Vanilla Bean Paste Instead Of Vanilla Extract
Business By mcintyrepope Updated 5 Feb 2015 , 11:35pm by BakerBlackCat
When using using vanilla bean paste instead vanilla extract, do you use less than the recipe requires or do you use the same amount the recipe asks for?
AI use the same amount of paste as I would extract.
AOk. I get my vanilla from Amazon, but there must be a company that sells bulk at a better price.
Is vanilla bean paste "better" than vanilla extract? Although I've been hobby baking for about 5 years now, I had not heard of vanilla bean paste until recently. Is the cost comparable? Are the two always able to be used in any recipe, or are there certain types of recipes where one or the other would be "best". Do the bean paste "flecks" add to the presentation or flavor?
Thanks for any info.
I know when I introduced my mom to the paste and she saw the flecks in her cheesecake, she absolutely decided that was all she was going to use from then on...
But I think that the preference is up to the baker... There are some high quality extracts out there and also there are some low quality pastes...
I think as long as you are happy with the flavor, you should use whatever you want...
Quote:
Is vanilla bean paste "better" than vanilla extract? Although I've been hobby baking for about 5 years now, I had not heard of vanilla bean paste until recently. Is the cost comparable? Are the two always able to be used in any recipe, or are there certain types of recipes where one or the other would be "best". Do the bean paste "flecks" add to the presentation or flavor?
Thanks for any info.
I've not looked into the quality of the vanilla used in each but I find the paste better as it has a more mellow flavour; you can also add more vanilla for a stonger taste, whereas too much extract gives a nasty bitter flavour.
I find the cost quite comparable, maybe 1.5x, I buy off the supermarket shelf rather than the gourmet vanilla companies.
I have not found a recipe yet that they are not interchangable; the paste is a sugar syrup base rather than alcohol so I guess if you absolutely can't add any sugar you can't use it.
I have always had the seeds/flecks in both extract and paste; perhaps slightly more per spoon full of paste thinking about it; I think all their flavour goes into the syrup/alcohol base though so I'd say more for presentation.... it would be interesting to test that though.....
I use the same ratio of paste as when using extract, but it is not inexpensive. It is a yummy noticeable difference if you are making ice cream btw! I've found it less expensive in Home Goods, but you can never be sure they are going to have it - so I just ordered the mama-size through Amazon which seemed a good price.
T
I use the paste exclusively since I discovered it over a year ago. I feel that the flecks definitely add character, elegance, and the perception of more freshness and natural than an extract. I purchase it by the quart from Amazon Prime - currently running $35.72, not bad, considering it's around $10 for 4 oz. Just be sure you don't accidentally order the extract like I did last time. Doh! The extract is currently running $28.22. It's a no-brainer for me. HTH!
I use a Vanilla paste that is not a sugar syrup base, so it is not sweet at all but it is incredible good in baked goods! I prefer that it is not sweet so it never adds to a treats sweetness. I purchased it from Vanilla Products USA. I still use Extract for some things that I do not wish to have the flecks in.
I use so much vanilla in my baking, I'm starting to think of vanilla as a food group!
I also use vanilla bean paste & vanilla extract interchangeably. It just depends on what I'm baking.
I use vanilla bean paste in my light-colored baking, as well as most of my frostings, so that I can have the visual impact of the vanilla bean specks. (Darker batters, like chocolate or carrot, I use vanilla extract, since the seeds would get lost.) I like the Nielsen-Massey paste, and I also use paste from both Qzina Specialty Foods/Chef Warehouse and Marx Foods Online.
I also make my own vanilla sugar to use in my vanilla cake, as well as my salted caramel. You need a clean coffee/spice grinder, dried-out vanilla beans, and sugar! I use these Flavored Sugar ideas from Marx Foods. Just make sure the vanilla bean pieces are ground up super fine, as they will hydrate a bit in the batter. I run them through my coffee grinder, and sieve out the big pieces, and re-grind with more sugar, then mix that mess into about 2# of sugar. It amps up the vanilla flavor, and again, adds that visual element of the vanilla pieces.
I'm always looking for good prices on bulk products, so definitely checking out those Amazon Prime prices on the paste. Thanks for the tip @SensationalCakesAndMore!!
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%
