# Cooking clams at home?



## Aunt Bea (May 26, 2013)

I would like to steam a dozen clams for myself now that I have seen pac's clambake.  

I have never cooked a small amount indoors and I could use some tips or a TNT method.

Also I am wondering what are the best types of clams, likely to be found in the supermarket.

Do small amounts of clams from the grocery store require cleaning or purging similar to the process used in cleaning large amounts? 

Could I just lay them in a frying pan and add a little water, butter etc and just bring to a boil for a few minutes.

I know how to melt the butter and open the beer, it's the rest of the process that confuses me. 

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks, B


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## Addie (May 26, 2013)

If you intend to eat the bellies, I would place them in heavily salted water. In fresh water they will drown. Once they are dead you no longer can cook them for eating. I know it sounds crazy, but it is true. You can put a small amount of corn meal in the water to help them purge. Only leave them there for an hour. Remove from the salted water and scrub them under running water. Check them to make sure they are all closed. If any are open, tap them a couple of times and they should close. If they don't, toss it. It is dead. 

You are better off steaming them in a saucepan with a glass lid. Place your liquid in the pan along with any seasonings you want to use. I just place them in plain water and steam them. Then I dip them in melted butter and eat the whole thing. When all of the shells are open (why the glass lid) remove from the heat immediately. If any failed to open, toss it. It too is dead. Remove the clams from the shells over a bowl. You want to capture the juice inside the shells. You don't need to cover them with water. Just a couple of inches will do the job. You are steaming them. Pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer with cheese cloth or just the strainer and leave the last drops in the pan. You will see the sand in the bottom. Toss it. 

Good luck. Happy eating.


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## pacanis (May 26, 2013)

Aunt Bea said:


> I would like to steam a dozen clams for myself now that I have seen pac's clambake.
> 
> I have never cooked a small amount indoors and I could use some tips or a TNT method.
> 
> ...


 
The clams found in the grocery stores around here are already ready to cook. No purging, debearding or anything required other than steaming.

The only difference I have noticed in the varieties offered around here is how big of a piece you want to put in your mouth. The flavor is the same.
Just have you seafood counter person hand pick them (they usually know what they are doing) and don't twist the plastic bag closed or they could suffocate. Get home quick and right into the fridge, on ice if you aren't using until the next day. I also lay a damp paper towel over them if saving them for a day.

There's not much to cooking them except to steam until they open. 
The more you have going you should use a lid to retain your liquids or you'll cook them dry. Remember, too much liquid and you're boiling them. And it's also nice to use a small amount of liquid to keep it concentrated anyway.
You can use water, beer or any variety of liquids (last night I used beer, vermouth and water for my clambake, but there were also veggies in the liquid like garlic and celery). The liquor, or juice, the clams give up while cooking makes a delicious juice for dunking bread into.

So simplified you could steam in water and dunk in butter, but there is also a lot you can do with the liquid (see Snip's curry mussles for instance). It's all good.
And get some mussels, too. They are cheaper, sweeter and not as chewy. You might find you like them just as much.


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## buckytom (May 26, 2013)

great advice from some clammy folks so far.

the first question is whether you want small hardshell clams (the relatively round ones), or softshell clams (the elongated ones with an external siphon).

for the hardshells, which is what you probably have available this time of year, i like to purge my clams submerged in lightly salted water after scrubbing for a few hours in the fridge. no cornmeal or anything added.

maybe it's because the water isn't very salty, or maybe like pac says they're ready to go from the store, but my clams have never been gritty doing it this way.

btw, mussels and some barnacles have beards; clams do not.

now, like my clammy buds have said, when they've warmed a bit on the counter, tap them if any are slightly open. if they close, they're good. if they say open, they might be bad
 if they don't close, an experienced nose can tell if they're bad. they might just be asleep from the cold fridge. but for a newbie, chuck 'em.

then comes the fun part.

you can broil them, bake them, grill them... wait, that's for shrimp. 

take a deep saute pan; crowding them is ok, then over medium heat in a bit of oil or fat (evoo, canola, peanut, bacon-yumm), toast you're aromatics such as garlic, shallots, and/or onion just a little, add just a splash of white wine or water or clam broth or seafood stock-about a quarter cup and then optionally add in some butter, fresh herbs such as parsely, thyme or better yet lemon thyme, or maybe basil or thai basil (if doing a thai thing, then also add a bit of ground ginger and lime juice). the style and herb combos are up to you.

you know what you're doing in the kitchen as far as combos go, so i don't need to go any farther with that.

ok, so, pop the cleaned clams in the saute with the liquid, turn the heat to high, cover tightly, and wait 5 minutes. 

take  a peek, and as soon as 3/4s of them open up, recover the pan and shut the heat off. wait another 2 minutes and the rest should be opened up.

those that aren't go to the bin. or as mentioned, are steamed a minute or so more after the rest are plated if they smell ok. if after that and they still are closed, chuck 'em no matter what.

plate, or maybe i should say in a bowl or deep plate the clams, and pour the remaining liquid over top. serve with crusty bread for sopping uo the liquid.
.


