Upgrade dishes and desserts with the herbal, sweet taste of this spice.
Just a small amount can make your dishes and desserts taste a little fancybut nottoofancy.
(Fun fact: Anise is in the same plant family as parsley, carrots, and celery!)
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The seeds, whole or ground, taste sweetbut thats the beginning.
In fact, theyre not even related.
Both the pods and the seeds they contain are used in cooking.
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They can also be used in sweeter applications, likechaiormulled wine.
Ground star anise is one of the ingredients in Chinese five-spice powder.
Fennel seeds taste slightly sweeter and a little milder than anise seeds.
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Whole Anise Seed Vs.
Ground Anise Seed
Both whole anise seeds and ground anise seeds are common in baked goods and savory dishes.
Go for the whole seeds when youre looking for extra texture.
Stuck with one when your recipe calls for another?
One teaspoon of whole anise seeds equals about one teaspoon of ground.
As with all spices, its best to buy in smaller quantities so that youre buying fresh more often.
Do not let your spices sit around in the cabinet for more than a year!
They will lose their flavor!
It will keep for about six months.
A note on toasting: Toasting all spices brings out their flavor and aroma.
Grown-up Fig Newtons, anyone?
Here are a few recipes for getting started.
If you see fennel seeds instead of anise seeds, swap anise in, one for one.
