Vanilla

[Guest guest]

We had trouble with the base that the vanilla was in...alcohol was a problem.

Tonya Dillingham

Mothersheart1996@...

[ ] vanilla

Does anyone know if vanilla is a phenol or bad for feeding yeast?

I give my son vanilla (not vanillin) flavored rice milk.

Thanks -

[Guest guest]

> Does anyone know if vanilla is a phenol or bad for feeding yeast?

> I give my son vanilla (not vanillin) flavored rice milk.

>

Vanilla beans are low phenol according to my page. Not sure if it

feeds yeast or not. But your child may not tolerate it.

Dana

[Guest guest]

Deborah,

I have made homemade vanilla extract with mexican vanilla beans from

Frontier and vodka or everclear.

Now I just buy the pure LaVencadora from www.azurestandard.com

If I were inclined to get beans, I would get them from azure as well. Whole

foods has gone sky high on their spice prices. You could also check with Pam

Brayton who does a Frontier order monthly.

Tina in TX

[Guest guest]

-

>Was it on this list that I read about vanilla extract, and how important

>it is to get the " real McCoy? " I cannot remember, and I'm hopeless at

>searching the archives :-( I've seen some for sale from Cook's in

>California and I'm wondering if this is the good stuff.

There are two things to be wary of. First, artificial vanilla. I think

it's all fake vanilla is synthetic vanillin, but it can be labeled in

various ways. Artificial vanilla flavor, for example. Second, vanilla

extract in a sugar base, such as corn syrup. That's just unhealthy crap,

and almost definitely indicates that the vanilla is poor quality

anyway. Otherwise, it's the real mccoy, though it can be difficult to find

organic vanilla depending on where you live.

-

[Guest guest]

What about what they call Mexican Vanilla?

I buy mine from a Mexican restaurant and the bottle says totally

natural vanilla, does not contain coumarin, additives, or

preservatives.

--- In , Idol <Idol@c...>

wrote:

> -

>

> >Was it on this list that I read about vanilla extract, and how

important

> >it is to get the " real McCoy? " I cannot remember, and I'm

hopeless at

> >searching the archives :-( I've seen some for sale from Cook's

in

> >California and I'm wondering if this is the good stuff.

>

> There are two things to be wary of. First, artificial vanilla. I

think

> it's all fake vanilla is synthetic vanillin, but it can be labeled

in

> various ways. Artificial vanilla flavor, for example. Second,

vanilla

> extract in a sugar base, such as corn syrup. That's just unhealthy

crap,

> and almost definitely indicates that the vanilla is poor quality

> anyway. Otherwise, it's the real mccoy, though it can be difficult

to find

> organic vanilla depending on where you live.

>

>

>

> -

[Guest guest]

Can vanilla extract be made at home with vanilla beans and brandy (or other

wine-based alcohol). I have used the bean bits in different recipes as well.

Deanna

[Guest guest]

Deanna-

>Can vanilla extract be made at home with vanilla beans and brandy (or

>other wine-based alcohol). I have used the bean bits in different recipes

>as well.

Wine-based? Certainly, but it won't be like regular vanilla extract, which

is made with relatively flavorless alcohol -- such as vodka. I guess the

recipe would be otherwise the same, though. 2 cups booze, 5 vanilla

pods. Let the vanilla steep for at least a couple weeks, preferably a month.

-

[Guest guest]

>What about what they call Mexican Vanilla?

>

>I buy mine from a Mexican restaurant and the bottle says totally

>natural vanilla, does not contain coumarin, additives, or

>preservatives.

That's just vanilla grown in Mexico. Unless it's certified organic,

though, I'd be worried about pesticides in Mexican products, but it

probably is cheaper than other sources, and for some reason vanilla has

gone through the roof lately. I've cut way back.

-

[Guest guest]

Try doing your search here - it is awesome!

http://onibasu.dyndns.org/

Pugh <labradors@...> wrote:

Was it on this list that I read about vanilla extract, and how important it is

to get the " real McCoy? " I cannot remember, and I'm hopeless at searching the

archives :-( I've seen some for sale from Cook's in California and I'm

wondering if this is the good stuff.

Cheers,

and the K9's

[Guest guest]

Carol wrote:

>Try doing your search here - it is awesome!

http://onibasu.dyndns.org/

Thanks for reminding me. You're right, it IS an awesome search engine :-)

Thanks to everyone who replied to my question on vanillla.

and the K9's

[Guest guest]

Vanilla Vanilla fragranssyn: Vanilla planifoliaFam: Orchidaceae Next to saffron and cardamom, vanilla is the worlds next most expensive spice. Growers are known to “brand” their beans with pin pricks before they can be harvested, to identify the owner and prevent theft. Vanilla is native to Mexico, where it is still grown commercially. Vanilla was used by the Aztecs for flavouring their royal drink xocolatl - a mixture of cocoa beans, vanilla and honey. Cortez brought vanilla back to Europe in the sixteenth century, after having observed

