Black Pepper

Sharp, spicy and surprisingly floral. It provides a dry heat that hits the back of the throat rather than the tip of the tongue. Depending on the variety, you might pick up notes of citrus, pine or fermented musk.

Mainly, it's about flavour. Piperine, which gives pepper its kick, can help your gut work and might help you get more out of other foods, like turmeric. But really, you're using it to make things taste good.

Tell the pre-ground stuff to get lost. It loses its punch within days of being milled.

Buy whole peppercorns. Tell-tale signs of quality are a deep, dark colour and a heavy weight for their size. If the peppercorns feel light or look dusty, they are probably past their prime.

Store whole peppercorns in a tight jar in a cool, dark cupboard. They will stay potent for years.

Once you grind them into a pepper mill, use them within a few weeks. Heat and light are the enemies here; don’t park your pepper mill right next to a hot stove or on a sunny windowsill.

Pepper isn't a garnish; it's a structural element.

Add it at the start of a long braise for a deep, warm hum. Add it at the end to get that sharp, floral bite. For a steak au poivre, use cracked peppercorns to provide a physical crust that contrasts with the tender meat.

Pre-ground black pepper is a different ingredient to freshly cracked peppercorns. The volatile oils that make pepper smell like pepper start evaporating the moment it's ground.

A jar of pre-ground pepper that's been sitting in the cupboard for a year tastes of cardboard heat. Same pepper, freshly cracked, tastes of citrus, pine, and gentle spice.

Different peppercorns taste genuinely different. Tellicherry (large, aged) is more complex than the standard. White pepper (the same berry with the husk removed) is sharper and more pungent — used in pale sauces where you don't want black flecks.

Get a decent grinder. It's the single biggest cooking upgrade for the price.