Is Imitation Vanilla Actually Better than Real Vanilla? | What's Eating Dan?
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- Опубліковано 8 гру 2022
- Over the years the word “vanilla” has become synonymous with “plain” or “boring,” but the actual spice is anything but-it’s bursting with complex flavors. It comes in several forms: whole beans, paste, powder, and extracts--both pure and imitation. Dan shows you how and when to use each version of the world’s most popular spice.
Read our review on Vanilla products: bit.ly/3VzT5Oi
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Vanilla Extract vs. Imitation Vanilla Article: bit.ly/3hanRib
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Dan Souza has to be considered an American treasure. I learn a ton from his presentations and his humor is the cat's meow.
Dan is to food what Steve Kornacki is to politics.
Do you subscribe to Cooks County magazine? He always has great articles in it. Highly recommend 💚✌️
@@chestyvulva No, I don't, but thank you for the recommendation, I will definitely start reading it. I am sure I'd enjoy the entire magazine.
Agreed Weston!
Dan's actually the Editor-in-Chief of Cook's *Illustrated* magazine. That's where his articles appear. Cook's Country is ATK's other magazine.
Crazy, last night I was making some rice pudding (once a week thing) and realized I was out of pure vanilla extract and found some old artificial vanilla in the pantry. When I finished I went in for a taste And To my surprised the pudding had a more vanilla flavor. I thought it was just me but now I know why 👍🏻. Thanks Dan.
Dan is the best thing on UA-cam. He never disappoints!
Well done, Dan! You've presented a fact based, non-opinionated, reasonable, and well balanced report on a treasured ingredient. For a fast minute there I thought we were about to get a lecture, and I was glad to be proven wrong. In my cupboards, I currently have 30 vanilla beans, a quart of homemade extract, 2 or 3 bottles of various real vanilla extracts, and a giant bottle of imitation vanilla. I use them all in different applications, and have been drying the pods for decades after scraping the seeds. I can store the pod powder for some future use but usually I will just add it to whatever recipe I'm making, OR add it to the Vanilla Sugar Jar. But anyway, well done, you! ATK is the absolute best.
I have used Adams Best Vanilla for 56 years. I was such an inexperienced cook I once searched a grocery store for special water to be used in a recipe that said to cook the spinach in water that clings to the leaves. That is a true story. Back to Adams Best, two tsp of it an a 1/8 tsp of salt and a vodka crust has made my pecan pie the favorite of everyone who has tasted. Thanks for a educational, humorous and entertaining video!
What did that recipe even mean "water that clings to the leaves"? I wanna give younger-you a hug as it sounds like something a younger-me would be confused by as well: today I'd just take their suggestion under advisement and cook the spinach however it was easiest for me at the moment.
😂 That’s hilarious!
Loved the video. One small thing: the Aztecs didn’t exist “thousands” of years ago (they became Aztecs in 1325). And that pyramid is not an aztec pyramid. That pyramid is way older and was teotihuacan: an ancient civilization way before the Aztecs.
It's funny that the imitation was preferred in some applications. I get frustrated when I watch cooking videos and snobby elitists say stuff like, "only use the pure extract" or "you have to buy fresh lemons, you can't use that bottled juice" or "don't even bother making this if you are going to use that nasty prechopped garlic". Maybe some people don't want to or can't spend 12 dollars on a bottle of real extract. If you are cooking or baking and making something with love for your friends and family, little things like this are fairly minuscule in the end result, and if cutting a corner like this is the difference between you making something and buying something premade from the store, you cut that corner.
Unfortunately in this case you should really splurge for organic pure vanilla because imitation vanilla comes from beaver butt excretions no lie
I would normally agree, but I've never experienced a good pre-bottled lemon juice (always some weird off taste in it), and pre-grated garlic has never tasted as garlicky to me. Artificial vanilla has always tasted almost exactly the same to me, though.
That practice has been discontinued for many years now. It is made the way Dan describes it.
@@Marina-rc7px Castoreum, which is produced by beavers is difficult and expensive to collect. Less than 300 pounds is collected annually, and most of it is used in the high end perfume industry. Castoreum isn't used in food production anymore. If it were, imitation vanilla would be way more expensive than real extract. Imitation vanilla is made from plant fiber in a lab, and is chemically identical to the vanillin in vanilla beans.
I am Canadian so I guess that’s why I don’t mind the imitation stuff.
I purely love vanilla and I routinely use a lot more than most recipes call for. Like, 3-4 times as much.
