Vanilla Extract

[mr.carver]

So, I was looking for vanilla extract the other day, and my wife had no idea what I was talking about.
Couldn't find any anywhere here in Kotka, and was abit puzzled by it.
I've always seen vanilla extract as a common place item, didn't really seem like something that would be hard to find in Finland, but apparantly it is.

Was visiting Espoo about a week ago and visited a CityMarket there to grab some lunch, while there I saw they had a big stand with American import items on it, while browsing it to see what they had for sale at huge marketups, I happened across a small bottle of vanilla extract, for a little over 6€
Wow.

Now I've been thinking about just making my own. Perhaps just finding normal old vanilla beans would be easier to find.

[ajl]

but the vodka to make it is easy to find! might take 2-3 months but shake the bottle (with the beans in
the alcohol) every few days and leave it in a dark cool place.

I just bring some from the states. Or have people send me my 2nd choice of dried vanilla powder.

[sinikala]

So, I was looking for vanilla extract the other day, and my wife had no idea what I was talking about.
Couldn't find any anywhere here in Kotka, and was abit puzzled by it.
I've always seen vanilla extract as a common place item, didn't really seem like something that would be hard to find in Finland, but apparantly it is.

Was visiting Espoo about a week ago and visited a CityMarket there to grab some lunch, while there I saw they had a big stand with American import items on it, while browsing it to see what they had for sale at huge marketups, I happened across a small bottle of vanilla extract, for a little over 6€
Wow.

Now I've been thinking about just making my own. Perhaps just finding normal old vanilla beans would be easier to find.

You do know the difference between vanilla extract and vanillin don´t you?

I don´t think vanillin is much used here, people usually use vanilla sugar or fresh pods.

Vanilla extract, if available will be expensive, especially if it´s fair trade. Vanilla pods are available in almost all supermarkets, look in the spice section under Vaniljatanko, usually they are sold individually, with 1 pod in a standard size spice jar (maybe this is why you haven´t noticed it before) or look for small tubs of vanilla sugar in the baking section.

[mr.carver]

Why yes, I am aware of the difference between vanilla extract and vanillin.
I am not however familiar with with all the rules and regulations governing food labeling in the EU and Finland.

Vanillin in the States can and will be chemically synthesized, but there are rules that companies must follow when naming the products, IE, if the product is derived from other sources other than vanilla beans, it can be labeled as natural vanillin, but only in non-vanilla flavored products, on the same note vanilla flavored products that claim to be natural vanilla must be derived from vanilla beans.

It would appear vanillin is used here much more rarely in other forms than sugar and whole pods, which I assume is due mostly to costs. I worry on that note that the vanilla sugar and other products other than the whole pods themselves will contain a larger amount of artificially produced vanillin which I don't particularly care for.

I haven't looked for the whole pods myself yet, as when I set out to find this product it hadn't occurred to me that the acquiring of it would be as difficult/expensive process as it turned out to be.
Thanks for the information on how vanilla pods are typically sold here in Finland, it will make tracking down a source abit easier. Tho I will have to weigh the costs, I would assume whole pods to be at a price much higher than what I'm used to typically seeing.

[sinikala]

It would appear vanillin is used here much more rarely in other forms than sugar and whole pods, which I assume is due mostly to costs.
I worry on that note that the vanilla sugar and other products other than the whole pods themselves will contain a larger amount of artificially produced vanillin which I don't particularly care for.

As I said, there is a difference: if it says vanilla sugar, it should be vanilla sugar, it should contain real vanilla.
If it contains vanillin, it's vanilliinisokeri.
Vanilja- ja vanilliinisokerin ero
Easiest way is to check the pack and see if it says vanillin or not.

I would guess it is more due to quality, vanillin is a pretty cheap chemical to synthesize, but the real stuff tastes better. There is nothing better than the burst of vanilla from the tiny seeds in fresh custard. I had this at one of Gordon Ramsay's gastro-pubs a couple of weeks ago ... it was lush.

I haven't looked for the whole pods myself yet, as when I set out to find this product it hadn't occurred to me that the acquiring of it would be as difficult/expensive process as it turned out to be. Thanks for the information on how vanilla pods are typically sold here in Finland, it will make tracking down a source a bit easier. Tho I will have to weigh the costs, I would assume whole pods to be at a price much higher than what I'm used to typically seeing.

it costs a couple of €s.

[Rosamunda]

The old-fashioned vanilla ice-cream we sell is made from real vanilla and if I remember correctly it is the most expensive one for us to buy from the factory. More expensive than licquorice or rum-raisin even.

An oldish guy in a big white van drove up on Friday (I think it was raining and we weren't very busy). We don't usually do drive-in sales (the kiosk is by the river, not on the road) but he was in a hurry and it was raining. He was mumbling something to my kids... "...best vanilla ice-cream in Finland. Why can't you move the kiosk to Karjaa?" So he had driven about 7 or 8 kilometres to get his vanilla fix!

[mr.carver]

As I said, there is a difference: if it says vanilla sugar, it should be vanilla sugar, it should contain real vanilla.
If it contains vanillin, it's vanilliinisokeri.

One of those little "quirks" about the Finnish language that I'm very fond of.
I really enjoy the way the Finnish language names some things in comparison to how English does.
Very distinctive and descriptive.

Thanks for going to the lengths of even including a picture of the packaging vanilla pods typically come in here. If I'm unable to find them now, then I'm going to need far more help than can be offered here.

"...best vanilla ice-cream in Finland. Why can't you move the kiosk to Karjaa?" So he had driven about 7 or 8 kilometres to get his vanilla fix!

