Salt and pepper. The two ingredients in just about every recipe. The key to using pepper in a recipe is having a pepper mill with strong grinding capabilities. Have you ever bitten down on a chunk of peppercorn that hasn’t successfully been ground down enough and your whole mouth is now on fire – let alone how your tooth is feeling? Ouch.
When it comes to certain kitchen tools, sometimes you need to spend a bit more to have quality materials so the equipment or gadget will do a great job on the task it is assigned. In this case, we are talking about the grinders used in pepper mills. Specifically, Peugeot Pepper Mills.
Many years ago, I worked for a national housewares retailer where I saw pepper mills returned on a regular basis for the reasons mentioned above. When I asked what the solution was to this problem, I was given an easy answer. Find a high quality grinder and there will be no issue. When I asked if there was a recommended brand, the only name offered was Peugeot. That was 12 years ago. And is still the case now.
Within Peugeot, they have a series of pepper mills called u’Select that lets you choose the grind from six settings with a simple turn of the base. Their engineered grinding mechanism is so durable that it gives you the control to choose if you want ultra fine or coarse or anywhere in between. There is a case hardened steel mechanism inside the mill that cracks the peppercorns before grinding for an even grind and rich aroma.
A few tips that will assure your pepper mill lasts a long time:
- Do not put salt in the pepper mill or pepper in the salt mill. Seems like it wouldn’t be an issue but it will definitely cause you trouble. Different mechanisms for salt and pepper.
- Use only black, white or mixed peppercorns in the pepper mill not green or pink peppercorns.
- Bonus tip: If you get the matching salt mill, you do not want to use wet salt in the mill.
This series that I am sharing with you is called the Paris u’Select. It is the flagship model of the Peugeot collection. The certified sustainable beechwood pepper mill comes in different colors (natural, chocolate, black lacquered, red lacquered and white lacquered) as well as a number of different sizes to fit your needs. All mechanisms are guaranteed for life, and all Peugeot mills are designed, developed and assembled in France. In my kitchen, the pepper mill sits on the counter and is a part of the décor as it gets regular use. Easy access, high quality product and pleasing appearance make this a beautiful addition to a cook’s kitchen. Peugeot 23683 Paris U’Select 7-Inch Pepper Mill, Black Lacquer
If you are looking for a way to enhance flavor in your dishes, adding fresh ground pepper will be one solution you may want to try. You can find Peugeot pepper mills at your local kitchen retailers as well as online. I have no doubt you will appreciate the quality found in these pepper mills from the mechanisms to the design.
Thanks for stopping by.
- 2 tablespoons good olive oil, plus extra for searing
- 1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion (2 onions)
- 2 teaspoons peeled, minced fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 ripe mangos, peeled, seeded, and small diced
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeno pepper, to taste (1 pepper)
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh mint leaves
- 2 tuna steaks
- Saute the olive oil, onions, and ginger in a large saute pan over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the mangos, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes.
- Add the orange juice, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, and jalapeno; cook for 10 more minutes, until orange juice is reduced, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat and add the mint.
- Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
- Heat a saute pan over high heat for 5 minutes until very hot.
- Season the tuna liberally with salt and pepper.
- When the pan is very hot, add a drizzle of olive oil and then the tuna steaks.
- Sear for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until the outside is browned, but the inside is very rare.
- Serve the tuna on top of the mango salsa.
Good tips. I could use a new pepper mill. My pepper mill stopped working for some reason!
We put pepper on everything. Now I know what my next pepper purchase grinder is going to be.
I can’t stay without pepper. Almost everything I eat, I put pepper… Not sure if its such a good thing.
Great tips, thank you for sharing! I am definitely in the market for one. I sort of threw away the last one we had, as I was not sure how to add more to it. I’ll hang my head in shame now. 😉
Very cool! I’ve always wanted a Pepper Mill, but must admit it’s a little intimidating lol! I never knew you couldn’t mix salt/pepper etc in the various mills. Great info!