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Can you replace vanilla extract with vanilla “flavor”? Other than that, examine the label: Good vanilla extract will contain 35 percent alcohol (by law) and not much else-the FDA allows sugar, glycerin, propylene glycol, dextrose and corn syrup, but the fewer ingredients, the better.
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Because it’s so difficult to grow, the best vanilla extracts will cost more. How can you tell if it’s good vanilla extract you’re buying?Īpologies to your wallet, but price is one of the best indicators of a high-quality vanilla extract. Vanilla is extremely labor-intensive to produce, making it the second-most expensive spice after saffron. The vanilla beans you can buy in the store are the result of hand-pollinating the vanilla orchid flowers (which only blossom one day a year), harvesting the mature pods on a daily basis and curing the pods in a months-long process-and that’s before it even becomes extract. But wait: What is vanilla, exactly?Īlthough it’s considered a spice, vanilla comes from the fruit of a specific species of Mexican orchids. What’s the best vanilla extract your money can buy? I tasted all the options I could get my hands on to find out. So yeah, vanilla is essential in the kitchen…and that makes buying it all the more contentious. (Don’t even get me started on the drama of shortages and imitations.) Oh, yeah, and it’s found in everything from cookies to quick bread to ice cream.
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Its flavor can range from floral to savory and, depending on the market, its price per pound can be as much as a designer handbag. Sure, it may be another word for “plain,” but vanilla is far from boring.