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How to use vanilla essence. Vanilla extract, vanilla essence or vanillin? Where to apply vanilla extract

Who is not familiar with the sophisticated taste and aroma of vanilla buns? Vanilla Essence attaches special refinement and thin sweetish smell baking. Pods of this spices are used in the preparation of confectionery, ice cream, cocktails, creams for cake and pudding. In addition, Vanilla Essence finds use not only in cooking, but also in perfumery, as well as widely used to aromatize the premises.

What is Vanilla?

Vanilla is a curly plant of the orchid family. Vanilla sticks (pods of this plant) typically reach 10-20 cm long and have a twisted form. It is along the length of the pod determine the quality of spices. There are several varieties of this spice. Among them, the best are considered the following: Mexican vanilla - the length of its pods reaches 25 cm, a little less than the size of Ceylon and Bourbon variety.

Vanilla sugar

This is ordinary sugar sand or powder with vanilla aroma. To give such an aroma to a container with sugar, the vanilla pod is placed, carefully closed and leave for at least a week. During this time, sugar is soaked with a vanilla smell, after which the pods take out.

Vanilla extract

It is a vanilla concentrate, which is obtained by soaking the vanilla sticks in alcohol. The alcohol tincture of vanilla pods is used mainly for the preparation of cold desserts, since it does not tolerate high temperatures.

Vanilla Essence

This is a kind of highly concentrated vanilla extract. She, like any other food essence, is used when baking and cooking many desserts. In its production, various synthetic components are added, so it is significantly cheaper than natural vanilla extract.

Vanilla powder

It is it that can be used for baking, as this is the only product from natural vanilla, which without losses to transfer heat treatment. Vanilla powder is added to dough for buns, cookies and cakes. It is made by full drying and subsequent grinding of vanilla pods.

Homemade Cooking Vanilla Extract

Unfortunately, in our time, not all food producers can be trusted. The market is filled with various types of seasonings. If you do not want to acquire a fake from synthetic substances instead of natural vanilla extract, prepare this spice yourself. To do this, you will need alcohol and vanilla pods. On 120 ml of alcohol you need to take 4-5 vanilla sticks. Then put into the glass bottle are cut along the pod and pour alcohol. Tightly close the bottle. Vanilla essence is insistant about a month in a dark place. After that, it can be used for several years, since it is stored for a very long time in the refrigerator.

Useful advice

Often, the vanilla essence is required to prepare any dish. How to replace this seasoning if it is not at hand? You can save your culinary masterpiece, for example, adding vanilla sugar or powder into the baking. To replace 25 g of essence, 2 g of vanilla powder or 40 g of vanilla sugar is taken. You can also use liquor or brandy for these purposes.

When you try not a packaged "A la" powder, but a real vanilla, you understand that in ancient times, the spices and seasonings are highly appreciated. Some tribes even used vanilla pods as an equivalent of money. Imagine it?
Now Vanilla is one of the most famous spices. You know, there is such a "tradition", those products that have the highest popularity are most often fake. But with Vanilla, the situation is a little differently. Fakes exist "Legal"! And all this know, and everyone uses them, believing that this product of chemical production can be replaced with a favorite spice.
To arrange all the points over "I", let's figure out what:

  • vanilla extract,
  • batch vanillin.

What is vanilla extract?

It is an alcohol infusion, in which alcohol is 35%.
There are several standards for the manufacture of this product. The most famous - FDA requirements (American product quality supervision control). According to this standard, 100 g of pods should be in the extract lytra. This is a single infusion. Two- and three-time contains 200 and 300 g of pods in 1 liter.
Questions to the product:

  • What other vanilla contains extract? - Production products in their composition can have caramel, syrups, sugar, flavors and dyes.
  • Can extract be on artificial raw materials? - Yes. It is worth carefully studying the packaging. If you find that vanillin flavors, it means that this product is not human. Let you not deceive the high price for it. It is better to spend money on an independent manufacture of extract than to buy a frank fake. Moreover, such a taste and aroma, like a real product, there will be no such tincture. Worse, you are awaiting a bitter aftertaste.

And one more important point! Often the taste and even the aroma of the extract on the natural product has different notes and the power of sound in the dish. The difference directly depends on the type of vanilla. Some varieties give floral notes, others are more spicy.

What is vanilla essence?

In fact, this is the "substitute" of the extract. In essence, instead of natural pods, synthetic analogues are used.
Hence the weaker, almost vague fragrance, an unpleasant synthetic taste.
To enhance taste, many mistresses are forced to use more essence.
Essence is bought to save, as the natural product is more expensive. But essence is more costly, as it is necessary to add to the dishes in more.

