Many classic recipes for chicken stock call for white peppercorns (which are just skinned black peppercorns).
I'm looking to trim my pantry list a bit and white peppercorns seem unnecessary, given that black will probably do the trick, and I always have those on hand.
Does anyone have first-hand experience with a stock made with white vs. black peppercorns?
White peppercorns are used purely for aesthetic reasons- just to avoid black specs in a pale dish.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, white peppercorns taste absolutely terrible. They have a sour, astringent, flavor not at all similar to black peppercorns.
I don't think black pepper looks objectionable so I always use it.
You could probably get away without having white peppercorns. There is a slight difference in flavor, but the reasons for white over black pepper tend to be more aesthetic. Just use a little less in black pepper than what the recipe calls for in white. I doubt you'll notice any difference.
