Using only black pepper might be a bit much, but I'd say almost everything I make has either black, white, or red pepper in it.

Everything from mac and cheese to stir fry would seem a bit bland to me without it. If that makes my palate unsophisticated, shrug.

Am I alone in that I almost never use it, and with recently moving didn't bother to buy a jar of it for the new place? Crushed red? Sure. Cayenne? Chili? Yes. Black? Veerrrrry rarely.

I only recently started to like black pepper, so I really only use it on a few things while cooking, but I rarely use it at the table!

I take anything from Slate with a grain of salt (no pun intended). After all, they did (basically) argue that canning was popular because it gave people a smug superiority.

Food seasoned with just salt is one-dimensional. Adding black pepper (or some other seasoning) rounds out the flavor of food. If that's just my lame way of covering up my mediocre cooking and shoddy ingredients...well, don't eat it.

I like the kick of pepper in many things, but I use pink, green, and white peppercorns in addition to black. Other than peppercorns, my most-used spices are cumin, red pepper flakes, and za'atar.

My boyfriend and I use dried crushed papaya seeds as a pepper sub (due to a allergy). I love adding it to homemade chicken broth soup- it adds a little complexity.

I don't use black pepper and never have. Even a few flakes of it can completely ruin a dish for me.

I think it depends on what you're cooking; I agree, pepper is overused and doesn't belong in some dishes. I think it masks other spices too often. I always leave it out when using dried chile peppers, cayenne, pepper flakes, etc., because I don't think that the two flavors compliment each other. I don't know that there should be ONE spice to accompany salt, but I do use a heckuva lot of cumin in my kitchen. :-)

Sure....white pepper.

hm i am a black pepper LOVER but sometimes i'll switch it out for freshly grated nutmeg (especially in cheesy pasta dishes mmmmmm)

Did anyone ever stop to consider that maybe some of us LIKE pepper?
I love black pepper...on eggs, on veggies, in gravy, etc. I don't switch to another spice because I'm not going for the flavor of another spice. I'm going for the comfortable heat & spice provided by the little grinds of black pepper.
Of course, there are exceptions; like using white pepper for lighter colored & more delicate dishes.
What's up with this anti-pepper crusade?

We use black pepper (freshly ground) all the time...however we also use red pepper flakes all the time! Our kitchen table has three things always in place when we sit down for a meal--kosher or sea salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Makes everything better in my opinion!

I think pepper, like any other spice, needs to used with care and concern, while tasting. I do use it quite often, but only as an enhancer, not to overpower, or take center stage (unless it's like peppercorn sauce on a steak or something). I also prefer to use fresh ground over the reground stuff. The flavor is more complex and interesting when it's freshly ground than just out of a can.

I'm w/ @QueenOfTheFall - it's a taste I like. I can't imagine eggs prepared in any way w/o pepper. Sure, over-peppering something isn't good, but pepper (most often black but sometimes white) finds its way into almost everything I make. If there's some variety of chile or crushed red pepper in something, I do tend to omit the pepper.

@ATN654 - I hate to break it to you, but canning *is* popular because it does give (some) people a feeling of smug superiority. When people are going to the farmer's market and Whole Paycheck to procure produce to put up, it's moved beyond frugality and dealing with the overabundance of one's own garden into something else entirely.

Even with salt the cheapest preservative, most spices were used to cover up rancid food tastes as well as extend food's shelf life.

Seasoning preferences have changed over the centuries as spices became cheaper and more available. Mace and allspice were the popular flavors a couple centuries ago among the rich. Today everything is spiced up with some chile flavor which would have been unheard of only 10 years ago. Even 30 years ago, fresh garlic wasn't in many American homes unless they were a couple generations from immigration.

Anyway after salt and pepper, I would say garlic cloves, and Ancho Chile powder are my favorites; Ancho isn't hot.

White pepper does not have a flavor that is as distinct as black pepper. I ran out of it - but I always would add a pinch of white pepper to a lot of different dishes to add a subtle heat dimension to food - kinda like adding a squeeze lemon juice to finish things off. Maybe something to start again in the new year!

