I love the smell of vanilla, its used sparingly at our house-only in baked goods. Sometimes when I open the bottle up to put some in cookie dough I just stand there and smell it.
Great article, ya learn something every day in this place, huh?
Wait till you see where imitation vanilla comes from, ewwww!
http://www.vanilla.com/html/facts-extracts.html
All about Vanilla Extracts and Flavors
Originally, everyone used vanilla beans. Vanilla extract has been commercially available for a little more than a hundred years. The first extracts were made at apothecary shops (the first pharmacies and drug stores) and were more like a tincture or syrup. They were strong and very sweet and were often used to calm upset stomachs. Now extracts are available just about everywhere - in convenience stores, supermarkets, fancy gourmet shops, and online. Along with extracts, there are additional products to choose from: natural vanilla flavor, cookie vanilla, imitation vanilla, vanilla blend, double-fold vanilla, vanilla paste, vanilla powder, etc.
Pure vanilla gives us one of the most complex tastes in the world, having well over 250 organic components creating its unique flavor and aroma. I'm often asked if one type of vanilla is better than the other. In truth, they're just different so it's a matter of your own personal taste. Even the same species of vanilla beans grown in different parts of the world will vary in flavor and aroma due to climate and soil differences. While some beans are higher in natural vanillin content than others, this isn't the only indicator of flavor or quality.
How do you decide which product to buy? Your preference may be influenced by what your family traditionally used for vanilla flavoring, the taste to which you are accustomed. The following list explains more about the products on the shelf. You may want to experiment some to decide which appeals to you.
Pure Vanilla Extract
There are about 150 varieties of vanilla, though only two are used commercially--Bourbon and Tahitian. Vanilla extract is made by percolating or macerating chopped vanilla beans with ethyl alcohol and water. The process is usually kept as cool as possible to keep flavor loss to a minimum, though some manufacturers feel that there must be heat to create the best extraction. Most companies use a consistent blend of beans, sometimes from several regions, to create their signature flavor. The extraction process takes about 48 hours after which the extracts will mellow in the tanks with the beans from days to weeks, depending on the processor, before being filtered into a holding tank where the amber-colored liquid extract remains until being bottled.
While the Federal Food and Drug Administration has specific regulations in the United States regarding commercial extract manufacturing, there are variables that create significant differences in extract flavor and quality. For instance, the FDA requires a minimum of 13.35 ounces of vanilla beans to a gallon of a minimum of 35% alcohol to 65% water mixture.
There are no regulations on the quality of the beans, so beans can range from premium-quality to the driest cuts and splits containing only small amounts of natural vanillin. Although 35% is the standard alcohol requirement, premium vanilla extracts often contain a higher percentage of alcohol in order to extract more flavor from the beans. More alcohol is okay with the FDA; less than 35% is not.
The extract may also contain sugar, corn syrup, caramel, colors, or stabilizers. All additives must be on the label, but the FDA doesn't require that the percentage of additives be listed. As vanilla is naturally sweet, it isn't necessary to use additional sweeteners, though some companies use 25% or more sugar in their extracts and some use only a small percentage of sugar as a stabilizer. Adding 20% or more sugar to a newly made extract is like fortifying any alcoholic product. It takes the edge off the harshness of the un-aged product, which is, at least partially, why some companies continue to use a significant amount sugar in their flavorings. Extracts made with premium beans and little to no sugar offer a fresh clean flavor to cuisine. Though these extracts may be expensive, the flavor is cleaner and it carries well to the finished product. Vanilla ages during the time that it goes through the channels from factory to your shelf. Some companies hold the extracts in their manufacturing area for up to a year to make certain the extract is well aged before they ship it out.
Vanilla extracts continue to develop body and depth for about two years, at which time they stabilize. They will keep indefinitely as long as they're stored in a cool dark place such as a pantry or cupboard that's away from the stove or bright sun. Refrigeration is not recommended.
Comparing extract quality is a lot like comparing whiskeys. There's a significant difference between low-end and call- or name- brand Bourbon and Scotch. Part of the difference has to do with allowing the whiskey to age properly, without the use of chemical additives. The same is true for vanillas. Premium extracts may be more expensive, but the flavor will be significantly better because they've been made from the finest ingredients, contain few if any additives, and are naturally aged. This means that your fabulous secret family recipe cookies will be even better if you use quality vanilla extract.
Varieties of Pure Vanilla Extracts
Mexican vanilla is made from Vanilla planifolia (now sometimes called fragrans) plant stock indigenous to Mexico. It is a very smooth, creamy, spicy vanilla. It's especially good in desserts made without heat or with a short cooking time. Dark chocolate, cream desserts, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, ethnic foods, wild game, poultry or meat, all benefit from Mexican vanilla.