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## buckytom (May 26, 2013)

i forgot to add that as far as hardshell clams go (quahogs, currently known the oldest living creature on earth), you want to go small. the smallest are topnecks, then littlenecks, then cherrystones, then quahogs.

you want to go small for steaming, up to cherrystones, if they're fresh.

quahogs are big and tough, so they're best suited for chopping and adding to soups or mincing for stuffing.

gorta run. softshell clam directions in a bit.


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## PrincessFiona60 (May 26, 2013)

buckytom said:


> ... i like to purge my clams submerged in lightly salted water *after scrubbing for a few hours in the fridge*....



what are you scrubbing for a few hours in the fridge?...brrr!


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## vitauta (May 26, 2013)

i have no business getting hungry for clams this time of night, and with no prospect of getting my hands on any until tomorrow, at the soonest.  so, i should maybe stop reading clam bake and dinner threads at midnight, right? you would think i would learn that simple lesson after the first fifteen times, but no....


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## Aunt Bea (May 27, 2013)

Thanks for all of the great information folks!


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## Addie (May 27, 2013)

Aunt Bea said:


> Thanks for all of the great information folks!


 
Happy Eating!


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## buckytom (May 27, 2013)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> what are you scrubbing for a few hours in the fridge?...brrr!




lol, yeah, but the hard part is it's so dark in there.


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## Aunt Bea (May 27, 2013)

Well the test subjects are chillin in the fridg.

The lady at the fish counter laughed at me when I asked for a dozen little neck clams!

When she brought me my little net bag about the size of a lemon I could understand why. 

This will be enough for a taste test!

I have rigged up a steamer using a saucepan and a small round trivet, I'll give it a try for lunch!


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## Cerise (May 27, 2013)

They can also be grilled.

Pop-Open Clams with Horseradish-Tabasco Sauce

Grilled Clams with Lemon Ginger Butter


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## buckytom (May 27, 2013)

Aunt Bea said:


> Well the test subjects are chillin in the fridg.
> 
> The lady at the fish counter laughed at me when I asked for a dozen little neck clams!
> 
> ...



sounds good, b. awaiting results.

btw, i usually figure about a dozen littlenecks per person for an appy..


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## Aunt Bea (May 27, 2013)

buckytom said:


> sounds good, b. awaiting results.
> 
> btw, i usually figure about a dozen littlenecks per person for an appy..



They were perfect, not a klinker in the bunch!

Now that I know how easy it is to do this I think they will appear more frequently!


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## Cooking Goddess (May 27, 2013)

If you want to make it really easy just put them onto a glass pie dish after you rinse them.  Put plastic wrap over the entire thing and pop them into the microwave oven.  Watch the little darlin's spin around until they all pop open - unless there are a couple of klunkers.

I know I've probably committed a mortal sin with this method but when you can't wait...


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## CraigC (May 27, 2013)

I always scrub  and purge hardshell clams. I like to steam them in white wine, garlic, and onion of some type with a pinch of S&P. I usually get a 50 count bag of little necks, eat what we want and freeze the rest in the steaming liquid. These I will use with the broth to make pasta and clams.


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## pacanis (May 27, 2013)

Aunt Bea said:


> They were perfect, not a klinker in the bunch!
> 
> Now that I know how easy it is to do this I think they will appear more frequently!


 
Cool


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## Aunt Bea (May 30, 2013)

Yesterday I was in the Price Chopper and they had clams from Maine, 50 for $5.99.  The other day I paid $3.99 for a dozen little neck clams.  I asked the fish guy about the difference in price and the quality of the cheaper clams.  He explained that the more expensive clams have been purged prior to sale and are ready to go.  The drastically cheaper clams are sold as dug and that they can be quite dirty.  I am always looking for a bargain, and I sometimes regret it.  Have any of you had good results using these cheaper clams or should I stay away from them?


