You know, instead of those stupid containers with the built-in non-removable grinder tops?
Perhaps I’m not looking for it carefully enough, or maybe I’m going to the wrong supermarkets (generally Von’s or Albertson’s, but I never seem to see it on the shelves anymore.
What are we supposed to do now if we we want whole peppercorns?
I just bought a jar of McCormic brand whole peppercorns the other day - I’m assuming that’s a national brand and widely available. You should ask the next time your at the store.
Based on their website, McCormick sells it that way. (Although I’ve been buying it from Penzey’s.)
Sam’s Club sells them that way and so do most supermarkets. Sam’s Club spices and condiments in the larger containers (from the same brands as in the supermarkets) are so much cheaper on a unit basis than the tiny supermarket jars it’s not even funny.
Penzey’s Spices have a bunch of them. There are some brick & mortar stores (including one just a couple miles from me, woot!) but the bulk of their business likely comes through their website. They still do paper catalogs, too.
https://www.penzeys.com/shop/spices/
Just in whole peppercorns (not ground), they have:
3 kinds of black peppercorns
2 kinds of white peppercorns
1 kind of green peppercorn
1 kind of pink peppercorn*
2 peppercorn blends (one black and white, one black, green, white and pink)
1 kind of Szechuan peppercorns
You can get amounts as small as ¼cup up to as much as a full pound. The larger amounts are packed in Ziploc-type resealable bags of sturdy plastic.
Yes - they are everywhere. Okay I’m based in the UK but here I can even get a large jar from CostCo which is American, right? And most of their brands are American or global.
Find it hard to believe you would have any difficulty at all getting simple jars of whole peppercorns of more than one variety (black or green for sure).
Penzeys was already brought up, so I just came in to reiterate that Penzeys is fantastic and their spices are very reasonably priced.
Yeah, I only buy whole peppercorns, and around here I can find them in a bag or plastic container (or occasionally glass.) My grocery probably stocks three or four different brands in this form. Never had any difficulty finding them anywhere. White peppercorns can be a bit or miss, though, but usually at least the McCormick aisle has them (although their spices sell at way too high prices for me.)
I love Penzey’s but Houston’s Phoenicia often has the best prices on spices. Penzey’s does have some unique offerings worth buying & a fine website. There’s no online ordering from Phoenicia, but you their downtown store offers a place to have a craft beer & a tasty snack–and listen to music. (Or just get a shawarma.)
Last time I needed pepper, I was lazy. So bought one of those grinder-jars at Kroger. To discover the grinding mechanism was removable!
I like Penzey’s spices, but their store hours suck. Closed at 6pm? Seriously? There are banks with later hours than that! Am I supposed to take off an hour of work during the day to go shop for spices?!
Penzeys, SF Spice Co., The Spice House, Safeway…you can find whole peppercorns just about everywhere with a little looking. We get ours from all of the above.
Check any Chinese grocery. Guaranteed to have.
Also best price for spices. Always cheaper than the grocery store!
Penzey’s fan here also; love this company. Order online, free shipping for over $30.
I know, but I want to browse. If I don’t know what a particular spice or blend is, I want to open up the sample bag and get a good whiff, and unfortunately that sort of thing is not possible over the internet.
You’ve never seen the Spice Islands rack of alphabetically arranged jars in a grocery store?
Maybe not every store carries them. They are pricey. Pale green label, good-sized jars of a wide range of spices and herbs, including several kinds of peppercorns. Available online, too. I love Beau Monde (a kind of seasoned salt).
I had the exact same problem just this week. In the past I’ve always bought them in a large box which would last about six months, I had several sizes and brands to choose from, and it cost about $3. This week I was reduced to a small jar (like the other spices come in) for nearly $6! And it took the longest time staring at the shelves in disbelief to find that.
I’ll order more from Penzey before I run out again.
I bought some just a couple weeks ago at our local supermarket: 6 oz of peppercorns in a glass jar with a cork stopper.
We get big-ass containers of them at our local warehouse store.
I used to shop Penzeys; then a Savory Spice Shop opened nearby. They also have online ordering. While the prices and freshness are about the same, you can order smaller quantities.
If you have an Indian grocery in your town, you can try there as well. That’s where we usually get ours.
I’m not sure if our local supermarket carries them or not. Hmm. I’ll have to look next time I’m there.