Bourbon vanilla is a generic term for Vanilla planifolia, the vanilla most of us are familiar with as it's the most commonly used variety in extracts. Vanilla planifolia stock originated in Mexico, vanilla's birthplace, but cuttings were taken to other tropical countries beginning in the 1700s. In the 1800s, the French developed large plantations on Reunion, known then as the Ile de Bourbon, which is how the name Bourbon came into being. Although vanilla extract is high in alcohol content, it is not made from Bourbon whiskey.
Bourbon and Mexican vanillas have the familiar natural vanillin flavor that we associate with vanilla ice cream and other vanilla-flavored desserts and beverages. Use Bourbon vanilla in baked goods, ice cream and anything where a traditional vanilla flavor is desired.
Indonesian vanilla Depending on how Indonesian vanilla is cured and dried, it can be much like Bourbon vanilla, or it can have very distinctive differences. Some growers harvest their beans too early and use a short-term curing process that give the vanilla a more woody, phenolic flavor. As the early harvest keeps the beans from fully developing their flavor profile, it can be harsher and not as flavorful. It's important to note that not all Indonesian vanilla is harvested too early; premium grade Indonesian vanilla is excellent.
Frequently Indonesian vanilla is blended with Bourbon vanilla to create a signature flavor. Indonesian vanilla tends to hold up well in high heat, so anything slow-baked or exposed to high heat (i.e. cookies), benefits from Indonesian vanilla. Indonesian vanilla is also quite good with chocolate as its flavor overides the sweetness of chocolate and gives it a beneficial flavor-boost. Chocolate's popularity is due, in part, from the sparkle it receives from other flavors as it tends to be somewhat dull on its own.
Tahitian vanilla (Vanilla tahitensis) comes from planifolia stock that was taken to Tahiti. Somehow it mutated, possibly in the wild. It is now classified as a separate species as it's considerably different in appearance and flavor from Bourbon vanilla. It is similar, however, to Vanilla Pompona, a variety of vanilla rarely used commercially, but that has religious and cultural significance with the Totonacas of Mexico, the first cultivators of vanilla. They consider Pompona the queen of vanilla, and she is always planted in a prominent place wherever they grow vanilla.
Tahitian vanilla is sweeter and fruitier and has less natural vanillin than Bourbon and Mexican vanilla. Instead, it contains heliotropin (anis aldehyde), which is unique to its species. This gives it a more cherry-like, licorice, or raisiny taste. It has a very floral fragrance, the bean is fatter and moister than Bourbon vanilla, and contains fewer seeds inside its pod. Tahitian is especially nice in fruit compotes and desserts, as well as in sauces for poultry, seafood and wild game. My recommendation is to try both to see if you have a personal preference. If you still can't decide, combine the two flavors to create your own blend.
Because vanilla is a very labor-intensive agricultural product, vanilla is expensive. Tahitian vanilla has always been more expensive than Mexican and Bourbon vanillas. This is especially true now as it is less readily available.
Natural Vanilla Flavor
People who prefer not to use an alcohol-based extract can substitute natural vanilla flavor found in natural and specialty food stores and some supermarkets. It usually is made with a glycerin or a propylene glycol base. Although the flavor comes from vanilla beans, it doesn't fit the FDA profile for extracts, so it must legally be called natural vanilla flavor.
Note: The texture of natural vanilla - especially in a glycerin base - is viscous and a little darker than vanilla extract. It also smells somewhat different. In uncooked foods and beverages it tastes fairly similar but with a slight aftertaste; in cooked or baked foods, it's more similar to extract.
Vanilla - Vanillin Flavoring
Vanilla flavor is a mixture of pure vanilla extract and synthetic substances, most commonly, synthetic vanillin. (Note: this product cannot legally have "natural" on the label.) There are a couple of common brands that contain a blend of natural and synthetic vanillas. If you grew up with a natural/synthetic blend, this may taste more familiar to you than a pure extract.
Imitation Vanilla
Imitation vanilla is a mixture made from synthetic substances, which imitate part of natural vanilla smell and flavor. Imitation vanilla in the United States comes from synthetic vanillin, which mimics the flavor of natural vanillin, one of the components that gives vanilla its extraordinary bouquet.
The first synthetics were made in Germany in the 1870s because pure vanilla was so expensive that only the wealthy could afford it. It was first made from coniferin, the glucoside that makes some pines smell a little like vanilla. In the 1890s a French chemist created a synthetic from euganol, found in cloves. The two most common sources for synthetic vanillin have been Lignin Vanillin, a by-product of the paper industry, which has been chemically treated to resemble the taste of pure vanilla extract, and Ethyl Vanillin, which is a coal-tar derivative and frequently far stronger than either Lignin Vanillin or pure vanilla.