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## Siegal (May 30, 2013)

I made linguini with clam sauce 3 days ago. I only did like 15 clams. I put them in water for 15 mins so they would release sand and make sure they closed and then put them in a hot sauté pan with a cover and half cup of white wine on medium heat.
Important thing is to take out each clam as they open or you'll end up with overlooked clams ( really important step actually)

I then strained the liquid with cheesecloth to get sand out

There is more to this recipe if your interested but I know you are doing something different. I'm sure you can use water instead of wine


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## Aunt Bea (May 17, 2014)

Those inexpensive mahogany clams are back in the grocery flyer!

I am still a little nervous about giving them a try and I have a couple of questions.

First how far in advance can I buy them and keep them in the refrigerator.

Second on this purging business, will it work if I put them in a Pyrex 9x13 baking pan with some salt water and a damp dish towel tossed over them or do they need to be in a deeper container, similar to the ocean.


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## vitauta (May 17, 2014)

i'm getting ready to clean and debeard a couple lbs. of mussels. it is my first time.  i came across a helpful cleaning hint online that has me even further confused: one commenter says, 'add some cornmeal to the water of the first soaking'. WTH?  this is the first i'm hearing about a second (or third?) soaking for shellfish.  and them beards and barnicles are pretty scary looking too....


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## GotGarlic (May 17, 2014)

Aunt Bea said:


> Those inexpensive mahogany clams are back in the grocery flyer!
> 
> I am still a little nervous about giving them a try and I have a couple of questions.
> 
> ...



You can buy them one day in advance; keep them on ice in the fridge. 

Ask at the seafood counter whether they need purging; it's often already done. If you need to do it, I'd use a mixing bowl.  They should be completely submerged. No need to cover them. Let them sit for about 30 minutes and they will be ready to cook.


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## Aunt Bea (May 17, 2014)

At least the clams are clean shaven! 

Everything I have read talks about one soaking, some say a sprinkling of corn meal some don't.

Good luck, make sure you give us a full report!


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## Aunt Bea (May 17, 2014)

GotGarlic said:


> You can buy them one day in advance; keep them on ice in the fridge.
> 
> Ask at the seafood counter whether they need purging; it's often already done. If you need to do it, I'd use a mixing bowl.  They should be completely submerged. No need to cover them. Let them sit for about 30 minutes and they will be ready to cook.



Last year when I quizzed the fish monger he said the inexpensive clams, 50/$5.99, were as dug and could contain a quantity of grit and or mud.  He said the expensive clams, 12/$4.99, were purged and ready to go.  I'm so cheap that I just have to give the inexpensive clams a try, we'll see next weekend!  

I'll start rummaging around in the cupboard for a suitable vomitorium to put them in!


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## Addie (May 17, 2014)

Aunt Bea said:


> Last year when I quizzed the fish monger he said the inexpensive clams, 50/$5.99, were as dug and could contain a quantity of grit and or mud.  He said the expensive clams, 12/$4.99, were purged and ready to go.  I'm so cheap that I just have to give the inexpensive clams a try, we'll see next weekend!
> 
> I'll start rummaging around in the cupboard for a suitable vomitorium to put them in!



Make sure when you purge them the water is very SALTY! Otherwise they will drown. I use sea salt.


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## Addie (May 17, 2014)

Aunt Bea said:


> At least the clams are clean shaven!
> 
> Everything I have read talks about one soaking, some say a sprinkling of corn meal some don't.
> 
> Good luck, make sure you give us a full report!




And some say oatmeal.


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## Addie (May 17, 2014)

There are so many ways and myths floating about regarding purging clams, mussels, etc. Some swear by cornmeal, others use oatmeal and some use nothing. Common sense will tell you what to do.

Does cornmeal or oatmeal grow in the ocean? Of course not. 

A simple soaking in very salty water for about 30 minutes is fine. Clams live burrowed in the sand. Mussels cling (hence the beard) to rocks and eat what is floating by. They don't get as sandy as clams. But if you want, a short soaking in salty water for a short time is fine. It certainly won't hurt them. 

You never want to soak any seafood in fresh water. Crazy as it may sound, they will drown and die on you. They cannot breath in fresh water. And your fresh water from the tap has chlorine in it. A chemical that is not conducive to happy living for small live sea animals. 

If you are going to use wine or some other alcohol product in you final dish, make sure you cook off the alcohol before you add the seafood to the dish. Alcohol often has a way of making the little critters become tough. 

When you are removing the meat from the shells, do so over a clean bowl so you can catch every drop of liquor. Before you add that delicious juice to your final dish, strain it through a really fine mesh strainer with a cheesecloth placed inside. It will catch the last bit of sand. Place the meat from the shells in that liquor also so you can give them a final rinse. 

The water that you steamed the clams or mussels in also has great flavor. Do no waste it. That too should be strained before adding it to your final recipe. 

