Expert's Guide to Vanilla: Extract, Paste, Powder, and Whole Beans
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- Опубліковано 29 кві 2023
- We call for vanilla widely in desserts, quick breads, and breakfast recipes, both for its flavor and for its ability to act as a flavor potentiator, enhancing our perception of chocolate, coffee, fruit, nuts, and sweetness. Jack shows you how and when to use each version of the world’s most popular spice.
Vanilla Extract Review: bit.ly/3mUGzgz
Vanilla Paste Review: bit.ly/3LeYSqc
Vanilla 101 Review: bit.ly/40vdSEG
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My grandmother said she used vanilla as a “perfume” when she was a young lady. Real colognes and perfume was too expensive/hard to come by. (I’m 73 now and this was when I was 9-10 years old.) 😊
I infuse the beans in oil and use it as a fragrance. It mixes well with sweet orange essential oil.
@@popcornxxxwhat kind of oil? You just throw vanilla beans split down the middle into it and let it sit? For how long? Sorry, super interested in this
It's hard to check if the vanilla beans are too dry when they are in a sealed bottle.
I love Jack Bishop. Thorough, accurate, professional, humorous, and always pleasant to watch! Kudos. 🎉
Thank you for saying imitation vanilla is OK.That's what is most readily available and most pocket-friendly. It's also what's available in my country.
I have just gotten one step closer to being the smartest man on Earth,Thanks for the video
After using fresh moist vanilla beans, finely chopped, in my baked goods, custards, ice cream etc. I find it hard to use even the best extract. Extract, even homemade, doesn't have the same dark and complex depth of flavor that a whole bean does. I will use extract in something quick like french toast, where the vanilla bean flavor doesn't have a long contact time before being eaten.
Artificial vanilla (vanillin) is often made from clove buds as a source material.
You can make your own vanilla extract with alcohol and vanilla beans. In France, most people use vanilla powder (sucre vanillé), so I bought a few beans and made my own extract. It took about two months, but it's very good.
Was going to say it's a great way to use vanilla pods when you've removed the seeds from them or if they've dried out.
I love Jack's episodes - could listen to him all day. If he released an audible of the dictionary, I would gladly listen to it!
Humorous yet 100% TRUE!
@mermeridian2041 Me too!💕
I’d like to see ATK do a home made extract video making several types of extract. And test theirs against store bought extract.
Now *this* is a great idea!
I make my own regularly. It takes time (like at least 4 months), and you have to find a good source for grade A beans, but it really is easy to do. It is way better as well. I usually have to cut the amount I use because it is stronger.
I'm Ok with imitation. My aunt taught me to put a few drops in the eggs when making French toast. It's great.
I have baked a few things in the decades I’ve been baking. 😊. For the past year I have used imitation vanilla exclusively. I do not make custards or ice cream (if I did I would use real vanilla or vanilla bean). But I make cookies, muffins and cakes and I cannot tell the difference in the vanilla taste.
Never heard of powder or ground vanilla until today!
Me either, that’s why I checked out this video
I was going round and round doing research trying to understand what would be the best vanilla product to use. I've been very confused. This video has made up my mind imitation vanilla taste the same and nobody can tell the difference except in custard and ice cream, then it's a done deal, imitation vanilla it is. Thank you for your Insight.
I had no idea powdered vanilla was a thing, or that it could be part of a rub. Interesting. :)
Oh that's so tempting!!
It's SO good in a nice hot coffee. Super yum
Thank you for this wonderful tutorial.
Thank you, Jack! I can always depend on you for great information
I didn’t know that about having to need a flyable vanilla bean
Thank you for sharing very informative 😊
Another very informative video, thank you Jack.
Nice introduction to vanilla. Also, these should not be stored in the refrigerator, just in a kitchen cabinet, dark. I have used Penzeys for years, and N-M is good too.
I have been making my own and like the flavor.
Thanks for showing us the varieties out there...I always worry about the liquid extract in the fridge thats in there a long time....the paste will be a great alternative and last forever!!!
So informative! I’m going with imitation from now on.
This was so informative. I had no idea about some of these. Thank you…
Thanks, Jack-- very helpful. 👍
Thanks for this!!
I have both the expensive extract and the generic imitation vanilla I can only tell the difference in things like custard and ice cream…in some thing that’s been baked it’s indistinguishable
That's what I learned when I did my own experiments. I made cookies and vanilla shakes. I was clear that baking imitation is fine. For uncooked stuff, use the good stuff.
@@christinacody8653 Saves $ for me. I do a 100x more baking than I do making ice cream.
It's true!!! There was a cooking channel on UA-cam (minute foods) that proved that most of the other compounds evaporate or transform under the intense heat of the oven, so you're pretty much left with vanillin in the end 😁
@@marto0o97 was about to comment the same thing
I agree. The expensive stuff is rather wasted in most baked goods - with the exception of a baked cheese cake, custard tart etc
Very helpful thanks
I'm gonna try vanilla paste!! Thanks Jack!!
