With the cost of vanilla, what do you do?

[Pegasus]

I've been making my own vanilla extra for several years.  It lasts me a good while so it has been a couple years since I had to buy vanilla beans.  I just priced them and OUCH!  I'm not paying that.  So, with the cost of vanilla being several times what it was a few years ago, what do you do?

I'm thinking of cutting way back on my vanilla use.  I could make almond extract at much less cost. I think that would substitute fine into most things, and use vanilla only when absolutely needed for its unique flavor until costs come back down.

Any thoughts?

[LuvToRead]

I've been rationing.  If I am making vanilla frosting, or something where the vanilla flavor is prevalent, I use it.  Otherwise,  I just leave it out.  Chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, etc. all still taste good without vanilla!  I do use almond extract or even peppermint this time of year.  

Edited December 20, 2018 by LuvToRead

[Lecka]

I use imitation.  

My mom sometimes gets Mexican vanilla, it used to be much cheaper, but I guess I’m not sure if it still is.  It is a little different but it’s very vanilla-y.  

[LuvToRead]

10 minutes ago, Pegasus said:

I've been making my own vanilla extra for several years.  It lasts me a good while so it has been a couple years since I had to buy vanilla beans.  I just priced them and OUCH!  I'm not paying that.  So, with the cost of vanilla being several times what it was a few years ago, what do you do?

I'm thinking of cutting way back on my vanilla use.  I could make almond extract at much less cost. I think that would substitute fine into most things, and use vanilla only when absolutely needed for its unique flavor until costs come back down.

Any thoughts?

I have never heard of anyone making almond extract.  I may have to try someday!

[Mbelle]

I'm just not using as much vanilla.  I just do not like imitation.  

Every time I go to the grocery I look to see if any is on sale.  No luck, but maybe after the New Year!

[SamanthaCarter]

I’ve been buying at Kroger which has Rodelle 8oz for $19, and I cut back just a little on every recipe that calls for vanilla. 

[MysteryJen]

Cook's Illustrated just did a taste test of vanilla products and Baker's Imitation Vanilla Flavor won every category, much to their surprise.

That is what I am going to try after I finish the tiny bottle in my pantry.

[gardenmom5]

we're using the imitation vanilla.  sad.     we buy it at costco, or a restaurant supply store.   I'm not currently doing a lot of baking, so we don't use a lot.

[gardenmom5]

2 hours ago, Heartwood said:

I enjoy making homemade vanilla too, but the cost has kept me away for some time. I use imitation vanilla. Sad, but true. 

how many vanilla beans do you use per how much vodka?  or do you use bourbon?

[BarbecueMom]

Honestly, I suck it up and deal with it.  We never go out to eat, and a bottle of vanilla is still cheaper than what one meal out would be for our family.  I figure that’s an acceptable trade-off.  I have a bottle of homemade started that I can use after I finish the Costco bottle.

[gardenmom5]

I thought this review of the different types of vanilla beans, and their flavors was interesting.

 

I was just talking to a friend whose brother makes vanilla to give as gifts.  might not be that bad a deal even at these prices as you can refill the bottle, using the same beans.

[prairiewindmomma]

We're coming up on our fourth year of rationing of vanilla. I am baking much, much less and using recipes that don't require vanilla more often.

[klmama]

Wow, I can go several years on a small bottle of vanilla.  What do you all bake that you need so much?

[BarbecueMom]

8 minutes ago, klmama said:

Wow, I can go several years on a small bottle of vanilla.  What do you all bake that you need so much?

Homemade coffee creamer uses the majority of it here.  Pancakes, chocolate syrup, banana “ice cream”, granola, yogurt flavoring...

[AbcdeDooDah]

Do you all top off your  bottle with fresh vodka to keep it going? I just bought beans for the first time in almost 10 years. They were at Costco and under $20. That doesn't seem high for years and years of extract.

Edited December 20, 2018 by AbcdeDooDah

[Rachel]

I buy my vanilla at Trader Joe’s. It isn’t quite as good as homemade, but it’s good. 

[J-rap]

I sometimes use imitation.  Other times, I might substitute almond extract.  It definitely gives it a different flavor, but I love almond.

[Bluegoat]

I think a lot of things that call for vanilla don't really need it.  You can also add other kinds of spices and things if you feel there is a need for a flavour boost.

I used to have a giant bottle of Mexican vanilla till one of my kids dumped most of it out, now it's just a wee mason jar full.  I try and only use it where I really want a vanilla flavour.

[AFwife Claire]

I have 2 bottles of Costco vanilla.  One was over halfway used up, and I filled it up the rest of the way with imitation vanilla to stretch it.  The other is "pure"--but I still find myself using the mixed bottle almost all of the time, and no one cares.  When I empty it, I'll fill it with more pure vanilla as well as some imitation.