Just goes to show how popular vanilla is. That is a very nice story.
I can just see this old man determined to get himself some real vanilla ice cream loading up into his van and driving 20 minutes just to get some on a rainy day.

[Upphew]

http://www.spicearoma.fi/products.php?c ... ja&offset=

[Pursuivant]

I've got some... but I am at a loss - what is one supposed to do with it?

[sinikala]

The old-fashioned vanilla ice-cream we sell is made from real vanilla and if I remember correctly it is the most expensive one for us to buy from the factory. More expensive than licquorice or rum-raisin even.

Same for Mövenpick - their tubs are all 500ml but the mass varies quite a lot due to different densities, and the fact that vanilla is the flavour with the lowest density, also makes it the most expensive as well.

I was really thinking of boycotting Mövenpick, it used to be the best (and most expensive) brand here but was displaced when Ben & Jerry's became widely available, and B&J was pitched at a much higher price.

You'd think that competition would encourage a decrease in prices, not with ice-cream it seems. Mövenpick used to be sold in 1 litre tubs, they decreased the size to 800 ml a year or two ago, and now they have dropped it to 500 ml again, but with little decrease in the price it means the cost per litre has practically doubled, so that now it costs only a little less than Ben & Jerry's.

Boycotting it would be cutting my nose off to spite my face; it's the only vanilla ice-cream with real seeds that you can get in these parts.

[ajl]

Is it unusual for Finns to make their own ice cream? It isn't hard to make non cooked and cooked ice
cream bases. To get the vanilla seeds one can *lightly* simmer the bean in the milk/cream and after
it is soft, split the bean and scrape the seeds out, putting them back into the mild/cream, cool
COMPLETELY, and then make the ice cream. I prefer cooked bases (with egg yolks) for chocolate
ice creams, vanilla can be good either way. A lot of herbs and non standard flavors help make terrific
ice cream or ices. Yum. Making your own ice cream is the only way to get any pear ice cream in the US,
I've just never seen it there. Right now I'd rather put the heavy cream to use replicating a version of Fazer's
chocolate chili cake, yum yum. A lot of research (eating of the original) goes into trying that out, and
of course eating the not-quite-there-yet results are good too (well, I already can make a dense chocolate
mousse). Hmmm, maybe using a loose mousse for an ice cream base would work nicely, but it might be
too sticky, they aren't really that different except in proportions of ingredients and slightly different
cooking - well, not cooking but getting the yolks to a good temperature if one is fussy.

[CH]

http://www.spicearoma.fi/products.php?c ... ja&offset=

That is vanilla essence. The difference between vanilla essence and extract is that essence is a synthetic product (think vanillin) and the essence is the "real deal".
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla

Vanilla essence comes in two forms. Real seedpod extract is an extremely complicated mixture of several hundred different compounds. Synthetic essence, consisting basically of a solution of synthetic vanillin in ethanol, is derived from phenol and is of high purity.

I haven't seen vanilla extract sold here, sorry. The best think is probably to import it yourself. If extract is ok, you can find it at the same isle they sell baking ingredients (not the flour, that is usually sold at a different isle). You will find vanilla pods sold at the same place.

[Upphew]

http://www.spicearoma.fi/products.php?c ... ja&offset=

That is vanilla essence. The difference between vanilla essence and extract is that essence is a synthetic product (think vanillin) and the essence is the "real deal".
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla

Vanilla essence comes in two forms. Real seedpod extract is an extremely complicated mixture of several hundred different compounds. Synthetic essence, consisting basically of a solution of synthetic vanillin in ethanol, is derived from phenol and is of high purity.

I haven't seen vanilla extract sold here, sorry. The best think is probably to import it yourself. If extract is ok, you can find it at the same isle they sell baking ingredients (not the flour, that is usually sold at a different isle). You will find vanilla pods sold at the same place.

By law, if product has vanilla in it, it must be mentioned. But you have a point, in my link there is only the name of the product, not ingredients, so it might not be vanilla extract(?) after all. By the way, would you fix the terms extract and essence in your post, I'm getting totally lost which is which, when I read it. (extract = vanilla, essence = vanillin?)

edit. reply form spicearoma.fi :

Ei ole käytetty vanilliinia, vaan vaniljaa.
Aromimme ovat luontaisia tai luontaisen kaltaisia, ei keinotekoisia.

So they state that they don't use synthetic vanillin, just vanilla.

[Vesper]

I've got some... but I am at a loss - what is one supposed to do with it?

with vanilla extract, you can make some yummy American Chocolate Chip cookies for your little cookie monsters.


I bought some vanilla exact in Finland last year. I think I bought it at K supermarket. I used it to make yummy Irish Soda bread, blueberry & rasberry pancakes, and biscotti. Vanilla extract is essential for baking. It makes everything taste better instead of being bland. like a cracker. But you can also make hot cocoa from scatch with vanilla exact.... mix milk, cocoa powder, a pinch of salt , sugar, and a drop or two of vanilla extract & heat it up.

[AldenG]

Extract is made from real vanilla.

Essence is an imitation made synthetically.

Here's a brief discussion of them:

Kitchen Dictionary on Vanilla

The FDA specifies that pure vanilla extract contain 13.35 ounces of vanilla beans per gallon during extraction and a 35% alcohol/65% water mixture. The resulting amber liquid is clear and richly fragrant. There are double and triple strength vanilla extracts, as well as a vanilla essence -- so strong that only a drop or two is needed. Imitation vanilla is composed of artificial flavorings (most of which are paper-industry by-products treated with chemicals) and it often has a harsh quality that leaves a bitter aftertaste.