Element Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 If you buy whole star anise, is it typical for the stars to be mostly broken? Or is this a "you get what you pay for" kind of thing? I ordered online, didn't pay much, and now have 7 oz. of star fragments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Penzeys says: Star AniseChinese star anise is one of the most beautiful and fragrant spices in the world. The perfect 8-12 pointed stars are the fruit of the native Chinese evergreens, boasting a much stronger, sweeter and denser licorice flavor than the more common Spanish anise seeds. Make sure to cut back by ½ - 2/3 if you are substituting star anise for seed anise, as it is more potent.Whole Star Anise is often used in craftwork as it is so beautiful, on a plate as a garnish or floated in a pot of tea. Since the flavor of star anise is very strong, most star anise used in cooking is broken or powdered, as a whole star overpowers most dishes.Broken Star Anise pieces are used in pickling (2- 3 points per quart), curry or stir fry (3-5 points per dish).Powdered Star Anise is great for baking. Use 1/3 as much as recipes using anise seed call for. Powdered star anise is essential for Chinese 5 spice and many Asian recipes for duck and pork. In my cooking, I've used whole star anise so I can pick it out, or powdered star anise (it would be easy to grind what you have) because I don't like to eat the broken pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 It seems like there's always a mix of whole and broken pieces when I buy it. But I nearly always either break it up or grind it for a recipe, so it doesn't really matter to me. If it all seemed pretty crushed, I wouldn't buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 If you have some mesh cloth or such, just make a small bag to hold the pieces, and fish the bag out later. BTW I have seen whole star anise in the local Hispanic market next to the other whole spices for a fraction of the cost of the same item in tiny jars in the spice aisle of the supermarket or on-line. Always check your local ethnic markets first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I've never used it decoratively, so broken is fine with me. It's fragile. Do you have any ethnic stores nearby? It's dirt cheap at the Indian store and the pieces are mostly intact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 The only time we use it is when DH makes boiled peanuts so broken doesn't matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.