Vanilla bean paste is my go to for homemade ice cream. Yummmm.
The thumbnail showed the Baker's Imitation Vanilla, it was supposedly discontinued, but it's back now, apparently a new formula, would be great if ATK would see if the new formula is as good as the old one.
I use both..for different purposes and applications..
I like the imitation flavor in icings, frostings, pie fillings, puddings and cookies.
This subject was about time. Thanks
Awesome! Bravo! Love this info and tips! 👏🏻🎈
Thank you, Jack!
Great info on vanilla family goods.
Very informative 😁
I'd like to learn ATK's thoughts on "double-fold" vanilla. I've started to make my own vanilla with grade B Madagascar beans and vodka. Apparently, if I use twice as many beans, I can get stronger vanilla flavor. I have saved my double fold vanilla for very special dishes like flan and vanilla frosting but otherwise I stick with normal strength bean/alcohol ratios. I still use the imitation for flavoring my coffee though. My grandmother had a rule that you could get away with using fake vanilla in recipes that called for brown sugar or chocolate. I have added coffee to her list of exceptions.
Thank you ATK for yet another excellent video. I wonder if ATK could do a how-to on organising one’s kitchen, my kitchen is a disaster and I could really use some tips from the folks I trust.
Can you imagine if he was your uncle??! Oh my I'd be picking his brains all day long!
Great info! Wondering if you’ve ever heard of Vanilla Essence from the island of St Lucia. OMG! What a flavor! It’s wonderful! I l prefer it to regular vanilla overall.
Thanks.
Please do red wine vinegar
We made our own vanilla extract when we couldn't find any on the shelves. I bought a few beans, stripped and cut them into 4 pint bottles, and filled the bottles with vodka. Six months later the extract we have is as good if not better than what we normally buy at the store. We just finished the first bottle and I need to get the next out of storage.
Great info keep it up kindly also give some tips how to make step by step Vanilla essence with alcohol from beans ….
Been using N-M paste which is very good but there's always that bit of waste so we'll try their extract next since we never do anything fancy where the specks help.
Good to know.
Nielsen-Massey vanilla paste may be shelf stable, but it won't stay in my pantry more than a day. A delicious little taste here, a delicious little taste there - - - it was gone by evening. It never even made it into any baked goods.
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I love Nielsen-Massey vanillas. Madagascar and Tahitian are great, but my favorite is their Mexican vanilla. Mmmmm.
I, too, buy vanilla beans & soak them in vodka. I also soak some in bourbon for when I want that flavor. I have a quart container full of beans and vodka. The beans don’t dry out if you store them in your jar of homemade extract. In most recipes, I double or triple the vanilla when it’s the main flavor.
I see Jack; I upvote.
Thank you very much for your video. I prepared an extract, insisted for 2 months. The smell is great, it smells all over the house. But after I poured the extract into small bottles, after a month, it noticeably lost its taste and aroma. Any advice on how to pour the extract without losing it in the smell? And how do you properly pour the extract?
Does the ground vanilla go bad/dead quickly once opened? It seems like it would. I'd love to try it, but don't think I'd use enough of it quickly enough to be worth it.
Make my own extract and my own sugar. Also do that with anise.
I am a vanilla extract snob 😂. I make my own and wouldn't go back to store bought, much less imitation. But your video was interesting and informative.
❓ I'd love to know how making your own vanilla (vanilla & vodka,) being placed in a dark place for at least six months stacks up compared to the different types you spoke about.... ❓
QUESTION: I have a large ancestral recipe for choc syrup from around 1900 that calls for, among other things, 1/2 lb of cocoa and "2 Tbs of vanilla compound". Any cooks out there know what vanilla compound at that time would be akin to now?
Amazing overview of vanilla, thank you. I'd probably do Ina Garten's simple homemade vanilla extract if I decide to buy some beans, otherwise stick with the imitation stuff. Vanilla powder seems pretty interesting though - is that what they mix into vanilla bean frappuccinos and such?
There needs to be a clarification with imitation vanilla powder.
Every imitation vanilla powder that I have seen consists of a few percent vanillin (1 ~ 5%) and the rest is corn starch.
So how much of what percentage vanillin is equivalent to vanilla extract?
If you choose your subjects and don't do what advertisers ask for I would really like to hear some things about cooking oils. Which works best and gives best flavor for what foods, which has the least taste to add to foods, the least calories, which costs less. That kind of thing would be very helpful and save all of us the expense of our own experiments. You could do one on spice brands too - course I realize that might peeve potential advertisers.
Im surprised to hear that the paste is 1:1 with the extract. Another source said that the paste is more intense and would need half the volume of the extract. The other source made her own paste using food-grade glycerine and vanilla beans, perhaps the paste in the video has other additives? Any thoughts?
