Clear vanilla extract

"cathy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Is there such a thing as clear pure vanilla extract? I googled it and
found several but they all seem to be imitation or artifical vanilla
extract, not the real thing.

Does it exist?

Yes it does exist http://tinyurl.com/8oosh this what I buy in UK

cathy said:

Is there such a thing as clear pure vanilla extract? I googled it and
found several but they all seem to be imitation or artifical vanilla
extract, not the real thing.

Yes, it does exist. The chef at a local restaurant brought some back from
the Dominican Republic and gave me some. It was very good.

cathy said:

Is there such a thing as clear pure vanilla extract? I googled it and
found several but they all seem to be imitation or artifical vanilla
extract, not the real thing.

Does it exist?

Cathy

Does it really need to be clear? This will be pure, but not
clear.

<http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1713,146191-251198,00.html>

HOME BREWED VANILLA EXTRACT

2 c. vodka
5 vanilla beans, cut into 1" pieces

Combine vodka and vanilla beans in a jar with a tight fitting lid.
The vodka mixture will turn amber color after a day or two. Let
stand 6 to 8 weeks. Yield: 2 cups.
After half the extract is used, add more vodka to cover the
beans. The flavor of the beans is gone when the vodka no longer
turns to a dark color. (This extract has been used with the same
beans for a period of three years, or longer.)

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

"cathy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Is there such a thing as clear pure vanilla extract? I googled it and
found several but they all seem to be imitation or artifical vanilla
extract, not the real thing.

Does it exist?

Cathy

I see Ophelia already provided a source. But, in a pinch, could you use a
vanilla liqueur? I don't know if one exists, but booze manufacturers seem to
put every other damned flavor into alcohol these days. :-)

cathy said:

Is there such a thing as clear pure vanilla extract? I googled it and
found several but they all seem to be imitation or artifical vanilla
extract, not the real thing.

Does it exist?

I'd be very suspicious.

And it wouldn't be imitation/artificial extract... it would be
imitation/artificial flavoring.

In dishes where vanilla gets heated modern imitation vanilla flavoring
can't be differentiated from real vanilla extract, not by humans...
anyone who claims they can detect the difference is lying. Save your
real vanilla extract for things like whipped cream/ice cream, but the
majority can't tell anyway, so if you have more dollars than brain
cells go for it. For anything you cook/bake use fake.

Merriam Webster

van·il·lin

noun

: a crystalline phenolic aldehyde C 8 H 8 O 3 that is extracted from
vanilla beans or prepared synthetically and is used especially in
flavoring and in perfumery

Sheldon Van Nillin

Ophelia said:

"cathy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Is there such a thing as clear pure vanilla extract? I googled it and
found several but they all seem to be imitation or artifical vanilla
extract, not the real thing.

Does it exist?

Yes it does exist http://tinyurl.com/8oosh this what I buy in UK

That's not *clear*.

Sheldon Reads

Sheldon said:

van·il·lin

noun

: a crystalline phenolic aldehyde C 8 H 8 O 3 that is extracted from
vanilla beans or prepared synthetically and is used especially in
flavoring and in perfumery

Sheldon Van Nillin

I've been told - never verified it though (go ahead, google it, i'm too
lazy) that one source of vanillan is the ponderosa pine tree. (They're
the big, tall pines that only have branches way up near the top, the
lower ones fall off as the grow - like a loblolly pine - and the bark
hsa huge crack in it so you can see the wood underneath.)

If you ever have a chance, step up close and bury your nose in the
openings of the bark. Smells like a bottle of pure vanilla. An
environmental educator for the Albuquerque Public School district told
my class that vanillan is extracted from the tree sap. Makes sense if
you think about the fact that syrup comes from tree sap, why not
vanillan?

Sheldon said:

cathy said:

Is there such a thing as clear pure vanilla extract? I googled it and
found several but they all seem to be imitation or artifical vanilla
extract, not the real thing.

Does it exist?

I'd be very suspicious.

And it wouldn't be imitation/artificial extract... it would be
imitation/artificial flavoring.

In dishes where vanilla gets heated modern imitation vanilla flavoring
can't be differentiated from real vanilla extract, not by humans...
anyone who claims they can detect the difference is lying. Save your
real vanilla extract for things like whipped cream/ice cream, but the
majority can't tell anyway, so if you have more dollars than brain
cells go for it. For anything you cook/bake use fake.

Merriam Webster

van·il·lin

noun

: a crystalline phenolic aldehyde C 8 H 8 O 3 that is extracted from
vanilla beans or prepared synthetically and is used especially in
flavoring and in perfumery

Sheldon Van Nillin

Well, I'm thinking specifically about cake frostings. I made a red
velvet cake yesterday with a cream cheese frosting, which called for 2
teaspoons of vanilla. So instead of a pure, glaringly white frosting
(which is what I wanted in contrasted to the red of the cake) I had a
sort of pale beige frosting. Tastes fine, but the color contrast isn't
there. It occurred to me that a clear vanilla extract would be just
the thing for a frosting like this.

