I'm looking into buying anise seed from Penzey's. It's not something I've ever
purchased before, so I'm not sure if it's best to have anise seed ground or
cracked. I also have the option to buy whole star anise....help! What do you
guys recommend for an all purpose anise purchase? I'll probably use it to make
biscotti. Or anything else you guys recommend.....

Thanks in advance,
Jen
Half the people you know are below average. -Steven Wright

>(JLove98905) writes:
>
>I'm looking into buying anise seed from Penzey's. It's not something I've
>ever
>purchased before, so I'm not sure if it's best to have anise seed ground or
>cracked. I also have the option to buy whole star anise....help! What do you
>guys recommend for an all purpose anise purchase? I'll probably use it to
>make biscotti.

Star anise, typically used in oriental cookery, is an entirely different spice
from anise seed. I would strongly recommend you buy whole anise seed...
they're easy enough to crush/crack if that's what you need but mostly they're
used whole.


---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

OMG I agree with Sheldon, I've been struck by lightening (kidding on
that). Star anise is a different animal than anise. Go for whole anise
seed, he's right.

hugs,
sticks

PENMART01 wrote:
>>(JLove98905) writes:
>>
>>I'm looking into buying anise seed from Penzey's. It's not something I've
>>ever
>>purchased before, so I'm not sure if it's best to have anise seed ground or
>>cracked. I also have the option to buy whole star anise....help! What do you
>>guys recommend for an all purpose anise purchase? I'll probably use it to
>>make biscotti.
>
>
> Star anise, typically used in oriental cookery, is an entirely different spice
> from anise seed. I would strongly recommend you buy whole anise seed...
> they're easy enough to crush/crack if that's what you need but mostly they're
> used whole.
>
>

OSPAM (JLove98905) wrote in
:

> I'm looking into buying anise seed from Penzey's. It's not something
> I've ever purchased before, so I'm not sure if it's best to have anise
> seed ground or cracked. I also have the option to buy whole star
> anise....help! What do you guys recommend for an all purpose anise
> purchase? I'll probably use it to make biscotti. Or anything else you
> guys recommend.....
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Jen
> Half the people you know are below average. -Steven Wright
>
>

Go whole....more uses whole and easier to roast. Can't be that tough to
crack or grind.

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food
and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.

JLove98905 wrote:

> I'm looking into buying anise seed from Penzey's. It's not something I've ever
> purchased before, so I'm not sure if it's best to have anise seed ground or
> cracked. I also have the option to buy whole star anise....help! What do you
> guys recommend for an all purpose anise purchase? I'll probably use it to make
> biscotti. Or anything else you guys recommend.....
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Jen
> Half the people you know are below average. -Steven Wright
>
>


Buy whole aniseseed. I've never seed it cracked, but I don't see any need
to crack it.

Star anise tastes about the same, but is not as useful except in Chinese
cooking, and maybe making sweet pickles (if you like your pickles to taste
oddly like licorice.)

-bob

In article >,
OSPAM (JLove98905) wrote:

> I'm looking into buying anise seed from Penzey's. It's not something
> I've ever purchased before, so I'm not sure if it's best to have
> anise seed ground or cracked. I also have the option to buy whole
> star anise....help! What do you guys recommend for an all purpose
> anise purchase? I'll probably use it to make biscotti. Or anything
> else you guys recommend.....

> Thanks in advance,
> Jen
> Half the people you know are below average. -Steven Wright

I buy seeds and grind them with mortar and pestle as needed. Seems like
a fresher flavor if I do the grinding myself.
--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> updated 3-29-04.

"JLove98905" > wrote in message
...
> I'm looking into buying anise seed from Penzey's. It's not something I've
ever
> purchased before, so I'm not sure if it's best to have anise seed ground
or
> cracked. I also have the option to buy whole star anise....help! What do
you
> guys recommend for an all purpose anise purchase? I'll probably use it to
make
> biscotti. Or anything else you guys recommend.....
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Jen

Start anise is a totally different critter, although similar in flavor. It's
used in Chinese cooking.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

JLove98905 wrote:
>
> I'm looking into buying anise seed from Penzey's. It's not something I've ever
> purchased before, so I'm not sure if it's best to have anise seed ground or
> cracked. I also have the option to buy whole star anise....help! What do you
> guys recommend for an all purpose anise purchase? I'll probably use it to make
> biscotti. Or anything else you guys recommend.....
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Jen
>

Buy whole anise seed. It's harder to tell if ground or cracked seed is
adulterated, so it is often lower quality. It's easy enough to grind in
a spice grinder/coffee grinder.

Whole star anise isn't interchangeable with regular anise; the flavours
are completely different. You'd probably get better star anise at a
Chinese grocery and you'd be able to see the quality of it.

>Arri London says:
>
>You'd probably get better star anise at a
>Chinese grocery and you'd be able to see the quality <S>of it</S>.

How does one *see* the quality of star anise... and broken stars is no culinary
indication, only esthetic... or superstitious if one is so inclined. Whole
star anse is one of those spices where one really is at the mercy of the
purveyor, there is no way whatsoever to tell it's quality merely by looking..
but then so are most spices. Mostly it depends on how the spice was stored...
if loose in a burlap sack whole star anise will lose it's potency relatively
quickly, but if stored in a sealed glass container, kept cool, and away from
light it will still be potent even after 100 years. I bought a couple of
ounces of star anise from Penzeys nearly ten years ago. I keep it in a sealed
glass jelly jar. I don't use it often but when I do I need to use it
sparingly, to my taste it is quite strong. I trust Penzeys, I don't care if
they charge a bit more, I've never been disappointed with any of their spices.
A non descript Chinese grocery is the last place I'd buy spices.


---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."