And I use both real and imitation vanilla: real for recipes where it won’t be heated further, imitation for all baked goods. Yum to it all.
My family, also! We always say, in unison, when explaining a recipe and how much WE used: "because they never call for enough vanilla!"
This is so helpful, thank you! Now I know I can save my pure vanilla extract for things like ice cream and whipped cream, but use artificial vanilla extract in my cakes and cookies!
How much pure vanilla extract do you use per 1 cup of heavy whipping cream when making whipped cream? Currently I use 1 teaspoon per cup (which I thought was a lot)…. Am I missing out, should I use more???
@@AN-jw2oe Honestly, I would double it, perhaps triple. Depends on your cream and the vanilla. Double it and taste before it's fully whipped. If it's enough, you've got your amount. If you think it could use a bit more, add a little bit more.
@@AN-jw2oe: How much you use depends on how intense of a vanilla flavor you want - me, I can’t get enough of it and if it weren’t for the high alcohol content, I’d probably just drink it. But for a cup of heavy cream, I add a tablespoon, and just two teaspoons of sugar. I like it mildly sweet but with a very assertive vanilla flavor.
Love Dan's segments. Informative and funny.
In my country it is more common to use vanilla essence because it is cheaper. Real vanilla is exclusive to restaurants as it is extremely expensive. But we have something quite similar to real vanilla and at a more accessible cost, it is called sarrapia (Dipteryx odorata, D. punctata) it is a seed with an aroma similar to vanilla.
Yeah, I don't think vanilla is boring or plain at all! Among flavours for ice cream and wafer biscuits, for example, vanilla is probably my top choice.
Same.
When tasting ice cream, always start with the vanilla ice cream before trying other flavors. Usually all other flavors are based on vanilla ice cream.
Cheap ice cream producers lying and selling unflavored cream as "vanilla" ruined the reputation of an exquisite flavor. 😢
Yes! I'm that orchid owner! When vanilla prices went out of control a few years ago, I switched to imitation and no one noticed. Now that the prices are back to normal, I switched back, and no one noticed. 🤔😁
These keep getting better and better. Congrats to Dan and the team for making such a great series! 👏
One very strange thing is that while visiting Reunion Island, the place where vanilla farming was invented, which is also part of France so you would assume they know a little bit about cooking, they said that scraping the Seeds of vanilla pods is stupid. You should simply use the entire vanilla pod. Also kept in a sealed container it can develop little white hair which is the most exquisite versions of vanilla pods, like a mature cheese.
😱 I thought the little white hair was mold.
@@thesender6321 well... You're not wrong... The whole thing about maturing the pod is... a form of (perfectly safe) controlled molding...
I have never in my life purchased imitation vanilla flavoring. However, I have worked in commercial kitchens in the past where giant bottles of artificial vanilla were all we had on hand. I hated the chemical aftertaste and lack of flavor complexity in the fake stuff. Perhaps it has improved over the decades, but I just stick to real vanilla extract. One of my favorite ways to use vanilla extract is in hot cocoa. Stir a splash in at the end (after taking it off the heat and just before serving) and elevate your cup of cocoa into the stratosphere.
I worked at a bakery that only used organic real vanilla extract. Their buttercreams tasted so strongly of alcohol. I thought it was disgusting. I only ever ate the baked goods from that job because the boozy extract ruined their frostings and whipped cream.
VAN-uh-lin, or vuh-NIL-in ?
I always thought it was pronounced kind of like vanilla.
I tell my husband all the time how great your presentations are. Clear. Amusing. Understandable.
Your videos absolutely crack me up. No matter what you post whether it applies to me or not I watch it and laugh and learn which is two of my most favorite things. I absolutely love food and I love science and I love comedy so you nailed it for me! Keep it up it is great! 😆
There is nothing artificial about Dan. He is pure entertainment and knowledge!!
I make my own bourbon vanilla, giving each batch 1 year to steep. It is waaay better than anything I have had before, imitation or real. I use Tahitian grade B vanilla beans (the flavor is better). I cut long slits into 10 vanilla beans and put them in a 1 liter glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Fill with bourbon. Store in a cool dark place and swirl periodically. After 1 year, decant into 5oz stoppered glass bottles and cut the vanilla beans in half. Add vanilla beans to the bottles. Yummy!!! I replied below also, with links to products but it didn't stick, editing the post with info now in case the reply with links below disappears.
Hi Sharon. Would you share your recipe? I would love to try, but don't know the ratio?
