My favorite line from Alice in Wonderland and my battlecry in the kitchen are one in the same: MORE PEPPER! If I had to forgo all other seasoning, I could still get by happily with just sweet, coarse Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Like garlic, only fresh pepper tastes like the real McCoy. That pre-ground stuff adds about as much zing as sand, but there's not much that won't benefit from a few turns of the old pepper grinder. Take Chicken à la King, for instance. A bland suburban dish, yes? But with a frenzied addition of a mountain of pepper and it goes from yawn to va-va-voom! Chicken à la King spiked with tons of pepper is almost dirty.

But it's not just the pepper itself, it's the grinder. Experts will tell you this or that grinding mechanism is essential, but it my book, only two things about a pepper grinder matter: adjustability and looks. That's right, looks. If your grinder's ugly, you'll hide it away in the cupboard and forget to use it. But if it's a looker, you'll keep it out and at the ready. It took me years of bearing ugly T.G.I.Friday's-esque wooden and cheapie Lucite grinders before I found my current, heavy stainless steel honey at Target. Of course, between the internet & IKEA, it's a snap to find a cute grinder these days. I usually keep my grinder set to go as coarse as can be, but comfort food always seems more comforting with a dusting. Make sure your grinder can go both ways.

one-handed pepper mill from Cooking.com