Output! In fact, the savings are doubtful here. And if you still remember that we are content with the synthetic fake, then you cannot be saving and speech. After all, there is no real smell of vanilla; No appetizing taste. But there is an extra chemistry for the body.

Powder in the package with the inscription "Vanillin"

That's all right here. This is a pure fake. And even though manufacturers argue that the formula of the artificial product obtained in chemical laboratories, and vanilla natural pods are identical, draw out.
Its price is several times lower. And this is the only one of the advantages. You will receive an analog seasoning, with analog taste and analog aroma. Just imagine how the spice is smelted from a natural plant!

How to make the extract vanilla do it yourself

We have already found out that the extract is a tincture on alcohol. Therefore, for the preparation we will need only 2 components: alcohol drink and pods.
In my case, this is:

  • Vodka;
  • Vanilla pods at the rate: for every 100 ml - 1 pod.
  • And 2 more pods for beauty.

What instead of vodka can be used:

  • Cognac;
  • Alcohol (96%);
  • Tequila, etc.

For each product, the number of pods remains the same, but the standards of standings differ. It all depends on the taste of the alcohol product. What they are brighter, the fastening of the infusion taste and the aroma of Vanilla will be longer.


Probably the most ideal of all drinks itself is alcohol. It does not have extraneous smells. And the taste is not "spoiled". And therefore the tincture will be exceptionally vanilla.

One moment! Alcohol must stir water. You need to bring up to 35%. Only in this case, the percentage of squeezing the fragrance increases at times, compared with clean alcohol.

There is only one small alcohol requirement. So that you take, it should be a good quality.

Requirements for pods Vanilla:

  • Dark color;
  • Oily;
  • With a bright aroma (you need to push to hear);
  • Dense.

How to prepare an extract:

  1. Pods cut along and remove seeds.
  2. We cut the half of the pods on the 4-5 parts.
  3. Pour pieces of pods with alcohol and tightly close the bottle with a lid.
  4. We put a bottle into a dark room.
  5. In such conditions, the tincture will be a month.
  6. All this time, the bottle must be shaken, mixing the contents. We do it approximately every other day.
  7. When the extract is imagining, filtering it. Pour into a clean bottle. For beauty put 2 pods.
    It is believed that it can be stored for several decades.

And during this time the extract becomes all saturated. But I still did not have time to check. I have such a product diverges very quickly.

Taste, aroma, and therefore love for the dish directly depends on the quality of the ingredients. And only you decide which products to use. I hope, thanks to your choice, you are more likely to surprise yourself and your loved ones, you will delight them and give a lot of pleasant emotions!
Share your opinion in the comments, what products do you like to use: Extracts, Essence or Mile Heart Ordinary vanillin in bags?

In contact with

The most characteristic and most popular aroma, which is added to the dough is vanilla. A few drops of this essence are able to give a culinary masterpiece an unusual smell and taste.

The word "essence" translated from Latin means "essence", "substance". In the cooking, a food essence is used, which is a concentrated extract that needs to be diluted before use.

Vanilla is an important ingredient of many sweet food, including cookies, cakes, ice cream, candies and chocolate. It is also used in aromatherapy - in candles, creams, salts, spirits and incense. Vanilla is one of the varieties of orchids. Her pod distinguishes the substance called vanillin. The most valuable vanilla beans grown in Madagascar or (previously known as Bourbon) at the east coast of South Africa. It is the vanilla essence that will be the best replacement of vanilla or her pod.

Perhaps some of you will be surprised, because why use the extract, if there are fresh pods vanilla? And the answer is that the same thing does not serve the same goal. Fresh pods must be immersed in liquid (milk, cream, syrup, etc.) to give its fragrance, so they can only be used in those recipes, where there are such ingredients (sauces, ice cream or cream). And the vanilla essence is ready to use directly, without soaking. Moreover, it is stored much longer pods. It was still invented by Aztec for the first time, and it was it one of the most exquisite flavors, without which it is not to do in the kitchen.

Vanilla essence can be made at home based on alcohol or vodka and vanilla sticks. You can use any liquor or other drink that contains at least 40% alcohol. Vodka is usually used due to neutral taste, due to which the fragrance of vanilla is heard. The pod is better to choose flexible but hard. Prepare a dark bottle. On 100 ml of vodka, you need one pod of vanilla, cut along and sliced \u200b\u200binto small pieces. You can add 2-3 teaspoons of sugar. The contents of the bottle need to take away from time to time. The longer the bottle stands, the most the vanilla essence. Ideally, 8 weeks need to get an extract. Such a tincture will suit all sweet bakery products - alcohol will evaporate, but only the smell of vanilla will remain.