I see Sharon didn’t reply. But I too make awesome vanilla. “SuburbanHomesteader Wy-Az” here on UA-cam gave me my start. As she suggested, I purchase my beans from SLO-Foods. Wonderful moist beans. Not cheap, but worth it. I use nice vodka, not the cheap stuff.
@@victorkroud3642 I've made it with vodka also, and it turned out great!
@@angelatruly I replied, will try again!
The ratio that both of my vanilla bean co-ops suggest ( to be acceptable to sell as vanilla extract) is one Oz of vanilla beans to 8 Oz of alcohol (70-100 proof) I cut and slit the beans, add to alcohol, shake occasionally and let sit in a dark place for about a year. Dark alcohols such as spice rum etc. take 1 1/2 -2 years to extract
Fantastic episode! Learned so much!
I keep both on hand and use both! I actually have started to use them similarly to how I use good EVOO and the more processed olive oil since I saw this video. High quality EVOO and pure vanilla when I’m not cooking it (almost like a condiment) and the imitation vanilla or a processed olive oil when it’s going to be heated.
Thanks Dan for making me smile. I always enjoy your videos.
Thank you. Preferring imitation vanilla has been my guilty secret forever!
So nice to see Dan delighting us with Edutainment. Also, truly impressive cold open which had me CACKLING.
Dan, when you were talking about “aztecs” using chocolate and vanilla combinations, you showed a picture of the pyramid of the sun, in teotihuacan, a city built by a completely different culture long before aztecs even existed. it would be like talking about roman culture and showing a picture of the early greek period. good video, but expected much more from you.
You most be fun at party’s
I make that same pastry cream in a Vitamix blender, using the "Soup" preset. It comes out perfect every time.
Dan is awesome! He always makes learning fun 👍
I love your humor! ❤️❤️🤣🤣🤪😂😂 Thanks for the info. No wonder vanilla is so expensive.
I just learned that I've been pronouncing "vanillin" wrong in my head while reading the word my entire life. I don't think I've ever said the word out loud lol.
Lol I just had this same thought.
According to the Oxford dictionary, Dan is pronouncing wrong here.
Not a fan of petroleum or wood pulp in my food, so I opt for the real deal.
Imitation vanilla is derived from plant fiber. So if you eat fruits and vegetables, plant fiber is already a part of your diet. Also, if you eat cinnamon, you're already eating ground up tree bark. There's nothing to be afraid of in imitation vanilla. It's chemically identical to the vanillin in vanilla beans.
I love videos like this. Thank you.
Wow... Thank you for the deliciously amazing sounding recipe! Added it to my Christmas Cookie list!
I love vanilla. I live 80 miles from the Mexican border and used to drive across and buy a quart of vanilla for about $8. Haven't gone in few years though. Just a couple of days ago I was in a Sprouts and their tiny bottle of real vanilla was $25 so seeing this is perfect timing for me!!
Natural vanilla extract only for adding to buzzed up coffee:
in blender add brewed coffee, butter or coconut oil or MCT oil, a little honey or stevia, big pinch of cinnamon ( I use true cinnamon ), a small pinch of Himalayan salt, and a small pour of vanilla extract. Blend 15-30 seconds, pour and be ready to scrape the foam from the blender jar when you pour.
Can substitute cayenne pepper for the cinnamon - delete the honey in that case and add cacao powder with the vanilla.
❤ My favourite flavour! VANILLA. I have a jar of my own vanilla extract that I started in 2018. I keep topping it up with Madagascar Grade A vanilla beans (I add 5 to 10 new beans per year) and more Vodka. I have a second jar that I have started with the same type of vanilla beans and have not only begun the extraction with Vodka but also added Spiced Rum and artificial vanilla extract for that bump of vanillin flavour and to darken it’s colour! Dan, great video and as always so much fun. Thank you. JL
WOW, really enlightening! Thanks Dan (and Hannah)! Melaney from SoCal
Great Video!
I keep real and fake extracts on hand, as well as a variety of beans, not to mention pure powdered vanillin & ethyl vanillin (the ethyl has an earthier, slightly more complex flavor/aroma, and is 3x more pottant).
I often make my own flavored yogurts by stirring in flavorings. I do find the mix of real vanilla and synthetic vanilla gives a much better taste than just the cheaper synthetic.
This was very interesting, especially regarding the way vanilla is produced and treated. I've seen stuff before, I think from Kenji, about imitation vanilla being better than real in many/most applications, and I try to use it when I remember, but that jar of real vanilla is just so inviting.
