Ina Garten's Easy Tip For Getting The Best Flavor From Your Fennel Seeds

There are some dishes that just have that special something, and fennel seed is one of them. This small but mighty seed is indispensable to everything from Italian-style sausage to Thanksgiving stuffing and curry powder to Chinese five spice (which can put pumpkin spice to shame). But when it comes to using fennel seeds, there's a way to unlock even more of that natural flavor — and there's a trusted professional who has happily shared her simple tip to that end.

Celebrity chef, cookbook author, and TV host Ina Garten provided an indispensable piece of spice advice on an episode of "Barefoot Contessa," via YouTube. In the clip, she prepared her penne arrabiata, which calls for fennel seeds — the flavor of which she described for viewers: "Fennel has this anise flavor that's just great."

Yet instead of simply tossing those tasty little seeds directly into her dish, she took an extra moment to roughly chop them. "When you chop up whole fennel seeds, you get all of those essential oils in it," she said, substantiating that simple extra step.

During the demonstration, Ina Garten let viewers know they can also use a mortar and pestle to crush these seeds, but she personally prefers the chopping method despite it being a bit more challenging. "They're gonna bounce all over the place but it's really worth it," she said.

Some home cooks may wonder why not opt for ground fennel instead to save the time and effort, but Garten explained her decision. "I actually prefer using whole fennel seeds rather than ground," she told viewers, noting that the ground version "kind of loses its flavor."

You don't have to be making penne for this tip to be super useful. Fennel seed has a great affinity for meats like pork and duck and has the power to transform your pot of chili. It can also play a role in sweeter preparations like orange cake or even ice cream (it's a particularly well-suited partner for all things orange). And while there are some other simple ways to get more flavor from your spices, this easy chopping tip can make a big difference to allowing your fennel seeds to shine, no matter how you put them to use.