Best Mexican Vanilla ~ Where To Buy?
Decorating By Starkie Updated 3 Jul 2007 , 7:18pm by jilliankinsel
What is the best Mexican vanilla that you have tried? I have head so much about this stuff, I want to give it a try. There is a brand on E-Bay called Danncy, and I was wondering if it was a reputable brand? Any thoughts/ideas/proclivities anyone wants to share???
I have some that was given to me by a friend's mom. She was visiting in Mexico and got the real deal stuff for me.
Here's a link to a discussion a couple of years ago on Mexican vanilla and a warning:
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-5987-mexican.html+vanilla
I have both regular and clear Danncy vanilla and they do not contain the harmful ingredient, coumarin.
My MIL lives in Yuma and purchased them for me.
But I will say they dont have the flavor of our vanilla. They are a little different. Not bad, just different.
I get mine from Mexico, I mostly use mine for my cookies, Tres Leches cake and vanilla ice cream. I do not believe there is any harm no one I know has been sick, or died. 
I hate the vanilla poisoning discussions...
I use Molina Vanilla from Mexico... my friend buys it for me when she goes, but you can find it on-line if you google it. Pampered Chef also has a really good vanilla, so when I run out of my stash, I use that. It makes my icing off white, so I tell people they can have it taste good or they can have it white.
As far as the warnings.. how much would someone have to ingest for it to do harm... I use 2 tsp in a double batch of frosting.... hmmm?
I have a liter bottle of Xilkan my mother bought in Cozumel and it is wonderful and it was only $10 I also had the Molino when my inlaws went to Tiawana? and it was good to and just as cheap better priced and tase than here in my opinion.
As far as the warnings.. how much would someone have to ingest for it to do harm... I use 2 tsp in a double batch of frosting.... hmmm?
I can't speak to an exact amount that would cause a problem, but the offending ingredient, coumarin (basically a super cheap mimic rather than what should be used in the vanilla--making the product synthetic, not even real vanilla) is a relative of coumadin--a powerful blood thinner used by a sizeable number of older individuals. "Out of whack" coumadin levels can be very dangerous for these individuals. Some patients are so sensitive that eating too much of the wrong foods--some salad ingredients, broccoli, etc.--can throw their level off enough that they bruise badly.
That may sound pretty harmless, but spontaneous bruising means that something is bleeding way too easily (perhaps even without a bump). That type of bleeding could also then occur in the brain, heart, bowel, or stomach, equaling a medical emergency and possibly death. A simple fall on the sidewalk could lead to the same result.
I was on a cruise to Mexico and while on the ship, there was a talk about shopping onshore. We were specifically advised not to buy the cheap vanilla due to this very problem. It was hard to pass up a huge bottle for about $7, but I did. My mother-in-law is on coumadin and I couldn't bear the idea that my money saving could do her even the smallest amount of harm.....
This may not be a "comfortable subject", but the problem is real and perhaps the use of tainted vanilla may not even be traced back to a coumadin user's ingestion of a cake or cookies, but why take the chance?
Vanilla really is pretty cheap, given the small amount generally used in recipes. There is virtually no regulation of ingredients or suppliers outside the US--Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, etc. The supply in the US is safe.
Good articles here: http://www.vanilla.com/html/facts-mexican.html
http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia2807.html
(Danncy is on the FDA list as one to be concerned about)
If a deal is too good to be true, there's probably trouble hiding in it somewhere....
Rae
ChefCindy, I wondered the same. I don't think it's something that's immediate but supposedly it's carcinogenic. Considering people are eating a slice here and there and it's only a tsp or so in each cake, I'd think you're hardly ingesting much. But it's good info to have. Not all mexican vanilla contains coumarin but a lot of it is synthetic. Real vanilla will be amber, translucent-ish in color. Synthetics are usually dark in color or the clear kind...and cheap.
I've always wanted to try making my own but still haven't done so. I want to try the Madagascar kind also to see what the difference is.
Hmmm....go look at this report....note the "...Attachment to Import Alert 28-07 - 4/19/07..."
http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia2807.html
I get mine from Pampered Chef. It is Double-Strength Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract. The cost is $14.75 for a 4 oz. bottle.
www.pamperedchef.org
Only available in the 48 contigious states and comes with a English & Spanish label.