Dan’s the best !!!!!!!!
I just brought a bunch of vanilla back from Tahiti! Love this!
You forgot to mention another aspect that makes vanilla so hard to cultivate as a commercial product- the flowers only bloom for 24hrs, so the window for pollination only lasts a day!
Dan Souza, Greetings from Oaxaca, Mexico . I've been cooking since 1965 (avidly watching Julia Child on TV) and retired to Mexico in 1986. Julia recommended using real vanilla extract and beans which I've done most of my life. Occasionally my partner would buy imitation vanilla which I would have him use in his own concoctions. Ina Garten taught me how to make my own vanilla extract with vodka, which is what I've been doing for years. we buy vanilla beans at a local spice shop 'La Oaxaquena' they cost around $3,US each. I go through around 20 per month. I enjoyed your video, very informative. All the Best JIM
Both informative and fun! Thanks for sharing!
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Dan your videos are a hoot! Love 'em all!
Dan is always a treat.
Last week I saw you can order a vanilla orchid. I thought, "I could do that."
Today I watched this video. Then I thought, "Yeah. No."
I keep both, but I've started using imitation vanilla more and more as time goes by. I like the clear vanilla flavoring in particular.
What brand makes clear imitation vanilla extract???
@@AN-jw2oe McCormick does, I know there are other brands also.
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Man! My dog looked at me like I'm crazy when I laughed out loud watching you smile handshaking yourself proudly! This made my day!!!
I’m a fan of vanilla and Dan.
Each July I start a new bottle of vodka and vanilla beans, then let it sit for two years; I didn't realize that I can just add to my existing one. I have a bottle of spiced rum that is going to be the base for my next extract.
I have heard about the Vanilla and Sugar combo. It’s quite interesting.
I always use imitation Vanilla only because of dietary restriction. I can't have any alcohol in my diet! And I am thankful for the alternative and it has been working fine for me. Occasionally I would use vanilla sugar.
It’s like how I actually prefer Aunt Jemima’s syrup over pure maple syrup!!! It is slightly sweeter and has a stronger maple flavor!! Exactly why I love maple bar donuts!
Had vanilla extract from Haiti in the 1990s. Never have I sensed a richer and more flavourful vanilla.
Oh Dan - you’re such a lovable goofball! Good information, thanks!
I don't know. One time, awhile ago, I mistakenly bought some Watkins that I thought was real vanilla, but was imitation. I used it for a long time, always unhappy with that whatever the hell that was fake vanilla flavor. I finally decided that life was too short and threw the damned stuff out. It's real vanilla for me.
I didn't know that there was anything different about vanilla extract. Thankyou for this information.
from start to finish.....well done!
Good stuff Dan!
I'm so glad to see the ground vanilla powder getting the love it deserves. IMO it's how vanilla should always be used, especially for vanilla sugar. Escoffier was on this 100 years ago.
I used imitation vanilla for making Christmas snacks this holiday seadon because I needed to use a lot and couldn't splurge for regular. I upped the amount I used, typically from one tsp to one and a half tsp and everything I made tasted wonderful. This included hard toffee and Rice Krispie squares.
Thank you Dan, always a pleasure....
Love the episode on vanilla. 🥰 I always use the Nielsen Massey Vanilla bean paste. I find the other stuff has a strong alcohol flavour. Great episode. I am going to make the Pate a choux for Christmas 🎄 time.
Oooh, sounds good. I'm going to try that.
The imitation vanilla is alcohol free as well. Serious Eats did a test with uncooked vanilla pudding, and while people could tell the difference between imitation and pure extract, it turned out that it was just the alcohol they were tasting. When they added a little vodka to the imitation stuff people couldn't tell them apart.
I love my dark spiced rum vanilla extract. It adds so much wherever I use it. I also adore using my vanilla sugar, which seems to be relatively unknown in the US, although Europe has had it forever. It's a surefire way to up your baking game or just coffee.
I was amazed to learn the sweating can take place at 150 degF. Most proteins will unfold at a much lower temperature (more like 120). But you mentioned other flavors being created by oxidation reactions. Perhaps the sweating starts at 100 degF and is slowly increased to 150?
Wow that is a vanilla crunchy whoopee pie. My dreams have come true.
I've only ever used real vanilla extract, but this video and others recently make me feel I should pick up some imitation for my cookie baking.
I’m so going to make these cookies this weekend ❤
Charming and funny!
Yes, yes he is.
Dan is a gem!