SchoolieJoolie - What about preserving fresh vegetables and fruit when they are in season? Just because you don't grow it yourselv (live in a city perhaps?) doesn't mean you can't appreciate foods when they are at their peak and want to save that flavor for the rest of the year. Besides, my homemade jam is WAY better than anything I can buy in the store. And cheaper, even if I buy the fruit. I guess that makes me smug?

yourself*

We rarely use black pepper because the kids hate it. So, I have some high-end peppercorns, bought from spice shops all over the globe, and use it very, very judiciously.

I'm not so fond on black pepper and I use a variety of spices and herbs, I like ginger a lot, chili, I love mustard and mustard seeds. Cappers, olives, srirakha, lemon and lemon zest.
But when I'm supposed to use pepper I only use it black and from India and crushed istantly (the ground pepper tastes sooo different).

I'm sort of weirded out by the whole idea of the poll to find a new companion for salt. I thought the whole point of this recent anti-pepper crusade was to remind people that salt is awesome enough to stand on its own and should be accompanied by flavors that enhance a specific dish, not blindly accompanied by a single spice every time. What differnce would choosing a new companion make.

In other related things: (1) I like pepper, so sometimes I put in in things. So sue me. (2) In addition to MsScrabble's reason, I can despite not have a garden in my apartment because it's fun. I'm not smug about my fun, I just enjoy it.

red pepper flakes!

What we use instead: nutmeg, cumin, ginger and cinnamon, as well as lemon juice, olive oil and flavoured olive oil.

for years i have used only freshly ground pepper, and it goes in almost everything. i eat it out of hand sometimes, as i just love the taste. i wish there were candles with the smell of black pepper as i adore it.

but i use all sorts of spices too. if anything, i over spice my foods, but i love complexity in my foods. it took me a good two years living in japan to come to appreciate simplicity and highlighting the essence of a single ingredient. i appreciate it, but i still prefer a party in my mouth.

I adore black pepper. I might seem closed minded, but nothing could replace it to me!

I like Grains of Paradise as a zesty substitute for black pepper

ajwain seeds.

Cayenne pepper, definitely. Just a touch, enough to give a slight hint of heat once you've put down the fork. It's my secret spice!

I honestly use more Garlic (fresh and or powered, both have their uses) more than Pepper.
When I do use it it's mostly for a slight spicy kick.
More so I want a nice burn and I'll use Red Pepper flake as I'm cooking.(works well with pasta)

I'm coming to love spices, especially cumin, but my husband can't stand anything but salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, so I tend to use those. I also love adding flavor with alliums and citrus.

In my opinion, nothing replaces a few shakes of black pepper in tomato soup...mmmm....

Slate is a joke. I wouldn't give much weight to what they say. Often their own facts are wrong.

Enjoy your pepper.

Grains of Paradise is a good black-pepper substitute. It has a similar heat/bite, but a different, more delicate, almost floral flavor.

It was often used instead of black pepper in Renaissance Europe because it came from Africa, making it more accessible (and therefore cheaper) than Asian black pepper.

Sriracha. Yum!

Isn't this a classic case of, "if it's popular, it must be bad"? I don't put black pepper on everything and I don't douse food in it, but it does add depth of flavor, especially with homemade soup. Like others have said, I don't use it at the table, but I do cook with it a fair amount. I also use garlic a lot.

These types of food judgments always come down to American habits. Writers think nothing of saying, "Americans eat X too much," but they don't question the regular habits of other cultures in this way. Does anyone say that the Japanese use soy sauce too much and need another flavoring? Each culture has its own tastes and there's nothing wrong with certain desires pervading... unless of course we're talking about Americans then it's all wrong. :-p

I think chicken broth is overused in the same way, and cilantro. So often certain ingredients seem to appear in recipes just because they can.

Nothing beats cacio e pepe and there are many American dishes where it makes sense. But it is the least used spice on my shelf. In my case using pepper routinely would be an unthinking habit that I learned from my older relatives, not a considered choice. But that's just me and what I cook.

Love black pepper. Love crushed red pepper flakes. Those are my everyday seasonings. And, of course, kosher salt. I also eat a TON of cinnamon.... Yum!

I am a pepper fiend! However, recently I have discovered an even greater love for Chili powder. It adds that extra oomph to sooo many dishes but with a homier more interesting texture. (I especially love it in hot chocolate!) :)

Most recipes I come across call for seasoning a dish with a bit of salt and pepper. Couldn't have imagined there were people so against pepper!