Vanilla woes

[AMSeccia]

I usually use PC vanilla because it's first rate and I can buy at a substantial discount through supplies. But I have also had several bottles of nice Mexican vanilla from a coworker who travels to Mexico City a couple times per year. Another friend gave me a huge bottle of the Kirkland (Costco) brand in my Christmas box, but now I'm heading to check the ingredients for corn syrup. I can't throw it out ... what's a good way to whiz right through it?

As for Kimball, that made me smile. I don't always agree with their taste tests and reviews, that's for sure!

 

[mystry tour]

If you drink coffee put some in there. Or you can make a few pies......one of my favs is banna fudge with the vanilla in the whip cream topping....thats what started this thread.
Mystry

 

[AMSeccia]

Thanks Mystry ... that was so obvious I almost slapped myself. We have one of those fun cream whippers (my girls' valentine gift for their daddy's habitual hot fudge sundaes one year) and I usually spike it with vanilla sugar. DUH, this'll be great for the Kirkland/Costco brand. I swore I read this entire thread ... did I miss a banana fudge pie recipe somehow?

Thanks again-- stay warm!

 

[mystry tour]

laughing about the pie......no I just threw that in because thats what I made to put the vanilla in that tasted so wrong
Mystry

 

[tannerodell]

We travel a lot and the one thing I collect when we travel around mexico, and the caribbean is spices and vanilla. In panama there is a store dedicated to spices that our taxi driver took us to. We got off the ship, hailed a taxi and tried to speak to him when he knew no english. He eventually got us to a shopping mall that was "safe" and we found a store with vanilla beans and fresh vanilla. WoW it was amaing, unlike anything I've ever seen or smelled. I bought 5 16 oz bottles of the vanilla and a few tins of the beans. each bottle was 79 cents american. That's how poor panama is

 

[PieSusan]

I usually buy Orlando - it is available right in the supermarket. So if you come to Mexico on vacation, go to a supermarket to buy your vanilla. Way cheaper, and if you buy a good brand like Orlando, you know you're getting the real deal.

That is what my friend, Jeff brought me back.

And yes, most bottles today will say they are coumarin free.

 

[ChefJune]

Last time I checked, it was $10 for a 5 bean bundle, but that was awhile ago. I think I read something about problems in Madagascar that are affecting vanilla recently, so I don't want to try to say for sure what the prices currently are. I'll probably run into James (my friend in that company) in the next couple days, so I'll ask him about it.

Those problems in Madagascar, as far as I know, were a couple of years ago. The prices have gone back down somewhat.

 

[RobsanX]

Those problems in Madagascar, as far as I know, were a couple of years ago. The prices have gone back down somewhat.

I just read something recently that there is a fungus or parasite (can't remember which) that is destroying vanilla plants in Madagascar... I hope they can fix it soon!

 

[bethzaring]

if it smells bad, definitely toss it

I was inspired by Katie E. a while back to make my own. I use a lot of vanilla, used to buy neilsen-massey madagascar bourbon pure vanilla extract, which does contain sugar. The ingredients listed on n-m bottles are water, alcohol, sugar, vanilla bean extractives. I was suprised. Do others who use n-m madascar bourbon pure vanilla have sugar listed as the third ingredient??

so one year ago I set a 1/2 gallon of vodka with 25 madagascar vanilla beans.....and I did the same thing two months ago. I should be set for a while

I toyed with the idea of adding a sugar syrup to my vanilla, since is seems to be an ingredient in the good vanillas, but I have gotten used to the pure taste and have not added any sugar.