Gloria
Gloria, I just bought some double strength and I haven't read the label or used it yet, but I was wondering--do I use half as much per recipe????
Thanks,
Rae
My father takes Coumadin for a blood clot issue, he was taken to the hospital last year with an issue with his leg, turned out he couldn't walk because he had 2 blood clots in his leg and one in each lung. The doctor gave him strict rules and a very strict diet including some things such as vanilla. He asked if we baked from scratch or used box mix and if we used vanilla in anything and I said yes I do, but I use the Wilton Clear Vanilla in my butter cream recipes and if it doesn't matter on color and if I'm out of the Wilton and can't get to the store then I use the store brand vanilla I have on hand for cookies and such... He warned us about this problem with the vanilla as well as other foods and said it can be deadly to certain patients so stay away from it... so I have...
Just thought I'd add first hand info on the whole Coumadin thing..
Wow, I bought a large bottle of Mexican Vanilla in January........thank you for this thread-I will need to check it tonight when I get home. It was cheap and is really dard in color..........and I use it in all my baking a icings.........and love it- it has a good strong flavor. But, I may be throwing it out for the sake of this thread-- thank you thank you!!!
I just wanted to add that an instructor I had recommended using Mexican Vanilla. She had a huge bottle! When I went online to see where I could buy it, so many warnings came up...exactly those mentioned by BlakesCakes.
I would much rather have the real stuff and not take any chances. I know that so many things are harmful to us, things we can't even defend against- but, if I'm made aware of something damaging, I feel better avoiding it.
The best vanilla I've come across is by Williams Sonoma. I rec'd a gift box of three samples last Christmas and LOVE ALL THREE! The three pure extracts included were a Tahitian Vanilla, Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla and Mexican Vanilla. Of the three, the Mexican Vanilla was my favorite with the Madagascar Boubon a close second! I've since used them all up and went back to the store to by more! I was delighted to find an 8 oz bottle for $19.00, however, they only make the Madagascar Boubon in the 8 oz size! BUMMER, but it's still pretty wonderful! Here's a picture of it....
Making your own is so easy! I have 2 700ml bottles of it brewing as we speak. I buy my vanilla from Arizona Vanilla on Ebay and then split and put 18 pods in per bottle of vodka, steep and shake for about a month (although the longer you leave it the better it is - apparently it reaches it's peak at 2 years old!), and voila - beautiful, natural and just as good as the most expensive extracts you can buy at a fraction of the price!
That sounsd so simple.
BonjoviBabe, how much do you pay for the vanilla beans? And how many come with the order?
Thanks.
I paid about $33 for 1lb of Bourbon vanilla beans, here's the link:
http://stores.ebay.nl/Arizona-Vanilla-Company
I got tons of vanilla beans, I reckon my 1lb of vanilla will be enough for 10 700ml bottles of extract! Here's the vanilla extract I started on Thursday just gone - look at that colour at just 4 days old! Can you imagine how great this will taste in another 3 1/2 weeks?!
Bonjovibabe, what's your recipe, if you don't mind me asking? I can get some Madagascar vanilla beans from the local Lowe's Foods, so I think I'm going to give this a try! And how long before the alcohol "burns off", or does it??? (I mean, if I drink some of this later, will it be like drinking a shot of liquor? Is that what would happen if I drink a "shot" of pure vanilla extract now?)
I use the recipe on the Arizona Vanilla page:
http://www.vanillarocks.com/extract.html
The alcohol will always be there, but then the best extracts are made with alcohol too, there's a page on there that explains it all somewhere! Hope that helps! You need soft, bendy beans to give you the best results - the dried out beans at the supermarket just don't cut it (IMO!)
The best vanilla I've come across is by Williams Sonoma. I rec'd a gift box of three samples last Christmas and LOVE ALL THREE! The three pure extracts included were a Tahitian Vanilla, Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla and Mexican Vanilla. Of the three, the Mexican Vanilla was my favorite with the Madagascar Boubon a close second! I've since used them all up and went back to the store to by more! I was delighted to find an 8 oz bottle for $19.00, however, they only make the Madagascar Boubon in the 8 oz size! BUMMER, but it's still pretty wonderful! Here's a picture of it....
Arizona Vanilla do 8oz bottles of all 3 kinds of ready-made extract! Might be worth a look! I'm sounding like an infomercial (I don't work for them, honestly!), so I'll shut up now!
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