Moreover, Vanilla Essence perfectly stores its taste in the refrigerator or in a dark cool place, in a separate closed container away from other spices and seasonings.

But what to do when you already prepare the dough on the cake and found that there is no vanilla essence in the house? How to replace and can I replace it? The answer to this question will be positive, but with some caution.

Vanilla offers simplicity and purity of taste, in contrast to other extracts. You can replace it with other spices only in the extreme case. Consider, for example, if you prepare the lemon extract will become a suitable replacement. It is not neutral, like vanilla, and the taste will be different, but the replacement will become successful. Also adequate substitute for the essence will be the maple syrup, the vanilla or brandy pod. However, it should be noted that in addition to replacing the vanilla extract, you will change the recipe and the final aroma and the taste of the product.

If you use maple syrup instead of vanilla essence, take the ratio one to one. If you use the vanilla pod, take half to each tablespoon of the extract. If you replace vanilla on alcohol - cognac or liquor - make sure that the substitute does not compete with the rest of the recipe ingredients. Do not use more alcohol than you could use a vanilla extract.

There is no more unique and universal smell in the world, which is used in culinary purposes than vanilla. And there is no easier way to use this exotic and affordable aroma than in the form of an essence.

Looking for where you can buy a vanilla extract for cooking in Minsk? Can you not find? You can make it yourself quickly and just! In addition, Vanilla pods are stored for a very long time, and if you have once bought vanilla, but did not come up with it, then a homely vanilla extract is a great idea for you!

- this is The alcohol tincture of vanilla pods with an alcohol content of 35%, which is usually used to add to creams, puddings, desserts, poorly tolerate heat treatment. So it is better not to use it for baking.

On baking sites, there are often articles on the topic "How to replace vanilla extract?". But why replace if you can do yourself?

In this article, you will learn how you can make a real vanilla extract at home, no different from purchased. Usually in Minsk, extract lovers bring them from travel, because We are sometimes difficult to find them. However, you should not despair, because, the vanilla extract is absolutely easy to make at home with your own hands! Home extract will not be so thick, as purchased, but otherwise they cannot be distinguished from each other! This extract is very useful, and it can be safely added absolutely everywhere. Also, vanilla extract from, like any unprofitable product, is more useful. Since the extract contains alcohol, does not apply to dishes for children.

So, how to make a real vanilla extract yourself.

  • Steriline boiling water container in which you will insist the extract.
  • Cut from the tips, cut them in half and clean the knife branches with a knife tip.
  • Any extract is an alcohol tincture. For a vanilla extract, take about 0.5 liters of high-quality vodka and 4-6 pods of the present vanilla for one pod to take about 30 ml of alcohol.
  • Vanilla pods cut first in half along, and then each half another 4 to 6 parts.
  • Sliced \u200b\u200bvanilla pods put in a container with a lid, pour with vodka.
  • Leave the container in a dark place at least a month. During this time, do not forget to constantly shake the container. Within 2-3 weeks, the pods can be reached and put new to get even more concentrated extract.
  • On the first day, the liquid will be completely bright. Gradually, it will darken and acquire a more rich color.
  • When the extract is imagining, strain it in a clean bottle.
  • Your vanilla extract is ready!

For beauty, you can put in a bottle of a couple of whole pods vanilla. And if you add more vanilla seeds there (snipsticking from the pods), then your baking will be in a funny black clock.

Indian chefs prepare the extract otherwise and faster - boiling pods in milk, and then add fragrant milk to dishes.

Where to apply vanilla extract?

  • Ice cream
  • Shcherbet
  • Pudding
  • Cupcakes
  • Biscuits
  • Cookies
  • Cakes
  • Sauces
  • Milkshake
  • Whipped cream
  • Some meat dishes and vegetable side dishes
  • Tea or coffee

The contents of the pod or natural vanilla extract in the liquid part required by the recipe is an egg-oil mixture, cream, milk, melted chocolate, etc.

Also, vanilla extract is used in soap and for the manufacture of home cosmetics.

The combination of vanilla with other spices

Vanilla does not combine with other spices and spices, except, as well as coconut chips.

Calorie vanilla essence

Per 100 grams of the product account for 288 kcal.

Composition of vanilla essence

Vanilla essence in its chemical composition contains a lot of useful substances, namely: Vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, B9 and PP, as well as: potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, iron, phosphorus, sodium.

Remember that pods can not be frozen, you can not leave in the air without packaging. They are well stored in vacuum packaging.

If you later learned about the fact that you can make an extract from Vanilla, and your vanilla pods dried, try to insist longer. Rounded pods can also be reanimated, alternating in a coffee grinder and mixing with sugar. You can simply break down to a jar with sugar.