I love your goofy videos that are super informative
I love the vanilla from Costco and of course any vanilla from Mexico even Molina, believe it or don’t!! Both delicious.
There are several brands of "imitation" vanilla extract. I go back and forth between using real vanilla and Watkins. Both are yummy!!!
always a pleasure to watch your vids, dan...those cookies though 😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😯😋😋😋😋😋😋😋😋😋
When my husband was put on a diet to fix mold toxicity, all alcohols were out … as were almost everything worth eating, but I was able to bake him some carob brownies with powdered vanilla. It got him through that tough period. I see many European recipes that use sachets of vanilla sugar and wish we used them in the US, but I am happy enough with paste and the occasional bean. I scored a quart of paste from a restaurant supply store guy on Nextdoor. I can’t imagine going back even to extract. Imitation is just flat, at least in home baking in my experience. But then, I am team vanilla over chocolate, so maybe that’s why.
Check a European store or maybe an online retailer. I have seen vanilla sugar at my local bulk store but I am not American.
👏👏every sweet baked good in my house gets at least a tsp of vanilla regardless of recipe
He is smart, cute, and funny. Love watching and learning from his videos.😀
I brought back bottles of vanilla from Mexico a few months ago for myself and friends for holiday baking. I don't know what the difference is though. My ex mil gave me some once and said it's stronger than regular vanilla and to use half of the amount called for.
I've figured it out! He so reminds me of Alton Brown from "Good Eats"! So great at relaying info with clever humor. 😄
the handshake and smile at the camera. what a great play on the gag from the first bit
Being a poor person I use imitation.
Waiting on that hair care routine! I keep both real and imitation vanilla in my kitchen :)
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wtf by hair care FOOLEST FOOLISH !
THESE MAN IS NOT DO A HAIR CARE VLOG !
What happened in Madagascar is just another reminder that we shouldn't take products derived from plants for granted. Folks did that with the Gros Michel banana back in the mid-20th Century and now it's relegated to a few growers outside the main -- and fungus-contaminated -- commercial growing regions. The Cavendish that replaced the Big Mike is under threat now from new versions of that very same fungus, raising the specter of having to either move to a different banana cultivar for commercial production, or genetically engineer Cavendish to be resistant to the offending fungus. While GMOs don't bother me a bit, I know some folks really are not cool with them, so both things might end up happening.
A restaurant across the street from me makes mashed potatoes with vanilla. I was a little apprehensive, but the potatoes were delicious!
I'd love to see Dan create a masterpiece recipe using ingredients from a discount food store, like ALDI.
All the ingredients he used in the cream puff recipe can be found at Aldi's.
When baking most cakes like chocolate or spice or when making Banana Bread, I substitute Bourbon for the Vanilla--just double the amount. In such strongly flavored items the Vanilla is not missed--and the end result is still delicious.
MMMMM good 😋
That sounds good. I'm going to try that. 😊
It was nice of Bryan Roof to cameo as the mannequin.
Wouldn't the "pastry cream" actually be Creme Diplomat due to the mix with whipped? Still looks amazing, and Dan is the best.
Diplomat Cream = pastry cream + whipped cream + gelatin
I feel that can’t possibly be the way vanillin is pronounced. Surely it’s the same (basically) as vanilla - vuh NILL un? Not like lanolin.
I knew that. And now I know why. Thanks, Dan!
That was really well-done. You had me fooled, and I've been working with computers for over 40 years.
Outstanding. I want those patachoo pastry things NOW. Question : What is Bourbon Vanilla? I have it in my cupboard.
The head-turn and smile when Dan is shaking not-Dan's hand...lmao
God Bless You! You have literally saved my cake baking az a lot of coins!
My husbands always ridiculed me for liking vanilla ice cream, saying vanilla is not a flavor and it’s boring. 😛 to him. My little granddaughter loves to make pancake batter with me, and when it’s time to add the vanilla she always asks to sniff the open bottle (no noses allowed to touch the bottle). I tell her to pour only a drop in the batter, and of course that’s her que to dump a quarter of the bottle in (and I just smile 😊).
Probably because so much "vanilla" ice cream is just cream.
vanilla is measured with the heart ❤️
Oh, so the cookies are basically small "Melon Pans," Those are one of my favorite types of desert breads.
Never take nature and it’s gift for granted. I love vanilla flavours in anything. Great video.
I bought pure crystalline vanillin a few years ago. It’s a small bottle but is equal to 600 gallons worth of real vanilla extract!