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Vanilla is notorious for this. Vanilla extract tastes basically identical to real vanilla and is fully artificial (no vanilla pods involved in making it). I like to make crème brûlée in which it's a distinctive flavor. I sometimes use real vanilla pods, but hot damn are they expensive. Most of the time, it's just the extract.


Don't agree that vanilla extract is fully artificial; that would be vanilla flavouring. If you sell it as vanilla extract, I expect it to be extracted from vanilla pods.

And I don't agree that even vanilla extract from pods tastes like vanilla pods. I don't know a way to get the flavour of pods without using pods.


Personally, I prefer tonka beans [0] over vanilla. Fraction of the price, superior flavor (for me). Illegal in the USA, though.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipteryx_odorata


What is vanilla extract "extracted" from, then?

Are you sure you're not thinking of vanilla "essence", which is mostly synthetic vanillin?

I can definitely taste the difference between essence and extract. Essence is much simpler, while extract has another hundred vanilla compounds in it.




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