To those wondering what I bake to use so much, I have 10 kids, and when I bake cookies, etc., I usually triple recipes.  You go through vanilla quickly like that!  The positive twist is that the eaters do not really care about potential slight nuances of vanilla flavor, lol.

[Tanaqui]

3 hours ago, klmama said:

Wow, I can go several years on a small bottle of vanilla.  What do you all bake that you need so much?

 

Everything that's not savory. Also pancakes and french toast.

[DawnM]

3 hours ago, klmama said:

Wow, I can go several years on a small bottle of vanilla.  What do you all bake that you need so much?

 

I was wondering the same thing!  I buy those Costco pure extracts and it lasts me years and years.

[Lorien]

4 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

how many vanilla beans do you use per how much vodka?  or do you use bourbon?

I’m not the poster you quoted, but if you don’t mind a second opinion....I use two vanilla beans per 750 ml bottle of bourbon. It’s richer than vodka, although not quite as cheap. The vanilla beans at Kroger are less than $7/two, then we chose the Bourbon based on price, so altogether it was less than $20 for the bottle. We prefer to avoid imitation vanilla and this was the cheapest option. 

 

Someone else might know this, but years ago World Market sold vanilla beans for a really good price (less than $3 for two beans, I think). There isn’t a store anywhere close to us, so we can’t check for price there, but that might be a good place to get beans. 

[Lorien]

3 hours ago, AbcdeDooDah said:

Do you all top off your  bottle with fresh vodka to keep it going? I just bought beans for the first time in almost 10 years. They were at Costco and under $20. That doesn't seem high for years and years of extract.

I threw the beans away when I finished my first homemade batch. They were old and a little dry when I added them to the vodka though. When I’m done with the bottle we’re working on, I plan to add the beans to the next bottle (that’s already brewing). I don’t know what it will do, if anything, but I’m not going to just throw the beans away! We get them at Kroger for less than $7/two beans, so the price isn’t such a huge issue, but if it helps boost the flavor at all, it’s worth trying.

[AbcdeDooDah]

52 minutes ago, Lorien said:

I threw the beans away when I finished my first homemade batch. They were old and a little dry when I added them to the vodka though. When I’m done with the bottle we’re working on, I plan to add the beans to the next bottle (that’s already brewing). I don’t know what it will do, if anything, but I’m not going to just throw the beans away! We get them at Kroger for less than $7/two beans, so the price isn’t such a huge issue, but if it helps boost the flavor at all, it’s worth trying.

Yeah, I add the new beans to the old and just keep adding vodka as we use it up.

[Ravin]

I buy vanilla extract from Costco.

[Tanaqui]

Vanilla prices worldwide have been increasing dramatically since most of the farms were damaged a year or two back. The beans cost a lot more than the extract.

[Carol in Cal.]

My experience is that brandy works really well in most recipes that call for vanilla. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Currently, Costco is carrying 473mL for $35USD.

[prairiewindmomma]

The same bottle from Costco was $8USD in 2014, $13ish in 2015 with the first round of storms.

 

[hornblower]

Why not use imitation? Because taste-wise - esp in baked products -  apparently the synthetic is just as good so I'm wondering if there's another reason to avoid it? 
https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/real-vanilla-extract-versus-imitation-vanilla-extract-baking-cookies-article
 

[happi duck]

Ime, almond would really change the flavor if subbed in for the vanilla.  I don't think it would be bad just very different.

[prairiewindmomma]

24 minutes ago, hornblower said:

Why not use imitation? Because taste-wise - esp in baked products -  apparently the synthetic is just as good so I'm wondering if there's another reason to avoid it? 
https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/real-vanilla-extract-versus-imitation-vanilla-extract-baking-cookies-article
 

Some of the imitation vanillas--like the Baker's Imitation Vanilla mentioned above--include propylene glycol, caramel coloring, sodium benzoate, and other things I try not to eat.  

[prairiewindmomma]

The vanilla I have on my shelf right now is made of vanilla beans and alcohol, by contrast. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Those that bake a lot do buy it in 16oz/half L bottles. They sell it in 8oz and 4oz bottles as well—but the greatest discount is in the bigger bottles.

The Costco price is actually quite a good one. For a similar quality vanilla at the grocery store, it’s about $22 for the 8 oz. The premium vanilla is about $40 for 8 oz.

I make a egg custard quite often with vanilla. It cooks at a low temp so a lot of the vanilla flavor remains.