But I really really dislike using the imitation stuff. You're right,
Sheldon, you can't taste the difference if it's been heated, but
straight into a frosting, well, I =can= tell the difference. There's
something....chemical-y tasting about artificial vanilla, it's almost
kind of metallic, and I just don't want that flavor in my frosting.
Hence hte need for clear.

So....does it exist?

Cathy

Sheldon said:

Quoted message said:

Does it exist?

I'd be very suspicious.

And it wouldn't be imitation/artificial extract... it would be
imitation/artificial flavoring.

In dishes where vanilla gets heated modern imitation vanilla flavoring
can't be differentiated from real vanilla extract, not by humans...
anyone who claims they can detect the difference is lying. Save your
real vanilla extract for things like whipped cream/ice cream, but the
majority can't tell anyway, so if you have more dollars than brain
cells go for it. For anything you cook/bake use fake.

Take this information for what it is worth. The friend who brought me
clear pure vanilla extract from the Dominican Republic is an accomplished
chef. He used it in his restaurant.

As for cooked dishes..... our resident navy cook has suggested that it
makes no difference in cooked dishes and but that the real stuff should be
used in cooked dishes. Ice cream is cooked. Vanilla is not added at the
end, as it is in puddings. It is cooked along with the cream, milk, sugar
and eggs. So that just provides more proof that the only advice from
Shelon that can be counted on is the stuff he cuts and pastes from reliable
sources.

Doug Kanter said:

"cathy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Is there such a thing as clear pure vanilla extract? I googled it and
found several but they all seem to be imitation or artifical vanilla
extract, not the real thing.

Does it exist?

Cathy

I see Ophelia already provided a source.

You don't read any better than Ophelia.

Quoted message said:

But, in a pinch, could you use a
vanilla liqueur? I don't know if one exists, but booze manufacturers seem to
put every other damned flavor into alcohol these days. :-)

Stop padding your posts with [censored] verbiage... do you think you're a
guinea, or what.

Sheldon

"Sheldon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Doug Kanter said:

"cathy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Is there such a thing as clear pure vanilla extract? I googled it and
found several but they all seem to be imitation or artifical vanilla
extract, not the real thing.

Does it exist?

Cathy

I see Ophelia already provided a source.

You don't read any better than Ophelia.

Quoted message said:

But, in a pinch, could you use a
vanilla liqueur? I don't know if one exists, but booze manufacturers seem
to
put every other damned flavor into alcohol these days. :-)

Stop padding your posts with [censored] verbiage... do you think you're a
guinea, or what.

Sheldon

Mommy will be home, soon, Sheldon. Stay calm, and focus on a happy thought,
like her nipples. You'll be fine soon. Breathe deeply.

Jude said:

I've been told - never verified it though (go ahead, google it, i'm too
lazy) that one source of vanillan is the ponderosa pine tree. (They're
the big, tall pines that only have branches way up near the top, the
lower ones fall off as the grow - like a loblolly pine - and the bark
hsa huge crack in it so you can see the wood underneath.)

If you ever have a chance, step up close and bury your nose in the
openings of the bark. Smells like a bottle of pure vanilla. [snip]

I think Ponderosa pine smells like butterscotch. -aem

In article <[email hidden]>,

cathy said:

Is there such a thing as clear pure vanilla extract? I googled it and
found several but they all seem to be imitation or artifical vanilla
extract, not the real thing.

Does it exist?

Cathy

Make your own. :-)

Drop 6 vanilla beans into a bottle of vodka and stick it under the
cabinet for 6 months.

QED.
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson

"Dave Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Sheldon said:

Quoted message said:

Does it exist?

I'd be very suspicious.

And it wouldn't be imitation/artificial extract... it would be
imitation/artificial flavoring.

In dishes where vanilla gets heated modern imitation vanilla flavoring
can't be differentiated from real vanilla extract, not by humans...
anyone who claims they can detect the difference is lying. Save your
real vanilla extract for things like whipped cream/ice cream, but the
majority can't tell anyway, so if you have more dollars than brain
cells go for it. For anything you cook/bake use fake.

Take this information for what it is worth. The friend who brought me
clear pure vanilla extract from the Dominican Republic is an accomplished
chef. He used it in his restaurant.

As for cooked dishes..... our resident navy cook has suggested that it
makes no difference in cooked dishes and but that the real stuff should be
used in cooked dishes. Ice cream is cooked. Vanilla is not added at the
end, as it is in puddings. It is cooked along with the cream, milk, sugar
and eggs. So that just provides more proof that the only advice from
Shelon that can be counted on is the stuff he cuts and pastes from
reliable
sources.

