Common Forms of Vanilla

As a flavouring, vanilla adds potency and aroma to both sweet and savoury dishes. Liquid extract is the most common form of vanilla used, but the seeds and pod are also employed.

Pure vanilla extract: Extract is made by macerating chopped pods in an alcohol-and-water solution to draw out the flavour. The mixture is aged for several months until the liquid is brown, clear, and very fragrant. The strength of the extract is measured in units called folds. Single-fold vanilla is sold for the home cook. Two-, three-, and four-fold vanilla is sold for food processing purposes.

Single-fold vanilla contains the extractive matter of 378grams (13.35 ounces) of vanilla beans, containing less than 25 percent moisture in 3.8 litres (1 gallon) of 35 percent aqueous ethyl alcohol. Two-fold uses 756 grams (26.7 ounces) of vanilla beans, contains two times as much extractive matter, and is twice as strong. Three- and four-fold are, as one would imagine, three and four times as strong. Vanilla extract will keep indefinitely if stored, airtight, in a cool, dark spot.

Vanilla essence is also produced and is so strong that only a drop or two is necessary to adequately flavour a mix. 

To retain the intensity of flavour, vanilla extract should be cooked in mixtures after they have cooled slightly. When baking, vanilla should be mixed in with the fat, which will encapsulate it and prevent it from volatilizing during the hot baking process.

Whole vanilla beans: Whole beans are frequently used in the pastry kitchen. To use the internal seeds only, the pod is split open lengthwise down the centre, and the thousands of tiny seeds are scraped out. The seeds are added to a mix, often ice cream or custards, to infuse it with a rich vanilla flavour. In cookies, cakes, or other doughs, they may be creamed into the butter. The pod itself may also be added to heighten the flavour of mixtures that are simmered, but it will be removed at some point before serving. Split pods, either with or without the seeds, can be placed in granulated or confectioners' sugar to create a beautifully scented vanilla sugar. Whole beans that have been used as a flavouring for cooked mixtures may also be removed, rinsed clean, dried, and stored, tightly wrapped in an airtight container, in a cool, dark spot. Under these conditions, they will stay fragrant for a bout six months.

Imitation vanilla: Composed entirely of artificial flavourings, (most of which are paper industry-by-products that have been chemically treated), imitation vanilla has a harsh taste that will often leave a bitterness on the palate. Much cheaper than vanilla extract, it is not comparable to the real thing and much more will be needed to add flavour to a mix. It may also be called artificial vanillin.

Vanilla flavouring: a blend of pure and imitation vanilla used primarily for commercial products.

Vanilla sugar:  Either confectioner's or granulated sugar that has been flavoured by being stored, airtight, with a vanilla bean. Two beans are generally used to flavour 1 pound of sugar; the beans may be those that have been scraped off their seeds. The aromatic sugar is used to flavour baked products, ice creams, pudding, or other desserts.

Vanilla powder: Vanilla powder is pure vanilla extract that has been dried on maltodextrin ( a modified, all-natural cornstarch), with sugar added or not. It is used as a topping, for colour, or flavouring liquid-sensitive products.

Vanilla paste: With a consistency somewhere between syrup and molasses, vanilla paste is formulated to match pure extract in flavour, strength, and usage. Its consistency holds hundreds of vanilla seeds in suspension which gives the finished product a natural vanilla look.

This article completes our topic on vanilla. Hope you have a clearer understanding of one of the most frequently used flavourings. 

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More on Vanilla and Its Origins

 Vanilla Orchid

Bourbon-Madagascar Vanilla : This type is considered to be the finest-quality pure vanilla available. The term "Bourbon" comes from the Bourbon Islands, Madagascar, Comoro, Seychelles, Mauritius, and Reunion off the east coast of Africa. The beans grown there are very thin, with a sweet, rich flavour that is described as creamy, smooth, sweet and mellow.

Indonesian Vanilla : Traditional Indonesian vanilla has been known as a mixed-quality vanilla, with minimal attention paid to its grading. Grown on Bali, South Java, Sulawesi, North and South Sumatra, Lomboc, Flores, and Timor, it possesses a deep, full-bodied flavour. With improved techniques, modern Indonesian vanilla can frequently be favourably compared to Bourbon vanillas.

 Vanilla Beans

Mexican Vanilla : Mexican vanilla is described as creamy, sweet, smooth and spicy. Considerably cheaper than many other imported vanillas, Mexican vanillas are sometimes suspect as they contain coumarin, a carcinogenic product that can cause liver and kidney damage when consumed. However, when processed by a reputable manufacturer under proper guidelines, Mexican vanilla is considered to be very high quality.

South American and West Indian Vanilla : This vanilla should be similar to Bourbon vanilla, but when imported it is generally of poor quality.

 Vanilla Seeds

Tahitian Vanilla : Tahitian vanilla beans are the thickest, darkest pods, and their seeds are fewer and stickier than those of other types. They come from the species Vanilla tahitensis Moore and have a fragrant but delicate aroma and taste and a lower vanillin content. They are generally less favoured, as they have a relatively high volatile oil content, which results in cloudy extracts.

We will continue next on the different forms of vanilla...

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Vanilla

Vanilla is the most frequently used flavouring in the pastry kitchen - in fact, it is one of the most widely used flavours in the world. With its mellow accent that complements both sweet and savoury products, it is used in baked goods and confections in many parts of the world. 

The long, thin pod is the fruit of a small group of flowered, climbing tropical orchids native to Mexico, the West Indies, Central and South America, and Tahiti. There are more than 20,000 varieties of fruit-bering orchids in the world, and the vanilla bean is the only one that is edible. Most commercial vanilla comes from the Vanilla planifolia Andrews orchid. This particular type of orchid has only one natural pollinator, the melipone bee, and it was not until the intervention of science in the mid-1880s that commercial production was possible. Even now, pollination is still carried out by hand on family plantations.

Because it is labour-intensive and time-consuming to produce, pure vanilla is a very costly ingredient. The entire cultivation process, from planting to market, can take up to six years. For a start, each of the plant's blossoms only stay open for a day, which makes pollination more difficult.

Vanilla beans differ in chemical, physical, and organoleptic (affecting the sense) properties, depending upon their species, geographical source, and physical form (or grade). Each has a marked difference in aroma and taste having to do with the plant it came from, its maturity when picked, the curing method used, and the process used to obtain the extract.

In the next article, we will provide more information vanilla. Do stay with us...

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