The world's most popular spice, fresh pepper was once so valuable that it was used as a form of currency. To get the most flavor from your pepper, you'll want to use fresh cracked pepper.

When cracked and used right away, whole peppercorns have a more lively and sharp flavor than preground pepper.

To crack the peppercorns, you'll need a pepper mill. I highly recommend an electric pepper mill or battery operated pepper mill set.

Pepper mills are a great kitchen gadget because, unlike the traditional wood pepper mills that requires the use of two hands, the best pepper mill uses the push of a button to free the other hand. A one-handed pepper mill is also a lot more sanitary.