions count a lot. I suppose I've got bad taste, which brings me to today's purchase. This afternoon I bought myself a pair of shorts. Not only that, I kept them on, my wife is still recovering from the shock!!

Thank you all for your friendly banter, it's a lot better than the chat forums on a motorhome web-site I also use. Keep it up!! Cheers, Francesco.

Shorts? It must be nice and warm in England then! Perhaps I won't miss Aus so much on our visit it we get nice weather.