Vanilla extract. 16 oz bottle on amazon $75. Why?????

[jimmymc]

That sounds about right for real vanilla. Maybe Sams or Costco has it for less.

Edit: Looks like other places have it for a lot less. Amazon must have switched to a more expensive brand.

 

[tvguy]

That sounds about right for real vanilla. Maybe Sams or Costco has it for less.

$35 at Costco for Costco brand vanilla.

 

[tvguy]

Does a home baker really need a 16oz bottle?

Oh yes. At my wife is DOWN to about 16 ounce bottle a year. When we were both working she would go through 50 pounds of flour and sugar JUST for her Christmas baking to take to her work, my work, and our kids work. Back then we would buy two 16 ounce bottles of vanilla.

 

[jo-jo]

Oh yes. At my wife is DOWN to about 16 ounce bottle a year. When we were both working she would go through 50 pounds of flour and sugar JUST for her Christmas baking to take to her work, my work, and our kids work. Back then we would buy two 16 ounce bottles of vanilla.

I use 1/2 oz (1 tablespoon) for each batch of chocolate chip cookies. And I make a few batches at a time. So for me , just for those cookies, I'd need almost a 16 oz bottle just for them per year. Never mind any other cookies or frostings.

Different flavoring but for pizzelles, I use a 2 oz bottle of anise for every batch. I have made them with vanilla but not as a first choice. But I only make them once or twice a year.

 

[jo-jo]

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.

 

[starry_solo]

We get ours at Sam's. Here are the options available on their app.

 

[Sykes]

IMO, for something where the vanilla is a secondary flavor rather than front-and-center, synthetic vanilla extract is mostly indistinguishable from extract made from vanilla beans. Pretty much all of the flavor comes from the vanillin, which is the same in both, and there isn't enough of the other compounds in the good stuff to be noticeable in a batch of cookies or other baked goods.

In situations where the vanilla flavor is super important (e.g. egg nog and ice cream), it's more worth springing for the good stuff. Serious Eats (and more specifically J. Kenji López-Alt) did a decent taste test on this a few years ago.

 

[RedAngie]

I just checked at my local Shop Rite. They didn’t have a 16oz bottle, but 8oz of standard McCormick’s real vanilla was $22.49. Buy 2 for $44.98.

 

[NYCgrrl]

The Barefoot Contessa insists on “good” vanilla, the kind found in gourmet shops. I wonder how pricey those are.

Does a home baker really need a 16oz bottle?

I don’t know if Ms. Garten was referring to extract or paste but I’ve used Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla paste for at least the last 20 years. I first bought it at a local shop that is no longer in business but you can find it at Williams-Sonoma and Amazon. You use less than the extract and like the extract it lasts for years with no change in flavor. Not a fan of the Mexican beans so making my own would be a waste of time for me.

As another poster pointed out the cost of buying the original supplies means I might as well buy the paste.

​

 

[NotUrsula]

Penzey's has excellent vanilla products, and they go on sale fairly frequently (you just missed the last one that ended Friday). Their Mexican vanilla is lower-priced than the Madagascar product, and I find it's very good. (FWIW, I don't use "imitation" vanilla because I can always detect a bitter aftertaste to it.)

I also use Lochhead, which I luckily have a connection for, as the company that makes it is local. It's normally only sold wholesale these days, in very large quantities for bakeries and such, but people who work there have access to "sample" sizes that are the same as regular retail sizes.

For price, I've found that the least expensive decent quality retail vanilla I've run across is Watkins. (Oddly, the best place to find Watkins extracts where I live is Menard's hardware stores. Go figure.)

 

[jo-jo]

I don’t know if Ms. Garten was referring to extract or paste but I’ve used Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla paste for at least the last 20 years. I first bought it at a local shop that is no longer in business but you can find it at Williams-Sonoma and Amazon. You use less than the extract and like the extract it lasts for years with no change in flavor. Not a fan of the Mexican beans so making my own would be a waste of time for me.

As another poster pointed out the cost of buying the original supplies means I might as well buy the paste.

​

How do you measure? And do you ever get a glob of vanilla in one spot?

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I grow a vanilla plant for funsies, no plans to make my own vanilla from it. But, for those of you who take the quality of your vanilla seriously…

 

[_19disnA]

I like Ina's cooking shows, but sometimes the comments she makes seems out of touch with what most people can afford. She lives in a multi-million dollar home in the Hampton's so clearly her ideas about which are the 'best' ingredients don't always seem to consider the cost or what others might be able to afford. Due to the alcohol content of all real vanilla extracts, I would only buy the quantity you can use up in a few months. Would imagine the alcohol will evaporate over time so not as good after sitting around for a year.

 

[RedAngie]

I like Ina's cooking shows, but sometimes the comments she makes seems out of touch with what most people can afford. She lives in a multi-million dollar home in the Hampton's so clearly her ideas about which are the 'best' ingredients don't always seem to consider the cost or what others might be able to afford. Due to the alcohol content of all real vanilla extracts, I would only buy the quantity you can use up in a few months. Would imagine the alcohol will evaporate over time so not as good after sitting around for a year.

I used to enjoy watching Ina, but, yeah, some of her recipes were really out there in terms of ingredients and costs. 1/2 teaspoon of a spice that costs $12 per small jar.

I had to laugh when she had a beach picnic in the Hamptons and brought along things like lamb chops and truffles.

 

[NYCgrrl]

How do you measure? And do you ever get a glob of vanilla in one spot?

I use a kitchen scale or a teaspoon depending on the rest of the ingredients. Can’t think of a time getting a glob made a difference since I’ll still need to mix
or whisk. Still I recall hearing that paste isn’t good for certain baked goods but I don’t recall which ones. I’m NOT a baker so try the easiest things I can that look like I know what I’m doing . Do you have a specific recipe in mind?

 

[disney4us2002]

I'm admittedly a vanilla extract snob. My small bottle of madagascar vanilla from Williams Sonoma was $39.95. We add vanilla to a lot of things and enjoy making our own whipped cream which also uses vanilla. I would do without before using McCormicks.

 

[barkley]

Watkins

was so glad when watkins started doing retail sales at grocery stores b/c watkins sales people were few and far between to be found.

 

[tony67]

Thanks for starting this thread OP - it reminded me I needed to get some vanilla soon and I decided to try making my own. I usually just get the cheap imitation stuff.
For $10 and 12 ounces of vodka I can just make my own and I know what's in it.

It takes a six months to a year, but sounds worth it and you can always use an ounce or two in 8-10 weeks and then top the vodka back up. I may use 2 ounces a year so that will last me quite a while.

In addition you can use the vanilla beans in sugar afterwards to get vanilla flavored sugar.

 

[Minnesota!]

was so glad when watkins started doing retail sales at grocery stores b/c watkins sales people were few and far between to be found.

Yes! My former supervisor was a rep, so I was able to order frequently (and Watkins is based just south of me, so it was easy to obtain), but now she's retired from both jobs, so being able to get everything from Menards is fantastic!

 

[jo-jo]

Glad to hear Watkins mentioned so often. I have seen the name, but was concerned it was no nothing brand.