Ice cream is cooked?

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

cathy said:

Is there such a thing as clear pure vanilla extract? I googled it and
found several but they all seem to be imitation or artifical vanilla
extract, not the real thing.

Does it exist?

Cathy

Make your own. :-)

Drop 6 vanilla beans into a bottle of vodka and stick it under the
cabinet for 6 months.

Won't it turn brown?

cathy said:

Sheldon said:

cathy said:

Is there such a thing as clear pure vanilla extract? I googled it and
found several but they all seem to be imitation or artifical vanilla
extract, not the real thing.

Does it exist?

I'd be very suspicious.

And it wouldn't be imitation/artificial extract... it would be
imitation/artificial flavoring.

In dishes where vanilla gets heated modern imitation vanilla flavoring
can't be differentiated from real vanilla extract, not by humans...
anyone who claims they can detect the difference is lying. Save your
real vanilla extract for things like whipped cream/ice cream, but the
majority can't tell anyway, so if you have more dollars than brain
cells go for it. For anything you cook/bake use fake.

Merriam Webster

van·il·lin

noun

: a crystalline phenolic aldehyde C 8 H 8 O 3 that is extracted from
vanilla beans or prepared synthetically and is used especially in
flavoring and in perfumery

Sheldon Van Nillin

Well, I'm thinking specifically about cake frostings. I made a red
velvet cake yesterday with a cream cheese frosting, which called for 2
teaspoons of vanilla. So instead of a pure, glaringly white frosting
(which is what I wanted in contrasted to the red of the cake) I had a
sort of pale beige frosting. Tastes fine, but the color contrast isn't
there. It occurred to me that a clear vanilla extract would be just
the thing for a frosting like this.

But I really really dislike using the imitation stuff. You're right,
Sheldon, you can't taste the difference if it's been heated, but
straight into a frosting, well, I =can= tell the difference. There's
something....chemical-y tasting about artificial vanilla, it's almost
kind of metallic, and I just don't want that flavor in my frosting.
Hence hte need for clear.

So....does it exist?

Not to my knowledge. I don't think there is any way to produce a
tincture of vanilla bean and end up with anything clear... however
there may be some way to 'bleach' vanilla extract... but I'd think that
kinda does away with that word "pure".... not that there is anything
approaching pure vanilla about vanilla extract.

Were it me I'd make up a big batch of vanilla sugar... infuse a couple
pounds powdered sugar with a couple vanilla beans for a couple weeks...
now you have pure sugar embued with pure vanilla, doesn't get any more
pure. Keep in mind that the taste of vanilla should never be so
powerful it tastes artificial... just as with fine parfume whenever
using vanilla always use less rather than more.

You can also purchase vanilla powder.

http://shop.bakerscatalogue.com/detail.jsp;jsessionid=08303000991133221311323?id=2837VANILA&pv=1133221311587

http://tinyurl.com/8ck9k

Of course for a perfectly white frosting professional bakers might use
vanilla fondant... Baker's Catalog has it in two pound lots.

Sheldon

Doug Kanter said:

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

cathy said:

Is there such a thing as clear pure vanilla extract? I googled it and
found several but they all seem to be imitation or artifical vanilla
extract, not the real thing.

Does it exist?

Cathy

Make your own. :-)

Drop 6 vanilla beans into a bottle of vodka and stick it under the
cabinet for 6 months.

Won't it turn brown?

Of course... and it'll be flavored vodka, not pure vanilla extract.
And why 6 vanilla beans... seemed like a good number, eh.... those
beans are worth twice the vodka.... but wastes the beans and more
importantly wastes the vodka.

Sheldon Riga

aem said:

Jude said:

I've been told - never verified it though (go ahead, google it, i'm too
lazy) that one source of vanillan is the ponderosa pine tree. (They're
the big, tall pines that only have branches way up near the top, the
lower ones fall off as the grow - like a loblolly pine - and the bark
hsa huge crack in it so you can see the wood underneath.)

If you ever have a chance, step up close and bury your nose in the
openings of the bark. Smells like a bottle of pure vanilla. [snip]

I think Ponderosa pine smells like butterscotch.

Nah... smells like Uranus.

Sheldon Pinesol

In article <[email hidden]>,

Doug Kanter said:

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

cathy said:

Is there such a thing as clear pure vanilla extract? I googled it and
found several but they all seem to be imitation or artifical vanilla
extract, not the real thing.

Does it exist?

Cathy

Make your own. :-)

Drop 6 vanilla beans into a bottle of vodka and stick it under the
cabinet for 6 months.

Won't it turn brown?

Uh, it's supposed to.....
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson