A question about long storage time for toasted whole peppercorns

[Shel_B]

Whole black peppercorns are used here daily. Often they are pan toasted. It's tiresome to toast a small amount almost daily. I'm thinking of toasting enough to fill, or half-fill, the pepper grinder. Will toasted peppercorns hold their flavor for a week or more?  Will long-term storage of toasted peppercorns end up with reduced, or changed, flavor? In short, is there a benefit to doing this? Thanks

[Smithy]

Without having tried it myself, my guess is that if you toast some and store them unground, you'll be able to keep them in pretty good condition for at least a week...maybe 2 weeks? A month? From what I've read, the degradation in flavor begins when the peppercorn is broken apart, i.e. ground.

 

A good way to test your own tolerance for flavor degradation would be to devise a flavor comparison, if you have the equipment to do it. Toast some peppercorns and store them in one grinder for, say, a week; toast another set and grind them the day of the test. See if you can tell the difference. Keep working at that until you reach the level of perfection vs. convenience that works for you.

 

[SusieQ]

56 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

Whole black peppercorns are used here daily

Wow, I never would have thought to toast whole black peppercorns. What does it add to your dishes? I'm really curious, since it must be a really good taste to use it almost daily.