290390 Tue Sep 24 20:59:38 -0700 2002 6 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1575958 For our August meeting Karen had asked that we find a way to compare vanillas as the cost lately had just gone thru the roof. We had many good suggestions, but settled on making a batch of crème anglaise and then adding the same amount of each different vanilla to a consistent amount of anglaise. The one drawback with this ended up being that we tasted a lot of the alcohol which would’ve burned off had we actually baked or cooked with it, but it wasn’t distracting enough to misguide us in our efforts. We tasted 6 vanillas in order from most common to either most expensive or artificial: Mc Cormick: we found this to have a very strong alcohol nose and light vanilla flavor, overall it was the most comforting of the group, the one we all associated with our childhoods. Spice Islands: the nose was spicy, and alcohol lower than the first, it also had a nutty quality about it Vainilla (brown Mexican): off nose, darker color, artificial and false flavor Vainilla (clear Mexican): candy-like nose, coconut-y, very light in color with almost no flavor Trader Joes Tahitian blend: low alcohol nose, pure extract, alcoholic flavor, slightly nutty Cheryl’s homemade: made from absolut and penzy’s vanilla bean, floral and complex nose, very light flavor, floral, would make a lovely drink, but we wondered if the delicacy of it would be completely lost during baking Morton and Basset: nutty, round nose, pure extract, epitome of vanilla flavor Nielsen Massey Madagascar bourbon extract: complex nose, very full of vanilla flavor, slightly floral Trader Joes Cookbook Vanilla: Alcohol free, ugh, very artificial flavor, almost no scent with a gluey consistency Although the Mc Cormick won our hearts the most expensive vanillas were the ones with the truest flavors, the homemade, the Morton and Basset, and the Nielsen Massey. Tue Sep 24 20:59:38 -0700 2002 0 Rochelle 1 1575959 Interesting report, Rochelle. At our Bakers dozen group, we had a presentation by Patricia Rain from Santa Cruz. She's a vanilla expert and has a company called The Vanilla.Company. Many of the pastry chefs I know swear by her vanilla (David Lebovitz -- formerly of Chez Panisse -- now writing cookbooks) loves her products. Her website is very good. It's at (tada!) http://www.vanilla.com I've linked it below. Check out her excellent website. Her products are really superb! --NancyB Link: http://www.vanilla.com Tue Sep 24 21:49:19 -0700 2002 1575958 0 Nancy Berry 1 1575977 Great post! I appreciated the information that I would otherwise have little time to hear of. And, right before the holiday baking season! Now, I think I need to go shopping to find Morton and Bassett. I looked it up on the internet (for distribution paces) and came up rather empty handed. (But, I did find a story about a Basset Hound named Morton). I was surprised because it says it is a national brand. I would also like to mention Cook's pure vanilla POWDER. Fine bourbon vanilla. No alcohol. No preservatives or artificial ingredients. Ingredients: Vanilla bean extractives in a dextrose base. It says it can be used the same way you use vanilla extract. However, in my opinion, it is a very light flavor that I think may be lost in baking. (I have yet to try it that way, though) It is nicely sweet with no nose. I mention it because I use it like sugar on things. The label says, "... alternative to pure vanilla, but with some real advantages. Now you can sprinkle vanilla powder on your French toast, waffles, and pancakes. You can create your own hot chocolate mix with fresh cocoa or use it as a light glaze for carrots. . . .." This is true and very good. I sprinkle it on my oatmeal instead of milk and sugar sometimes. I can guarantee you need to use more of it than the liquid vanilla. If you've ever made cinnamon sugar for your toast, try this on it. Wed Sep 25 10:29:15 -0700 2002 1575958 0 kc girl 2 1576009 The tasing notes were wonderful. Thanks so much. Also love the info about The Vanilla Company. Now I'm sure I must have all four types of vanilla, bourbon, mexican, organic bourbon and taihitian. Also need the Morton and Bassett and Nielsen Massey. If only I could cook. Here's the Morton and Bassett web site. I like the advanced search feature in Google the best. It is surprising the different results you can get playing with wich boxes to put the words in. I had 115 hits for Morton and Bassett using the following criteria: with all of the words: vanilla with the exact phrase: Morton and Bassett Also, nice about Google, is that they display how the search lookes to the search engine: vanilla "Morton and Bassett" If I wasn't so lazy, I know how to search using the less friendly search engines. Love all those other options, especially being able to limit the search to English sites. That helps when looking up ethnic dishes. Link: http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce/ExecMacro/morton/allproducts.d2w/report Wed Sep 25 15:25:46 -0700 2002 1575977 0 Stanley Stephan 3 1576089 Thanks for the site and advice. Thu Sep 26 15:24:24 -0700 2002 1576009 0 kc girl 1 1576013 This is a great comparison list, thanks! I'm curious if anyone's ever tried Penzey's or American Spice Co.'s products? I have friends who swear by the Penzey's double-strength (which wouldn't be a fair comparison against the others in your list), and others who like the Atlantic Spice Co., also located in the midwest, I think. Just curious if anyone's tried their items. Wed Sep 25 16:02:39 -0700 2002 1575958 0 Linda W. 1 1576020 I'd like to cast my vote here for one you missed -- vanilla extract from Charles H. Baldwin & Sons (link to website below). Worth adding to your next tasting... Link: http://www.baldwinextracts.com/ Wed Sep 25 17:59:50 -0700 2002 1575958 0 GG Mora