When you buy seashells by the bag, there should be a tag on it stating where and when they were dug. Save this tag in the event all of them were dead by the time you got them home or you became sick. The information will be very helpful to the authorities. 

Make sure you only make your purchases from a reputable vendor. If you see someone selling the at the side of the road from the back of his truck, I can almost guarantee that person is a poacher and does not have a license for clam digging. And more than likely, the clams are not sitting on a bed of ice. 

Here hoping you enjoy your meal of seafood and are happy as a clam.


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## vitauta (May 17, 2014)

so i said to myself, 'why wait till dinnertime? i'll cook my mussels for lunch. who's to object? nobody, that's right!'  as it turned out, the cleaning tweren't much work, took only about 10 minutes in all. the mussels were remarkably clean. maybe cos they were farm-raised in canada...anyhow, very few of them were barnacle-encrusted, and not many had beards, either. the ones that did though, were mightly reluctant to part with them, putting up quite a fight, the little stinkers!  
oh man, i steamed them mussels in a garlicky (red, not white) wine sauce--ooh that liquor!  the mussels, such sweet tender morsels, bathed in the wine sauce w/tomatoes and shallots--heavenly!  i had crusty french rolls (alexi's--verrry nice) to dip into the broth--what a mouthfest of a meal.  i had to stop eating after about two dozen, but there are enough mussels left over so that i can do this again tomorrow, yum....


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## Addie (May 17, 2014)

Sounds like you had a great success. See, shellfish are so easy to do. Me. I am making myself a potato salad. Have been hankering for about a week for one. Just four potatoes this time. Don't want to become a  about it.


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## CraigC (May 17, 2014)

This is an outstanding way to steam mussels. Karen does not like licorice flavored liquors, but love's these mussels. Need lots of crusty bread for sopping.

Carrabbas Mussels Cozze Bianco Recipe - Food.com


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## Mad Cook (May 17, 2014)

Aunt Bea said:


> At least the clams are clean shaven!
> 
> Everything I have read talks about one soaking, some say a * of corn meal some don't.
> 
> Good luck, make sure you give us a full report!


* here they recommend flour - presumably because corn meal isn't a store cupboard regular here


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## Mad Cook (May 17, 2014)

Addie said:


> There are so many ways and myths floating about regarding purging clams, mussels, etc. Some swear by cornmeal, others use oatmeal and some use nothing. Common sense will tell you what to do.
> 
> Does cornmeal or oatmeal grow in the ocean? Of course not.
> 
> ...


Thanks for that, Addie. I've saved it to my food file. 

I've only bought "live" mussels once and they weren't! Two big bags full and only 2 live mussels! Supposedly reputable fishmonger, pre-ordered mussels, used the same day but still dead. I tend to buy frozen ones now for paella. Not as good but better if you see what I mean.


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## Mad Cook (May 17, 2014)

CraigC said:


> This is an outstanding way to steam mussels. Karen does not like licorice flavored liquors, but love's these mussels. Need lots of crusty bread for sopping.
> 
> Carrabbas Mussels Cozze Bianco Recipe - Food.com


Sounds good however, don't worry about Karen not liking licorice as Pernod is aniseed. Not the same thing at all.


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## CraigC (May 17, 2014)

I think water movement is probably the key to purging clams. Not much to filter feed during a slack tide.


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## CraigC (May 17, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> Sounds good however, don't worry about Karen not liking licorice as Pernod is aniseed. Not the same thing at all.



I said licorice flavored and anise has that same flavor. Fennel has a licorice flavor. Some say basil has a slight licorice flavor.


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## Addie (May 17, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> Thanks for that, Addie. I've saved it to my food file.
> 
> I've only bought "live" mussels once and they weren't! Two big bags full and only 2 live mussels! Supposedly reputable fishmonger, pre-ordered mussels, used the same day but still dead. I tend to buy frozen ones now for paella. Not as good but better if you see what I mean.



I have lived real close to the ocean all my life. As a kid we always brought our pail with us as it was war time and meat was rationed. There we no laws then so we could dig to our hearts content. So while we were having fun in the sun, we were always digging for clams to bring home for supper. After a Nor'easter, all the kids would rush to the beach and pick up all the lobsters that got washed up on shore. Today, I can't stand lobster. Had more than my fill. And then on top of all that, I ended up marrying two fishermen. 

Glad to be of help.


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## vitauta (May 17, 2014)

addie, following internet instructions, i cleansed my mussels in cold tap water.  it was for scarcely a half hour, though, and i only had four mussels (out of about 5 dozen) that failed to open when i steamed them.


