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My Wife And The Vanilla Extract (Or: 'Female Logic') [Long]

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flexy said:
"Vanilla extract" seems to be something "American". Since my wife is American and she doesn't understand one bit "European" she is getting recipes online, mostly from websites like Betty Crocker etc. which always assume some extremely abstruse, rare, hard to get ingredients which you cannot get in Europe, ANYWHERE in Europe.
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The fact you claim this then ramble on about the "brit" expat shop having vanilla extract makes me think you either.

A: Don't think the united kingdom is in Europe
B: Know nothing about geography
C: Missed the word "mainland" from your rant (I will try to believe it is this one and not become too upset)


P.S Butter is a perfectly good replacement for "shortening" in fact "shortening" is really more a general term and doesn't describe one actual product. If you want to know more use google.
 
Puppies04 said:
P.S Butter is a perfectly good replacement for "shortening" in fact "shortening" is really more a general term and doesn't describe one actual product. If you want to know more use google.
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Well I told her that multiple times. In fact, shortening as I understand it is just hardened fat and rather unhealthy. But of course she comes across a recipe like "Chocolate Chip Cookies" and insists she needs shortening and that butter would give bad results or something. (And be assured, there is nothing remotely like shortening here...we looked).

To make things even more complicated...when she needs something...she mostly looks on American websites or ebay.COM (note the .COM)...and then plays with the idea to buy some €2 stuff where shipping from the States would cost €30...not to mention customs etc..etc..
("Ok let's buy a few pounds shortening..from the US....")

>>
A: Don't think the united kingdom is in Europe
>>

Yes I sort-of contradicted myself there, I mean of course you can buy vanilla extract online. But it's still something American and rarely used here.
 
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flexy said:
Yes I sort-of contradicted myself there, I mean of course you can buy vanilla extract online. But it's still something American and rarely used here.
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You think you're better than us? Them's fightin words 'round here boy. Just because you Europy types use 'real' vanilla or some such nonsense. We saved your ass in dubya-dubya two you just remember that.
 
Uk is in Europe.
Shortening = suet
Vanilla extract is pretty common in Europe. Its not a big thing in Spain though, but why not just use Amazon?
 
flexy said:
Well I told her that multiple times. In fact, shortening as I understand it is just hardened fat and rather unhealthy. But of course she comes across a recipe like "Chocolate Chip Cookies" and insists she needs shortening and that butter would give bad results or something. (And be assured, there is nothing remotely like shortening here...we looked).

To make things even more complicated...when she needs something...she mostly looks on American websites or ebay.COM (note the .COM)...and then plays with the idea to buy some €2 stuff where shipping from the States would cost €30...not to mention customs etc..etc..
("Ok let's buy a few pounds shortening..from the US....")

>>
A: Don't think the united kingdom is in Europe
>>

Yes I sort-of contradicted myself there, I mean of course you can buy vanilla extract online. But it's still something American and rarely used here.
Click to expand...

Spain definitely has shortening. Ask for manteca de cerdo. Lard is the English word. They dont use vanilla extract because they can get vanilla beans easily.

Basically ignore British "cooking"
 
the only time I can think of that I'd rather use shortening than butter is for greasing something like a pie plate or cake pan.
 
Real vanilla extract is much better than the imitation.

You can get from McCormick (a pic exists in this thread) or other vendors.

Many years ago, while traveling, I found a flea market on the north side of Ft Worth that has a vendor that sold 1 lt bottles that came from up Mexico.

Both dark and clear extract.

The stuff was so potent that you could smell it through the sealed bottle.

I brought home a couple of bottles; one for myself and one for my mother.
We both compared it against the imitation and the real stuff from McCormick. Much better.

Next trip; I purchased a 12 bottle case of the stuff - sold off some; supply lasted close to years and still was good.
Problem now is trying to get the stuff again.

Moral is that the real is much better; may be costlier, but worth it.

You can get it in larger volume if you show around; I have seen it in some Mexican grocery stores in .25lt bottles
 
matricks said:
I challenge you to find cream of tartar though, there's something weird (and American).
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There's nothing American about cream of tartar. Most people here don't know what it is, either.

The process for deriving it was developed by a Swede in the 1700s, so you can't exactly pin it on us. It's been around for thousands of years and was mostly popularized by the French.
 
Why even bother with the extract? why not just use the vanilla directly.

~

I use cream of tartar when I bake Scottish pancakes. You can't buy it in Denmark, but you can get wine stone baking powder which essentially the same.
 
It boggles my mind that you are willing to import beans from France but didn't seem to try and find small bottles online. Or buy a bottle of the extract from the store, and then when it's done use that bottle to make your own.
 
loki8481 said:
the only time I can think of that I'd rather use shortening than butter is for greasing something like a pie plate or cake pan.
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Butter is not a good replacement for shortening. Butter has much too much water in it and will make your baked goods mushy. Shortening specifically means 100% fat with 0% water.

If you are going to substitute butter for shortening you have to know your butter's fat content, and then compensate for the lack of fat and the additional water in your recipe. Often that means adding too much butterfat for the taste.
 
Puppies04 said:
P.S Butter is a perfectly good replacement for "shortening" in fact "shortening" is really more a general term and doesn't describe one actual product. If you want to know more use google.
Click to expand...
Wikipedia said:
Since the invention of hydrogenated vegetable oil in the early 20th century, "shortening" has come almost exclusively to mean hydrogenated vegetable oil
Click to expand...
hmm
 
DCal430 said:
Hmm, let me guess those 40 beans cost you what? About 30 to 40 Euros? Seems like someone didn't think here. $5 bottle of extract, 30 Euros on beans. LOL
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$5 doesn't get you an entire LITER of vanilla extract. Of course, I don't think you'd ever end up using that much..... but still.... IT'S AN ENTIRE LITER!!!!!!!!
 
master_shake_ said:
TLDR version?
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usa_vs_europeFood.png


Is what I got out of it.
 
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