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vanilla flavoring

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peacherina

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Let me ask you a question. What type of Vanilla Flavoring do you like best? Do you use the imitation kind. Thanks.
 
I don't like to use imitation vanilla. However, if you do use it, you should use about one-half more of the measurement because it is not as concentrated as pure extract.

I confess I cannot find real vanilla that I love this side of the Mexican border, though. (What is it about Mexican vanilla, anyway? Nothing compares). I tried both the paste and the liquid from Williams-Sonoma but I was not impressed. The paste in particular tasted very mediciney.
 
AGREED!! A friend brought us back some real Vanilla from her Mexican vacation and it is some phenomenal stuff.
 
I will have to try that some mexican vanilla. Maybe you can purchase it online somewhere. Thanks for the info!
 
Our Wal-Marts in Houston carry authentic Mexican vanilla----it's called "La Vencedora" and the label informs that it is natural vanilla concentrated product of Mexico, winner of the Diploma of Honor Gold Medal, First Prize. 31.78 fluid oz. or 940ml. I found it in the Mexican food section. It's very good!! Maybe you can contact WalMart.
 
I'm not sure if the vanilla extract I have is imitation, I'm pretty sure it isn't. When I was younger, I smelled the vanilla and it smelled so good, so I took a little swag of it. I discovered then just because something smells good doesn't mean it tastes good.
 
Isn't that the truth! Wow, I can't imagine just taking a big drink of vanilla. Blech!
 
I've never tasted vanilla straight but only use the real thing. It was really costly a few years ago because of typhoons hurting the plants in Madagascar - a huge producer of vanilla beans. Besides that vanilla is costly because of the huge time factor it takes to extract the essence in the alcohol.

Hey Mama, how long do you soak the beans? I've read that it takes like 9 months to get the extract out of the beans.
 
Greg -

One bean (not split) per bottle of 80-proof vodka (and not a large bottle either!) will give you a lighter vanilla flavoring in 30 days.

By placing a couple of beans (split) in a bottle of 80-proof vodka you will get a stronger vanilla flavor in 30 days.

Just place in a cool dry place - like your pantry.

A friend of mine will split 3 beans and place them in a bottle of vodka. When she gets down to about half the bottle, she adds more vodka. She keeps vanilla beans going for years. I won't do it that way - after a while they lose their flavor. But then again - I bake much more than she does.

Vanilla beans are quite pricey but I still prefer to do it myself.

If you are planning on doing baking for the holidays - I would make it now - then you would be all set for fall and winter baking.
 
Why does it take 9 months? Does it need to ferment or something, like wine? I've never heard of that 9 months thing, except for producing babies.
 
I only use genuine vanilla extract - it's way better than imitation.
 
That's a good question Peach. Oddly enough I recently went on a wild goose chase to hunt down pure vanilla extract with no sugar added. I'd originally thought that all pure vanilla extract was merely booze and vanilla bean. I was wrong and it took my quite a while to find it sans sugar. One of my daughters is on a special diet and can only ingest honey or natural sugars.

But I digress! I have always found the pure as opposed to the flavouring to have more depth of flavour.
 
DevilsCharm said:
Why does it take 9 months? Does it need to ferment or something, like wine? I've never heard of that 9 months thing, except for producing babies.
Click to expand...

Vanilla takes about 9 months to make, starting with pollination of the flower on the vanilla vine. Each flower only lasts a single day, and the flowers are hand pollinated to make sure each produces a vanilla bean. After the vanilla beans grow and mature, they are harvested. At this point they have no flavor at all, and must be processed through a 3 to 4 month long drying and curing process to create the vanilla flavor we all know.

After the curing process, the vanilla beans are soaked in vats of alcohol for a few days to weeks depending on the manufacturer. The best vanilla brands age their vanilla extract for several months before shipping to retailers.

That whole process takes about 9 months. In 2003 a typhoon destroyed the vanilla crop in Madagascar, which is the worlds largest producer of vanilla beans. The result was a huge price increase of pure vanilla extract that lasted about 1 year until the full growing and production cycle of vanilla was repeated.
 
The "New Coke" change in the early 1990's was about switching from pure vanilla to vanillen (imitation vanilla). The phenomenal flop of New Coke should answer the question of whether there is a difference in pure vanilla and imitation vanilla.
 
I dont know more about vanilla flavoring.
But i like the flavor.
I specially like vanilla falvor ice cream.
 
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