I use 50/50 imitation vanilla and powder for baked goods now. It adds layer of flavor. I would say that I did find a difference between a quality imitation vanilla extract and the Target generic. The Target generic has this really weird flavor and smell. It's probably the propylene glycol
The McCormick commercial Imitation Vanilla is much nicer.
What about the stuff you can buy at the gift shop when you're on vacation in Mexico? I always thought it tasted a little weird.
You have to really be careful with that stuff. I was reading recently that some of those contained dangerous chemicals.
Watkins pure vanilla extract is the best to me
Where do the best beans come from?
What about emulsion?
I think it's great that even though Jack has been dead for 12 years they still let him continue to fulfill his role in the test kitchen
Jack Bishop is alive & well.
While I always prefer real over imitation, I learned recently that heat destroys most of the chemicals that make vanilla, vanilla. So for baked applications, imitation is fine because the vanillin doesn't get destroyed by heat. But for uncooked applications? Use the real stuff, your taste buds will thank you.
I heard Tahitian is good.
I can always tell if it's artificial vanilla in anything, so I always use the real stuff. It's worth it.
🤔
Vanilla concentrate?
I thought the Bakers’s brand won the last imitation contest.
That is EXACTLY what I was just thinking! And, the Baker's brand is actually made by McCormick, which is what they touted the last time.
According to a December 2021 update to ATK's most recent taste test first published online January 1, 2019 and in the January/February 2019 issue of Cook's Illustrated magazine, Baker's Imitation Vanilla was discontinued so McCormick Premium Vanilla is their top pick for imitation vanilla.
EDIT: Apparently, there's a new version of Baker's available, but it does not appear that ATK has tested it yet.
I've used $24 vanilla and Dollare Tree vanilla and have never tasted a difference.
I disagree about vanilla extract if you make your own. I soak 10 vanilla beans in vodka - which has no flavor - and in a few weeks I have THE best extract ever. What’s more I can keep topping it off with vodka when it runs a bit low for the rest of my life. People ask me why my baked goods are so good and that’s my secret. It’s so simple and unlike vanilla extracts it’s pure alcohol and vanilla. No water or anything else. I wouldn’t use anything else unless it’s a straight up vanilla bean. The best benefit is that you save a ton of money. That money you would have paid for substandard extract can go towards vodka - not the super good expensive vodka.
I made a batch with some cheap bourbon and the flavor is incredible!
If you are using typical 40% vodka, it is 60% water.... But in any case you have found a great solution to making fantastic baked goods! 👍👍
And you can get very reasonable priced beans from a co-op called vanilla bean kings. It's so much fun to make your own. And it makes nice Christmas gifts!
❤️❤️❤️🔥😍🎬😍🔥❤️❤️❤️
What does one to one mean?
Thank you for your kind answer.
One to one means, as example, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon vanilla essence. So if recipe calls for 2 tsps extract & you only have imitation, then you would use 2 tsps of the imitation.
I like to just pour a little in a glass of milk
How can I use a dried up vanilla bean?
Further dehydrate it, then powder it.
@@beckijameson3844 thanks!
Put in in a sealed container of sugar...it will gently flavor the sugar over time.
@@terin1862 great idea, thank you!
@@terin1862 Do you put the bean in whole, or cut it open first?
I don't think I will ever buy real vanilla extract now. The artificial vanilla extract in my house is 8oz
One bean is a TABLESPOON of extract?! Holy
The last one is misleading; it should really be called vanilla sugar.
Shouldn't you have mentioned that if the vanilla is cooked, then you can safely use industrial vanillin.
Because of the high price, I’ve been using bourbon instead!
I know why Grandma was always happy making cookies. She might have been hitting the bottle, 35% alcohol is a good reason for making cookies.😅🤣😂
You drink Bud Light.
Please help us with the market
Anyone who has can just help me
Vanilla paste does not last indefinitely. Over time it becomes gummy and difficult to extract from the jar. We're talking years... but not indefinitely.
People are choosing the imitation vanilla flavoring because it has MSG in it. Natural Flavoring(s) = MSG. MSG is no bueno for Homo Sapien Sapien. Word to the wise!
Vanilla in bbq? Sounds weird
$20 for an ounce of ground vanilla, oof.
Use real vanilla for non baked goods and imitation for baked goods.
Imitation vanilla ingredients - propylene glycol, phosphoric acid and synthetic vanillin. No thank you. I make my own with vanilla beans and a bottle of cheap vodka.
guaiacol, p-anisaldehyde and methyl cinnamate, acetaldehyde, acetic acid, furfural, hexanoic acid, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, eugenol, and isobutyric acid are found in real vanilla. If you prefer real vanilla that’s fine but don’t Chemical shame an imitation when chemistry is everywhere
@@Niyarumost people don’t think natural is also chemical lol.
What do you think makes up vanilla beans,Vodka? Chemicals. 😮
Thank you! I agree 100%@@Niyaru
Add eggnog to the list than needs real vanilla. Imitation doesn't taste as good.