At first glance, vanilla extract and premium-quality vanilla beans may seem like they would produce similar results in your baking. After all, they both contain vanillin, the compound that gives vanilla its characteristic flavor. However, there are actually some significant differences between these two ingredients that can make a big impact on the flavor and quality of your final product. Here's a closer look at the difference between premium-quality vanilla beans and vanilla extract.
What are Vanilla Beans?
Premium quality vanilla beans come from an orchid plant called Vanilla planifolia, native to Mexico and Central America. The plant produces long pods which are filled with small seeds covered in a sticky resin called vanillin – this gives them their distinct flavor and aroma.
Harvested at peak ripeness, these pods are then dried and cured over several weeks before they can be used as a flavoring agent. They have a rich, sweet flavor that is much less intense than that of vanilla extract yet still adds depth of flavor to any recipe calling for vanilla beans as an ingredient.
These pods contain thousands of tiny seeds that have been naturally infused with essential oils containing vanillin – the compound responsible for giving vanilla its flavor and aroma. When these seeds are scraped out of their pod, they can be added directly to food or drink recipes for an intense burst of flavor. They can also be steeped in hot water or milk to create a flavorful syrup or custard base that can be used in many recipes.
What is Vanilla Extract?
Vanilla extract is a flavoring made by soaking vanilla beans in alcohol. This process extracts the flavor of the bean, leaving behind an intensely flavored liquid that can be used as a flavoring agent in baking and cooking. It usually has a strong alcohol aroma and taste, so it needs to be used sparingly when added to food. Vanilla extract is also available in both natural and artificial varieties, with natural being more expensive due to its complex flavor profile.
The most common type is made with vodka, and double-folded extracts are more concentrated because they contain twice as many vanilla beans per ounce than single-fold extracts. The flavor of the extract will depend on the quality of the beans used. Vanilla extract has a rich flavor that works well in many recipes but it doesn’t have any visible flecks of bean or powder like other types of vanilla do.
What’s the Difference?
The biggest difference between premium Madagascar vanilla beans and common extracts is flavor. Because extracts have been stripped of much of their flavor compounds, they simply can’t compare to the depth and richness of our gourmet beans. In addition, our beans are hand-selected and cured to perfection, meaning they retain more of their natural flavors and aromas.
Vanilla extract is made by soaking vanilla beans in alcohol to dissolve the vanillin into the liquid. This process produces a strongly flavored, dark brown liquid that can be used to add vanilla flavor to baked goods, ice cream, and other desserts.
Premium quality vanilla beans, on the other hand, are used whole or ground up and added directly to recipes. This method of using vanilla beans imparts a more delicate flavor to foods since only a small amount of vanillin is released into the dish. In addition, premium quality vanilla beans can also add a lovely visual touch to desserts with their flecks of black specks throughout.
If you’re looking for pure, unadulterated vanilla flavor, then premium Madagascar vanilla beans are the way to go. Trust us – your taste buds will thank you!
The Benefits of Using Premium Vanilla Beans
Using premium vanilla beans has many benefits over using plain old vanilla extract. For one thing, because it is not steeped in alcohol like extract is, it will not impart any of its own alcoholic taste into your finished product. Additionally, premium vanilla beans offer more control when it comes to flavoring your recipes; with extract, you don’t really know how much flavor you are getting until after you have added it to your dish. With premium beans, you can grind them up and measure out exactly how much flavor to add to your recipe—giving you greater control over the end result! Finally, using premium vanilla beans makes your dishes more unique; because no two beans are identical, each batch of whatever food item you make will taste slightly different than the last!
Flavor Profile
When it comes to taste, premium quality vanilla beans offer a more complex flavor profile than extract due to their natural sweetness and hints of woody, smoky notes that make them perfect for baking applications like cakes and cookies. Conversely, pure extracts tend to be sweeter than their bean counterpart due to their high concentration of sugar molecules which can overwhelm certain recipes if used incorrectly. Additionally, pure extracts lack the complexity found within real premium quality beans so they may not be suitable for recipes like custards or ice creams where subtle nuances in flavor can be detected by discerning palates.
In general, if you want a milder but richer flavor profile, you should use premium quality vanilla beans instead of extract – especially if you are using them as part of an elegant dessert such as crème brulee or panna cotta where subtlety matters more than the intensity of flavor. On the other hand, if you want something with a stronger scent and bolder taste then opt for pure vanilla extract instead. It all comes down to personal preference so experiment with both types until you find out which one works best for your particular recipes!
What Vanilla Are You Going To Try Next?
When it comes down to it, there really isn’t one right answer when deciding whether to use premium quality vanilla beans or pure vanilla extract – it all depends on what kind of results you want from your baking project!
For those looking for the highest quality products with no added fillers or preservatives, Bemarivo Vanilla offers only premium grade Madagascar Bourbon-Planifolia Natural Gourmet Grade Beans - perfect for any baking enthusiast who wants only the best results every time!