Five Spice

Let me tell you about Five Spice, and why cooks keep this jar close at hand.

Five Spice is star anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel and pepper, ground and mixed together. Open the jar and put your nose right to it: star anise jumps out first, that dark licorice note, and the others follow behind it, warm and sharp in layers. That's what good Five Spice smells like. Rub a pinch between your fingers — it should feel fine and even, not clumped, not dusty and pale like it's been sitting too long.

This is why cooks reach for it with duck and pork belly. Rub it into the skin, let it sit, and when the fat renders down, stand over the pan and smell it. There's a smell in that kitchen you don't get from cinnamon alone, and you'll know it the moment it hits you.

Some people say Five Spice is just a fancy way to say cinnamon, and that you can swap one for the other in Chinese cooking. No. Cinnamon alone smells like one thing. Five Spice smells like five things at once. Use cinnamon instead of the blend, and your duck comes out one-note — you'll smell what's missing the moment it hits the pan.