[cjzimmer1]

I bought a pound of vanilla beans when the price had slightly recovered after the last big jump.  I've got two 1.75 liter bottles brewing with the last of those.  When that vanilla is used up, I'll throw all my leftover beans in one more bottle and that will probably be the end of them.  I started with like 6 beans in a bottle and then keep moving the old ones forward and adding some new ones.  I think I made 6-8 of the 1.75 liter bottles of vanilla and at the time I think I spent maybe $50 on my pound of beans.  I'll run out in about 2 years and I'm hoping bean prices will be a little better than.  (and for those wondering how I use so much vanilla.  I bake a LOT of cookies and brownies for fundraisers to send my kids to different activities we couldn't afford otherwise.  I've baked over 15,000 cookies in the last 12 years in addition to plenty of bars, brownies and cakes)

[AbcdeDooDah]

2 hours ago, hornblower said:

Why not use imitation? Because taste-wise - esp in baked products -  apparently the synthetic is just as good so I'm wondering if there's another reason to avoid it? 
https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/real-vanilla-extract-versus-imitation-vanilla-extract-baking-cookies-article
 

I think people are conditioned to like the stronger artificial flavor because it's in so many processed foods. That's what they expect vanilla to taste like now. 

[Ali in OR]

We go through one Costco bottle a year and I pay the price. Divided by 12 months isn't so bad--if it's $36, that's $3 a month for vanilla. We can afford that.

[LuvToRead]

10 hours ago, BarbecueMom said:

Honestly, I suck it up and deal with it.  We never go out to eat, and a bottle of vanilla is still cheaper than what one meal out would be for our family.  I figure that’s an acceptable trade-off.  I have a bottle of homemade started that I can use after I finish the Costco bottle.

This is a really good point.  A $20 bottle of vanilla lasts a long time, and is cheaper than the eggs and butter in the recipes.  I think it is just the initial outlay of cash that feels painful.  

[Frances]

12 hours ago, klmama said:

Wow, I can go several years on a small bottle of vanilla.  What do you all bake that you need so much?

That’s what I was thinking. Just about the only time I use it is for French toast. I hadn’t even noticed the price increase.

[Frances]

6 hours ago, happi duck said:

Ime, almond would really change the flavor if subbed in for the vanilla.  I don't think it would be bad just very different.

Personally, I can’t stand almond extract, and would go without before substituting. But I eat regulat plain almonds almost everyday.

[Liz CA]

I still make my own vanilla. I make so much that it lasts me several years. Even at a cost of $35 for 5 vanilla beans or thereabout depending on where you shop, it seems worth it for me. It also helps that dh got a large bottle of vodka (80 proof) at work as a "thank you" from a client.

I only use vanilla in some ice cream recipes and for Christmas baking.

https://www.beanilla.com/madagascar-vanilla-beans?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIq8bByqKw3wIVUFqGCh1cxAgbEAQYBSABEgJxuvD_BwE

Edited December 21, 2018 by Liz CA

[ktgrok]

I wince and use it anyway. 

But I do tend to use coffee or espresso in chocolate baked goods instead of vanilla. And a dash of cinnamon. 

[KungFuPanda]

I buy the Costco bottle and use it forever. It usually lasts me a year or two. 

[Serenade]

1 minute ago, KungFuPanda said:

I buy the Costco bottle and use it forever. It usually lasts me a year or two. 

 

That's what we do, too.  Occasionally I'll buy vanilla at the grocery store if there is a loss-leader type of offer.

[G5052]

Man, I had no idea. Tells you how much baking I do. We are a gluten free house, and I haven't mastered that kind of baking yet other than store bought cookies in the refrigerated section (Loren's is a great brand).

I have a about 1/2 a bottle of Costco vanilla in the cabinet and another one I found not long ago in a mixed box of kitchen stuff from when we moved. Pure gold, apparently!

[Bambam]

21 hours ago, hornblower said:

Why not use imitation? Because taste-wise - esp in baked products -  apparently the synthetic is just as good so I'm wondering if there's another reason to avoid it? 
https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/real-vanilla-extract-versus-imitation-vanilla-extract-baking-cookies-article
 

I agree. We have imitation and real. If baking at high heat, we use imitation, otherwise we use real. 

[Liz CA]

3 hours ago, G5052 said:

Man, I had no idea. Tells you how much baking I do. We are a gluten free house, and I haven't mastered that kind of baking yet other than store bought cookies in the refrigerated section (Loren's is a great brand).

I have a about 1/2 a bottle of Costco vanilla in the cabinet and another one I found not long ago in a mixed box of kitchen stuff from when we moved. Pure gold, apparently!

 

Or Silver. One article mentioned that the price of vanilla was several times that of silver now.