For dry aniseed sprinkles on Sinterklaas Eve, an ordinary sauce squeeze bottle isn’t an obvious choice: the squeeze bottles described are designed for sauces and other liquid or soft ingredients. You’re better off choosing a shaker intended for dry sprinkles and checking that its openings are suitable for your sprinkles. Use a squeeze bottle only for a liquid topping on the side.
You want to scatter aniseed sprinkles over rusks, bread or cakes without leaving lots of loose sprinkles on the table. A shaker for dry ingredients is a more suitable choice than a bottle designed for sauce, provided the sprinkles fit through its openings.
You serve aniseed sprinkles as a topping and also want to dispense a liquid sauce or decoration. Nisbets describes 227 ml and 250 ml squeeze bottles for sauces, fillings and garnishes, among other things. That’s a separate use from sprinkling aniseed sprinkles.
You want to use a dispenser more than once on a shared festive table. So check that it’s intended for food contact, and look at the closure and cleaning instructions. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority sets out requirements for items that come into contact with food.
First decide what you’ll be putting through the dispenser. For dry aniseed sprinkles, the size of the openings matters; the capacity of a squeeze bottle only matters if you want to dispense a liquid topping with it.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sprinkling dry aniseed sprinkles | Choose a shaker marketed for dry sprinkles. Test the openings with a small amount of the type of aniseed sprinkles you’ve chosen. | If I want to scatter aniseed sprinkles over rusks without leaving any beside the plate, I mainly want to know whether they’ll fit through the openings. Around 40% of consumers prioritise dispensing dry aniseed sprinkles. |
| Dispensing a liquid topping | Choose the bottle capacity to suit the amount of liquid you want to use. Also check the cap and how the bottle should be cleaned. Nisbets describes 227 ml and 250 ml squeeze bottles for liquid or soft ingredients. | I want to add a little liquid decoration alongside the aniseed sprinkles and be able to seal the bottle between uses. For around 30% of consumers, this liquid use is the top priority. |
| Food contact and reuse | Check that the item is intended for food contact and follow the instructions on materials, temperature and cleaning. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority sets out requirements for food-contact materials. | For a shared festive table, I want to use a dispenser intended to come into contact with food and clean it according to the instructions. This is the main concern for around 30% of consumers. |
A capacity in millilitres doesn’t tell you whether dry aniseed sprinkles will fit through the nozzle. The squeeze bottles described by Nisbets are intended for sauces, dressings, oils and garnishes, among other things.
For aniseed sprinkles, choose a dispenser marketed for dry sprinkles and test it first with a small amount of the type you’ve chosen.
A label such as BPA-free doesn’t, by itself, tell you whether a dispenser is suitable for its intended contact with food. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority sets out separate requirements for food-contact materials.
Check what the item is intended for and follow the instructions for use, temperature and cleaning.
When sharing food, check the ingredients and allergen information for the actual type of aniseed sprinkles you’re using. Don’t rely on information for a different variety.
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging before serving.
An aniseed sprinkles brand with products including crushed aniseed sprinkles and Feestmuisjes.
Squeeze bottles for liquid ingredients, including 227 ml and 994 ml models.
A 250 ml squeeze bottle for garnishing, decorating and fillings.
A 1 L sauce squeeze bottle for hot and cold sauces.
A 236 ml shaker for coarse dry ingredients.
Don’t assume an ordinary sauce squeeze bottle will dispense dry aniseed sprinkles properly. The bottles described by Nisbets are intended for liquid or soft ingredients, so check the stated use and the size of the opening before using one for aniseed sprinkles.
Choose the capacity based on how much liquid you want to serve. Nisbets describes 227 ml and 250 ml models for smaller amounts, and 994 ml and 1 L models for larger quantities of liquid sauce. These sizes don’t tell you whether dry aniseed sprinkles will fit through the nozzle.
You can’t tell just from the size of the openings. Nisbets describes the openings of a 236 ml shaker as suitable for coarse ingredients, but you should test whether the type of aniseed sprinkles you’ve chosen will actually fit through them.
A dispenser that comes into direct contact with aniseed sprinkles must be intended for food contact. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority sets out the relevant Dutch and applicable European requirements. You should also follow the instructions for use and cleaning for the specific item.
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging of the aniseed sprinkles you’re actually serving. Also check how to clean the dispenser according to the product instructions before using it again.