In the 1930s, the Ontario Paper Company, was struggling with the sulphite liquor, a by-product of paper making, which was polluting local streams near their plant. Company chemists realized it could be turned into synthetic vanillin, a viable but curious ecological solution to a big problem. If you grew up on synthetics, imitation vanilla will be a familiar flavor for you. Given the fact that vanilla isn't that expensive, you might consider learning to enjoy the real deal.
Natural Vanillin
Natural vanillin is one of the over two hundred organic components that make up the flavor and aroma of vanilla, and it's the one we most associate with vanilla. Vanilla beans sometimes have pure vanillin crystals that develop on the bean's surface. The crystals give off an iridescent sparkle in sunlight and are quite edible.
Coumarin
Coumarin is a derivative of the tonka bean, which comes from Dipteryx ordorata, a tree native to Brazil. Some of the organic constituents that make up its flavor are similar to, or the same as, those in pure vanilla. Coumarin is frequently found in synthetic vanillas from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean as it's cheap and it makes synthetic vanilla taste more like the natural. Unfortunately, coumarin is considered toxic, especially to the liver, and potentially carcinogenic, and has been banned from the United States since the 1950s. (Dicumarol, which is a derivative of coumarin, is the active ingredient in certain blood-thinning medications, and is legal in the United States.)
Cookie Vanilla
Cookie Vanilla is a brand name for a blend of vanillas created by one of the American vanilla manufacturers. It's a blend of Tahitian and Bourbon vanilla, which makes it sweet and floral. If you enjoy the flavor of Tahitian vanilla but feel pure Tahitian vanilla is too expensive for your budget, then use Cookie Vanilla or make your own blend of Tahitian and Bourbon vanilla extracts.
Vanilla Powder
There are several types of vanilla powders commercially available. Some are made from sucrose that has been ribbon-sprayed with vanilla extract, and some are a dextrose-vanilla extract mix. They are good for putting into beverages if you want a slightly sweet product that dissolves easily. You can also mix them into powdered or granulated sugar for a vanilla-flavored sugar and you can sprinkle the powders on finished foods such as cinnamon/vanilla toast or...on top of the family heirloom cake when it's warm from the oven. Be aware that many of the vanilla powders from Europe are actually synthetic. Check the ingredients list to see if it's natural or not.
Ground Vanilla Beans
Vanilla beans ground to a fine powder are sometimes confused with vanilla powder. Ground vanilla beans are sometimes used in commercial and industrial products. Ground vanilla is absolutely exquisite in food. Because it isn't in an alcohol carrier, you won't lose flavor when you cook or bake with it. As a result, you can use about half the amount of beans as extract.
Exhausted Vanilla Beans
Exhausted vanilla beans are the ground residue of the extraction process. They may still hold some flavor and are added to commercial vanilla ice creams (often called "vanilla-bean" ice cream), and other products. They are generally not used in home cooking.
Single Fold, Double Fold, etc.
The word "fold" connotes concentration in liquid vanilla extracts and synthetics. Single fold (written 1x) is the standard concentrate of pure vanilla extract. Double fold (2x) is twice as strong, and so forth. Concentrations can go up to 20-fold, but the extract isn't real stable above four-fold. In candy-making, where liquids can change the chemistry of the finished product, a multi-fold extract concentrate is useful.
Vanilla Paste
Vanilla paste is a sweet concentrated vanilla extract that has the vanilla bean seeds included in the mix. It is very useful in cooking when you don't want to add much additional liquid.
Vanilla Oleoresin
Vanilla oleoresin is a semi-solid concentrate obtained by removing the solvent from the vanilla extract. A solution of isopropanol is frequently used instead of ethanol for the preparation. Some flavor and aroma is lost during removal of the solvent, but it does contain essential oils. Vanilla oleoresin is used in non-food products. Unfortunately, it isn't always stable in candle and soap making, which is too bad, as it's considerably less expensive than Vanilla Absolute.
Vanilla Absolute
Vanilla absolute is the most concentrated form of vanilla. It is often used to in perfumes and other aroma-based products. Because it's so expensive, most candles, soaps, and other scented specialty merchandise, are made from synthetic vanillin. Vanilla Absolute is used in very high-end products in small quantities, often mixed with other fragrances in perfumes, for instance.
NOT! 
Seriously, try Watkins. You still have the trial sizes IT? It's Just Me
