Meet your ingredients: Vanilla (part 2)

In these times of rapidly rising food prices and ridiculous price tags on anything which as much as hints at being imported, we all want to be sure we are getting value for money. With this in mind I started looking at the vanilla products on our local, South African, shelves in a different way. Perhaps even, for the first time, really studying the labels. As you can imagine I ended up being a vanilla-hoarder of note and will now have to restrain myself from further purchases!

All of the products available locally are a pleasure to use and cannot be criticized. There is no issue with quality. I was fascinated by the differences in vanilla content, seemingly not always necessarily correlated by the price. Differences in method of labeling makes comparison a challenge. The way to go would probably be to decide exactly what you want to achieve and then to aim for value for money. If you don't use vanilla regularly the price will not be so relevant, but it becomes an issue when used often and in products carrying a price tag.

Please keep in mind that this is purely an opinion piece - an effort to clarify, and not meant as criticism. I was not sponsored in any way. As mentioned previously, my aim was to evaluate a few generally available vanilla products to find value for money. I did not compare with bulk-buying prices or when buying directly from a manufacturer.

In Vanilla (part one) the difference between vanilla and synthetic vanillin was discussed, so I will include both here.

Natural vanilla

The pure vanillas I tried gave interesting results price-wise. Prices fluctuate constantly so please see this as illustrative only. The prices in my test group ranged from ZAR5.30 per 5ml to ZAR7.50 per 5ml. The ZAR7.50 item recommends using 10ml at a time which actually increases the price to a whopping ZAR15.00 a shot!

There is one vanilla available locally which recommends using 3-5ml only: The Vanilla Man, Vanilla Extract. According to the product’s website it is a four-fold vanilla extract which would make it the highest concentration available and definitely worth the money. A four-fold extract is about twice as strong as vanilla essence.[3] I like the clear directions, and being able to use 3ml at a time will make this product very cost efficient. The cost per 50ml bottle is ZAR83.00, which means it costs ZAR4.98 per suggested 3ml. If you are tempted to use a full 5ml the price per serving jumps to ZAR8.30.

Whereas vanilla extract is a thin, unsweetened liquid, the paste typically has a thick syrupy consistency and is somewhat sweetened, with vanilla seeds and sometimes ground vanilla pods suspended in the paste. This is usually a good choice where it is important to have the seed speckles visible in the end result.

Rather don't store your vanilla in the fridge, keep it inside a cupboard - a cool dry place. Vanilla extract has a long shelf life (years) but refrigeration will speed up separation of the different components.[2] The flavour will continue to develop on the shelf as chemical changes take place during the aging process, allowing for the formation of esters from acids. Esters being the chemicals we so often associate with pleasant smells, their formation develops further aromas, producing the full complexity of the extract. [1]

Synthetic vanillin

In South Africa there are two iconic brands available (Robertsons and Moir's), with which most of us probably grew up and have fond memories of. These will contain various flavourants and colourants and will contain vanillin, one of the multitudes of chemicals which naturally make up vanilla. All colourless vanilla preparations are also made from synthetic vanillin. Both brands are priced similarly and yield approximately ZAR0.40 (40cents) per 5ml, making them significantly cheaper than the non-synthetics.

Obviously the synthetic product will always be the cheapest, and, as discussed in my previous post (Know your ingredients: Vanilla (part 1) ) will probably be quite sufficient for anything that has to go through a baking process. Heat evaporates many of the aromatics of natural vanilla, and what remains after baking is mostly the vanillin component.

Bearing this in mind it makes sense to use the synthetic product in baking and authentic natural vanilla in icings, fillings and all cold desserts where the full bouquet of flavor will come into its own.

It is quite possible to make your own vanilla extract at home, but do not expect a result exactly like that which the commercial products can deliver. Simply steeping the beans for a while is unlikely to result in all the flavour components being successfully extracted. [2].

Here are two versions:

Homemade vanilla extract

Sterilised glass bottle or jar, volume of 250ml

7 vanilla beans

250ml Vodka, Rum, Brandy or Bourbon – 70Proof / 35% Alcohol

Split the beans lengthwise without cutting right through, and pack into bottle. Cut beans to fit the bottle.

Pour alcohol over beans – beans must be completely submerged.

Close container tightly. Shake the container once or twice a week for eight weeks before using.

Store at room temperature inside cupboard. The flavour will continue to develop.

https://www.beanilla.com/blog/homemade-vanilla-extract

Homemade vanilla extract without alcohol (vegan)

This recipe is: fat free, sugar free, low carb, gluten free and vegan.