Do I need to keep white peppercorns on hand for making stock?

Question

Many classic recipes for chicken stock call for white peppercorns (which are just skinned black peppercorns).

I'm looking to trim my pantry list a bit and white peppercorns seem unnecessary, given that black will probably do the trick, and I always have those on hand.

Does anyone have first-hand experience with a stock made with white vs. black peppercorns?

Asked by Rich Armstrong

Answer

White peppercorns are used purely for aesthetic reasons- just to avoid black specs in a pale dish.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, white peppercorns taste absolutely terrible. They have a sour, astringent, flavor not at all similar to black peppercorns.

I don't think black pepper looks objectionable so I always use it.

Answered by Sobachatina

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Recommendations for spice organization strategies

Question

Spices have always been the hardest thing for me to keep track of in the kitchen. I'm interested in specific recommendations for

1. hardware (containers, labeling, shelving, etc.) and
2. organization schemes (alphabetical? categories?)

in order to make it easier to find the spices I'm looking for.

Answer

Alphabetically works best for us.

I have a friend that does alphabetically by sweet and savory.

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