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the price of Vanilla has gone through the roof

A quick google:

http://www.vanillaqueen.com/expensive-vanilla/

The amount of crop they made is actually decent but there are other issues.

Also it seems vacuum packing is to be blamed as it allows crop collectors to buy and store them to drive the prices up and reduces their quality.

It looks like vanilla is the new bubble that will pop as there are companies out there looking for ways to artificially produce it.

ctm-0214-madagascar-vanilla-beans-prices.jpg
 
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It's been like that for over a year now. If you just noticed it, you don't use it enough to really impact you.
 
tynopik said:
artificial vanilla has been around since the 1800s
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They are looking for ways to make it without artificial flavors as a lot of the stories have said the demand for natural foods is a big reason for the demand.

https://forums.anandtech.com/thread...-gone-through-the-roof.2501712/#post-38799290

But the traditional vanilla bean is starting to enjoy a renaissance, thanks to consumer demand for all-natural foods and beverages. Last year, a string of giant food companies, including General Mills, Hershey’s, Kellogg’s, and Nestlé, vowed to eliminate artificial flavors and other additives from many foods sold in the U.S.

There is a problem, however: World production of natural vanilla is tiny and has been falling in recent years. Less than 1% of vanilla flavor comes from actual vanilla orchids. With demand on the upswing, trade in the coveted flavor is out of balance.
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Serious Eats did a blind taste test between real & artificial vanilla and recommends artificial:

http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2013/12/taste-test-is-better-vanilla-extract-worth-the-price.html

The exceptions are:

1. If you make a lot of stuff like panna cotta or ice cream base, you might want to consider buying the real stuff, although it's a small performance boost, not a big one.
2. If you have a really sensitive palette.

I went through a big vanilla cooking & baking phase about a year ago, where I bought a ton of vanilla...real, artificial, beans, powder, paste, the works. My conclusions were:

1. Nothing I personally make tastes any better with real vanilla.
2. My tastebuds are not sensitive enough to tell a difference between real & fake.

Right now, I primarily buy big jugs of artificial vanilla, plus vanilla powder(black, not the beige flavoring powder, which is actually pretty easy to DIY), because I like the speckles (aesthetically) in some of the stuff I make (like peanut butter cookies or homemade vanilla ice cream).
 
I just get the McCormick's real vanilla extract. I don't bake often at all, or I just use the boxed cakes and shit because I'm lazy, so I spend the extra couple of bucks. I have noticed a slight difference between that and the shitty store brand fake vanilla, but I don't think I've ever tried McCormick's artificial. One of the smaller containers of vanilla (4oz? 6oz?) lasts me like 1-5 years with how often I bake.

Spending that much on vanilla beans is crazy, unless you absolutely are required to avoid any alcohol and cannot use imitation for some reason. I'm guessing the number of people falling into this category is almost zero percent.
 
mrjminer said:
I just get the McCormick's real vanilla extract. I don't bake often at all, or I just use the boxed cakes and shit because I'm lazy, so I spend the extra couple of bucks. I have noticed a slight difference between that and the shitty store brand fake vanilla, but I don't think I've ever tried McCormick's artificial. One of the smaller containers of vanilla (4oz? 6oz?) lasts me like 1-5 years with how often I bake.

Spending that much on vanilla beans is crazy, unless you absolutely are required to avoid any alcohol and cannot use imitation for some reason. I'm guessing the number of people falling into this category is almost zero percent.
Click to expand...

fwiw, you can use an Instant Pot & food-grade vegetable glycerin: (as opposed to steeping the vanilla beans in vodka for months)

http://www.tidbits-cami.com/2016/08/pressure-cooker-pure-vanilla-extract.html

Like you said though, not many people go through a ridiculous amount of vanilla, so it's not really a big issue. I bake a lot & bought a jumbo bottle of vanilla & it has lasted me forever.
 
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