# ISO advice w/anise the herb/spice



## lyndaW (Apr 13, 2012)

When you cut off the anise from the fennel, how long will it last in the fridge?    Is their anyway of saving it for future cooking...


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## Andy M. (Apr 13, 2012)

Not sure how long it will last.  

However, anise is a different plant from fennel.


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## ShellyCooks (Apr 13, 2012)

As Andy said, fennel and anise are different plants.  Fennel is what is most commonly sold in grocery stores as a vegetable.  You can eat the bulb, stem, and fronds.  Anise is usually sold as seeds in the spice department.  Both have a similar taste --- like licorice.  

To help answer your question -- the bulb and stem of the fennel will last several days in your refrigerator, but the fronds are delicate and should be used as soon as possible.  Try the fronds in salads -- they add a nice taste.

Enjoy your fennel.  There are lots of recipes online that use fennel.


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## Margi Cintrano (Apr 14, 2012)

*Fennel Bulb & Dried Stars of Anise*

Good Morning,

Firstly, Italian Fennel Bulb is a very versatile vegetable which can be used hot in a cream soup for example ( see my post Fennel Cream in the Vegetable Section where I use citrus zest as a garnish );

Or with Italian vegetable stews or sliced room temperature in salads of all types ... It is a bulb, with celery type stalks, with frods, that look like dill on them ... It possesses a very light Licorice flavor and its aroma is lovely. 

Estrellas de Anis is a spice used in Cordial making, candies, cakes and cookies ... It has a star shape and is called " Stars of Anise " ... One star can be quite lovely in a cake or cookies, and Sambuca, Anisette, in addition to Spanish Anise Licor, are made with this herb, before it is dried to my knowledge ... 

Have a nice wkend.
Margi.


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## blissful (Apr 14, 2012)

The Fennel story: I'm busily preparing to make pickles and I have no dill. I send the boys to pick some up at the grocery store--and they came home with some lovely fennel. The fronds look a lot like dill. 
They hadn't smelled it or tasted it and just thought it looked like dill. 
We had lovely fennel salad that week.

Anise, I like it.

I've made a lovely Chinese savory stew of anise flavored beef and chinese radishes. Different but very nice.


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