White Pepper 101

April 15th, 2009
by: Blue

In many dishes, black and white pepper go hand in hand (much like my beloved Beans and Cornbread). If you search on the internet you will find varying descriptions of white pepper. Generally it is considered to be milder than black pepper, and for the most part this is true, but white pepper tastes a little sharper to me and packs a higher level of heat than black pepper. Yes, I like it hot! Which is obvious if you’ve seen enough of my recipes.  But using white pepper doesn’t mean that you have to commit yourself to eating jalapenos.

It’s all about balance and layering of flavors, which happens very naturally when you use both white and black pepper.  Typically I will use a combination of white and black pepper when I’m making any kind of creamy, light colored saucy dish, or soups. If I’m making a light colored dish that I don’t want flecks of black pepper in, I’ll use only white pepper. And I use white pepper exclusively in Asian stir frys, soups, and Thai egg rolls.  Great examples of my use of white and black pepper are the recipes for Hatch Potatoes Au Gratin and Venie’s Dumplings and Chicken.

If you are new to white pepper, start with a small amount and add more as needed.


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