Montezuma drinking the cocoa concoction. It has many non-culinary uses, including aromatizing perfumes, cigars and liqueurs. Europeans prefer to use the bean, while North Americans usually use the extract. Substances called “vanilla flavour” don’t contain vanilla at all, being synthesized from eugenol (clove oil), waste paper pulp, coal tar or ‘coumarin’, found in the tonka bean, whose use is forbidden in several countries. Ice cream producers are unlikely to point out that their most popular flavour derives its name from the Latin word vagina. For ancient Romans, vagina meant sheath or scabbard. The Spanish adopted the word as vaina, which developed a diminutive form, vainilla, meaning “little sheath”. The Spanish made this diminutive the name of the plant because its pods resemble sheaths. Spice DescriptionThe flavouring comes from the seed pod, or the ‘bean’ of the vanilla plant. The prepared beans are very dark brown, slender, pleated and about 20 cm (8 in) long. The bean is tough and pliable, quality vanilla having a frosting of crystal called givre. The crystals contain the active ingredient ‘vanillin’ that produces the characteristic fragrance and is produced during the process of induced fermentation. These pods are called ‘fine vanilla’. ‘Woody vanilla’ is shorter, lighter coloured, uncrystallized, stronger and slightly bitter. All beans contain thousands of tiny black seeds. Vanilla extract is also available and, if of good quality, is identical in flavour to the pods.Bouquet: highly fragrant and aromaticFlavour: rich, full, aromatic and powerful. Madagascar and Mexico making the best quality. Indonesian and Tahitian vanilla is weaker and considered

inferior.Hotness Scale:1 Where to Buy VanillaMost specialty food shops carry vanilla beans. Look for oily flexible pods. There are a number of places to purchase online, though we recommend purchasing through one of the reputable dealers associated with Amazon and their trusted and secure online ordering. Click here to shop for vanilla beans. Preparation and StorageVanilla extract is made by percolating alcohol and water through chopped, cured beans, somewhat like making coffee. Vanilla extract is very powerful, a few drops sufficing for most uses. Vanilla bean is a bit more time consuming to use than the extract, but imparts the stongest vanilla flavour without the alcohol of extract.To flavour a liquid base for creme sauces, puddings, ice creams, etc., allow one bean per pint to steep in the liquid by boiling and allowing to cool for an hour before removing the bean. This can be repeated a few times if the bean is washed after use, dried and kept airtight. Ground vanilla can also be used, but use half as much and leave in the

liquid. Many recipes call for slitting the bean lengthwise and scraping out the tiny black seeds. Airtight storage is necessary, otherwise the aroma will dissipate. A good way to store whole vanilla is to bury it in sugar. Use a jar with a tight-fitting lid that will hold about a pound of sugar, burying the bean so that no light can reach it. After 2 -3 weeks the sugar tastes of vanilla and can be used in coffee or in other recipes and the bean can be removed for other uses and returned to the sugar after cleaning. Keep topping up the sugar. Culinary UsesVanilla’s mellow fragrance enhances a variety of sweet dishes: puddings, cakes, custards, creams,

soufflés and, of course, ice cream. Classic examples include crème caramel, peach Melba and apple Charlotte. Vanilla flavour is detectable in many chocolate and confectionery items and several liqueurs such as Crème de Cacao and Galliano. Attributed Medicinal PropertiesFrom the time of the Aztecs, vanilla was considered an aphrodisiac. This reputation was much enhanced in 1762 when a German study found that a medication based on vanilla extract cured impotence — all 342 smiling subjects claimed they were cured.It was also once believed that vanilla was a febrifuge, used to reduce fevers, though it is rarely used for any medicinal purposes other than as a pharmaceutical flavouring. Plant Description and CultivationVanilla is a tropical climbing orchid, with a long green fleshy stem that sprouts roots that cling to trees parasitically. Its yellow or orange orchidaceous flowers grow in bunches, which bloom one flower each day, opening one by one during the two month season. Vanilla is a tropical crop and cannot grow naturally in temperate climates. When cultivated the vines are trained using posts and support trees.In nature they are only pollinated by Mexican bees and hummingbirds that are capable of penetrating a tough membrane that separates the plant’s pistol and stamen. European entrepreneurs had transplanted vanilla to grow in other tropical locations but could not get them to produce the pods. It wasn’t until 1836 that

a botanist from Belgium, Morren, recognized that the flowers were not being pollinated and would require some human assistance. In 1841, Edmond Albius, a former slave, on the French Island of Réunion, perfected a method to artificially fertilize the short-lived vanilla flower using a thin bamboo skewer to lift the membrane and use his thumb to smear the pollen. This gave great impetus to vanilla bean husbandry, and the method is still used today.The pods take about nine months to mature and are harvested when the tips begin to turn from yellow. Until recently, the curing process was long and complicated. The beans are first wrapped and subjected to high temperature and humidity to ‘kill’ the vegetative life. The next process involves alternate drying in the sun by day and sweating by night for several days. At this point the beans are dark, oily and pliable and are then slowly dried in the shade for up to two months. They are then sorted and graded and placed

in chests for a further conditioning period of one or two months.Other NamesFrench: vanilleGerman: VanilleItalian: vanigliaSpanish: vainilla Recipes using vanillaVanilla is used in Lemon & Vanilla Posset and in this Fruit Compote. Bibliographic References and Further Reading

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[Guest guest]

Vanilla flavor, made with glycerin, is fine, but weak.  For better flavor it is best to just make your own.Some have told me that grain alcohol is fine because it is distilled, which removes the gluten.  I find for my son it just is best to stay away from any possible contamination.MaureenI assume vanilla extract with grain alcohol would be not be a GAPS food, but what about vanilla with glycerin?

[Guest guest]

Hi Maureen how do you make Vanilla flavoring?

>

> Vanilla flavor, made with glycerin, is fine, but weak. For better

> flavor it is best to just make your own.

>