Types of Vanilla and their use
Vanilla is one of the most expensive spices due to the labor involved in producing it. To my surprise, it belongs to the orchid family. It is grown mostly from Madagascar to India, Tahiti and Indonesia. It contains a vast amount of fragrance but at the same time is subtle which makes it a spice that can be used not only for baking but also for other foods and drinks. The most prominent fragrance of vanilla is vanillin and from this is where regular or imitation vanilla is produced.
Types of Vanilla
- Vanilla Bean - This is the spice in its natural, pure state. It contains the vanilla seeds. I get them on Amazon for a very reasonable price. I've included the links on the right that take you directly to the product if you're interested in purchasing them.
- Vanilla extract - this is obtained by soaking vanilla beans in a solution of alcohol and water. I will mention later how I am making my own extract so you can see how simple it is.
- Vanilla paste - is made by mixing vanilla extract with seeds and has a slightly thicker consistency.
- Regular or imitation vanilla - is obtained synthetically from the vanillin found in vanilla. It is much easier to obtain because it is synthetic and can be produced in large quantities for a much lower price than the vanilla bean.
You can use all kinds of vanilla, it all depends on how you want the final result to look. Some people like the vanilla bean to be visible, and others prefer just the flavor to control the aesthetics of the product. It's a matter of experimenting and seeing which one you prefer depending on the occasion. In my case, I use the seeds for my cheese flan and cream cheese frosting because I like the touch they give.
Measurements depending on the type of vanilla
1 vanilla pod =
1 tablespoon vanilla extract =
1 tablespoon vanilla paste =
1 tablespoon regular or imitation vanilla
Homemade Vanilla Extract
A few months ago I saw a video by Claire Saffitz on her YouTube channel in which she explains how to make your own vanilla extract by reusing the vanilla pod after using the seeds and I thought it was an excellent idea to avoid wasting it and at the same time have my own vanilla extract for the future. It is super easy to make because you only need the pods alone, alcohol and a little bit of pure extract (the latter if you don't want to wait 8 weeks to use it). This is what my own extract looks like so far and I have to say that the smell is divine! I included the date on the label just to remember how long I have had it, it does not mean that it has an expiration date.
You can watch Claire Saffitz's video here .
Another recipe for making your own extract that is very easy to make is the one published by the Beanilla company on their website. You can see the recipe here .
If you have any questions or would like to make your own extract, please feel free to include your comments on this post, I'd love to see them!
References
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/plain-vanilla