Food - Drink
What Wolfgang Puck Advises You Do Before Grinding Fresh Pepper
By TALIN VARTANIAN
If restaurant names like Spago and Chinois on Main ring a bell, you may know their owner, Wolfgang Puck, a renowned chef with a Lifetime Achievement Award and several "Outstanding Chef" awards. Puck has always been happy to share tips with home cooks, and he knows how to best unlock the flavor of spices like pepper.
Puck recommends toasting peppercorns before you grind them, whether you're using basic black pepper or a fancier variety. For instance, toasting Sichuan peppercorns can help take some of their bitter flavors, and toasting any spice can bring out its incredible flavors and aromas, whether you use the oven or a wok or skillet.
Puck prefers to use the oven, and Rumi Spice suggests toasting peppercorns on a baking sheet for a maximum of three minutes in a 350-degrees F oven, then cooling them off in a bowl before grinding. To toast Sichuan peppercorns, use a wok over medium heat and gently stir them until they "pop," then cool and grind or use whole.