Sadly, most home cooks use store bought vanilla extract when they need to amp up a recipe with vanilla flavor. Average grocery store vanilla extract is frequently composed of artificial vanilla flavoring, artificial colorings, corn syrup, etc. If you want to perfume your dishes with the most pure and potent vanilla flavor, the only choice is to use real vanilla beans. If you have never used fresh vanilla beans, do not be intimidated. Sourcing, choosing, storing, and using vanilla beans is actually quite simple.
Types Of Vanilla Beans
The most common types of vanilla beans are Bourbon (Madagascar), Mexican, and Tahitian, although you can find vanilla beans from several other areas including Hawaii, Jamaica, Indonesia, Tongo, and even India. Each variety of vanilla varies in potency, size, and color. Depending on the type of vanilla flavor you are trying to achieve will determine the best variety of vanilla bean to use.
Bourbon vanilla beans are prized for their deep, rich, well-rounded, full-bodied flavor. Bourbon vanilla beans are our preferred vanilla bean here at FoodRap. In our experience, Tahitian vanilla beans have a tendency to smell more flowery and lack the punch of the Bourbon vanilla beans. Mexican vanilla beans used to be considered the best in the world a long time ago, but presently, the quality of them is not always consistent or reliable.
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