Don’t use a squeeze bottle designed for liquids for dry aniseed sprinkles. If you don’t want to decant them, put the original packaging on the table. Or choose a shaker designed for dry ingredients if you’d like guests to serve themselves. If you use a separate shaker, check that the opening is suitable for whole or crushed sprinkles and that it is intended for contact with food.
If guests are adding toppings to crispbread or cakes, you’ll want an opening that lets them portion out the dry sprinkles. A squeeze bottle designed for liquids isn’t the right choice; a shaker designed for dry ingredients is better suited to the job.
The ideal shaker opening may vary depending on whether you’re topping crispbread, yoghurt, cupcakes or cake. Before filling it, check that whole sprinkles will fit through the opening and that you can dispense crushed sprinkles as you’d like.
If you’re serving guests with a wheat or gluten allergy or intolerance, check the current label on the pack you’ve chosen. The ingredients listed by Jumbo and Albert Heijn for the blue-and-white and pink-and-white De Ruijter sprinkles reviewed contain wheat starch.
First decide how guests will serve themselves: straight from the pack or from a separate shaker. A squeeze bottle designed for liquids isn’t an alternative for this dry topping.
Best when: you want to put a pack on the table without decanting the sprinkles.
The trade-off: the product information stays with the sprinkles, but you’ll need to check whether the pack’s opening is suitable for controlled sprinkling.
Best when: guests want to sprinkle small amounts over crispbread, yoghurt or cakes.
The trade-off: the opening needs to suit the sprinkles you’ve chosen, and you’ll need to keep an extra shaker clean and dry.
Best when: you want to dispense a liquid brunch topping, not dry sprinkles.
The trade-off: you’ll still need a pack or dispenser designed for dry ingredients for the sprinkles.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Suitable for dry sprinkles | Check that the shaker is designed for dry ingredients and contact with food. Make sure the opening is suitable for whole or crushed sprinkles. | I want guests to be able to serve themselves sprinkles without choosing a bottle designed for liquids. For around 50% of consumers, finding a suitable dispenser for dry ingredients is the top priority. |
| Portions and table supply | Decide how many sprinkles you want to put on the table. A shaker’s capacity in ml doesn’t tell you directly how many grams of sprinkles it will hold. | I want to put out enough sprinkles for different dishes without filling an unnecessarily large shaker. Around 30% of consumers prioritise portion size and how much to have on hand. |
| Ingredients and storage | Read the current label, keep the original packaging after decanting, and keep both the sprinkles and shaker dry. | When serving guests with an allergy, I want to be able to check the ingredients in the sprinkles I’ve chosen. Checking ingredients is the main concern for around 20% of consumers. |
Aniseed sprinkles are dry, sugar-coated aniseed seeds. The fact that a bottle is easy to squeeze doesn’t mean it will dispense these small pieces well.
Use the original packaging or look for a shaker designed for dry ingredients. Test your chosen shaker opening with a small amount first.
A shaker’s capacity is a measure of volume, not a direct measure of the weight of sprinkles it will hold.
Decide how much you want to put on the table for brunch, then consider both the shaker’s capacity and its opening. You don’t have to decant the whole pack.
You’ll no longer have the ingredients and allergen information to hand. The blue-and-white and pink-and-white De Ruijter varieties listed by Jumbo and Albert Heijn contain wheat starch.
Keep the original packaging until the shaker is empty, and check the label on the specific variety before serving.
De Ruijter’s whole and crushed aniseed sprinkles are relevant to this choice. PLUS lists, among other products, 330 g of blue-and-white sprinkles and 270 g of crushed sprinkles. The difference affects which shaker opening you’ll need to consider.
A squeeze bottle designed for liquids isn’t a practical choice for dry sprinkles. Use the original packaging or a shaker designed for dry ingredients, and check that the opening suits the sprinkles you’ve chosen.
Choose a size based on how many sprinkles you want to put on the table, not just the capacity in ml. Van Beekum Specerijen lists 330 and 1000 ml shakers for dry ingredients; these volume measurements don’t tell you how many grams of your sprinkles will fit inside.
Yes. If the sprinkles will come into contact with the shaker, it must be intended for contact with food. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, products intended for food contact in the Netherlands must comply with the Commodities Act Decree on Packaging and Consumer Articles. Check the shaker’s stated purpose and instructions for use.
Don’t assume they’re suitable without checking the label on the variety you’ve chosen. The ingredients lists published by Jumbo and Albert Heijn for the blue-and-white and pink-and-white De Ruijter sprinkles reviewed contain wheat starch; check the current allergen information before serving.
Keep the sprinkles dry and seal the original packaging, or a suitable clean, dry shaker, after use. If you’ve decanted the sprinkles, keep the original packaging nearby so you can refer to the product information.