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## Addie (May 17, 2014)

vitauta said:


> addie, following internet instructions, i cleansed my mussels in cold tap water.  it was for scarcely a half hour, though, and i only had four mussels (out of about 5 dozen) that failed to open when i steamed them.



Shellfish can not breath in fresh water. So they end up drowning. Plus there is chlorine in fresh water that they can not tolerate. Always soak in heavily salt water. Make it close to the salinity of the sea. Had you use the salt water more would probably have survived. 

If your shellfish are open when you get them, tap them lightly. They should close. They are alive. If they fail to respond, alas, more than likely they have gone to Davy Jones's locker.


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## Addie (May 18, 2014)

I can't say this strongly enough. *Shellfish need to be soaked in heavily salted water.*Shellfish cannot breath in fresh water. And yes they do breath. Those bubble you see coming up through the sand are the shellfish breathing. That is how clammers find the clams and other shellfish. Once you get them home, scrub their shells good. For mussels, remove their beard. The beard is what they use to cling to rocks and other items with. Place them on a very wet towel in a drawer in the fridge if you are not going to use them immediately. Make sure you do use them the next day. 

I don't care what the Internet says or any professional chef that grew up on a corn farm in Iowa. You can put cornmeal or oatmeal in the water if you want to. Personally I fail to see the need for it. *But you can't soak them in fresh water*.  If the water is salty enough, they will purge themselves anyway. It is in their nature to do so. 

I use sea salt. I know it is a more expensive product than table salt. Not everyone can afford it. I try to emulate their natural habitat. With summer just around the corner, we will all be looking at more shellfish. 

In the event you hear about the dreaded "Red Tide," take heed. Local news station are pretty good about reporting it. Most stores will stop selling shellfish. If they don't ask the vendor where were they caught. Or check the tag yourself. Here on the East Coast, Red Tide usually starts up north and works it way down south. So when I hear that it has struck the Maine coastline, I know it is coming our way. If I am going shopping, I take note and pay close attention to what I am purchasing. *I read the tag.*

Red tide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It kills shellfish and can make a human very, very ill if they choose to swim in it. 

I am no expert. I am just very knowledgeable regarding this subject. Since I was born, I have lived by the sea and lived on sea food all my life. I learned at the knees of local fishermen and clammers.  I brought home hundreds of clams and mussels as a kid during the war. I watched my mother go over them one by one. Tapping each open one. Some were tossed, but as time went on, more were edible. I learned to tap the open ones at the beach so I wouldn't be bring home dead ones. I learned to cover the clams with salt water while I was digging for more. They would start their purging then. You could see the bubbles in the pail.


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## Mad Cook (May 19, 2014)

CraigC said:


> I said licorice flavored and anise has that same flavor. Fennel has a licorice flavor. Some say basil has a slight licorice flavor.


In that case "some" have seriously disturbed taste buds. Ditto the people who think fennel tastes of liquorice. 

Liquorice and anise are NOT the same flavour at all neither are they related in botanical terms. I like one and not the other.


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## taxlady (May 20, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> In that case "some" have seriously disturbed taste buds. Ditto the people who think fennel tastes of liquorice.
> 
> Liquorice and anise are NOT the same flavour at all neither are they related in botanical terms. I like one and not the other.


There is something in fennel, licorice, and anise that tastes similar, though perhaps not identical. It may seem more that way to those of us who dislike that flavour.

Just looked it up on Wikipedia. Fennel, anise, and licorice all contain anethole.


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## Dawgluver (May 20, 2014)

taxlady said:


> There is something in fennel, licorice, and anise that tastes similar, though perhaps not identical. It may seem more that way to those of us who dislike that flavour.
> 
> Just looked it up on Wikipedia. Fennel, anise, and licorice all contain anethole.




I have to agree.  All of these have a "licoricey" flavor to me.  And I love licorice, the real deal!  I recall the old style Canadian licorice pipes.  There are differences in all of these plants, of course.


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## CraigC (May 20, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> *In that case "some" have seriously disturbed taste buds. Ditto the people who think fennel tastes of liquorice. *
> 
> Liquorice and anise are NOT the same flavour at all neither are they related in botanical terms. I like one and not the other.



Once, another know-it-all named Julia Child inserted her foot in her mouth regarding others taste buds. She stated that eating spicy foods destroyed ones taste buds. Now I liked Julia and she contributed a tremendous amount of skill and knowledge to the food world. Got any credentials to back up that insult?


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## Addie (May 20, 2014)

I have to agree with taxlady.  They all smell and taste the same to me also. And I don't like either the smell or taste.

Here we go off subject again!


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