I buy McCormick and Simply Organics (which apparently was highly rated by taste testers in Cooks magazine). I used to get more expensive Vanilla. In baked goods product, I can’t tell the difference myself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our chef only uses Nielsen Massey Bourbon Vanilla Paste.

We fly our chef to Madagascar twice a year to harvest the choicest beans himself.

I bake a lot and keep both a bottle of cheap vanilla (real, not imitation, but a less expensive brand) and a bottle of really good vanilla.

I use the cheaper vanilla when it's going to get baked into something with stronger flavors, like chocolate chip cookies. I use the good stuff in really vanilla-forward applications, like creme brulee. It makes a difference there. Nobody can tell in the cookies.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our chef only uses Nielsen Massey Bourbon Vanilla Paste.

We fly our chef to Madagascar twice a year to harvest the choicest beans himself.

OP here. Thanks for the chuckle. Costco has got it on sale for $17 a bottle x 2. Still mulling it over.

Get it if you bake a lot. It’s really good and much cheaper than the small bottles at the grocery store.

I only buy it at Costco now. It tastes the same as brand name and is so cheap. And lasts forever.

Anonymous wrote:I bake a lot, but mainly to feed my family of teenage boys, who are just shoving food down the piehole. Have you tried Nielsen Massey or Penzey's vanilla? Does it make a discernable flavor difference?

Yes it makes a difference but not to a bunch of teenage boys. We keep both imitation and pure vanilla (and clear because I like to decorate and don’t want the discoloration).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our chef only uses Nielsen Massey Bourbon Vanilla Paste.

We fly our chef to Madagascar twice a year to harvest the choicest beans himself.

OP here. Thanks for the chuckle. Costco has got it on sale for $17 a bottle x 2. Still mulling it over.

Get it if you bake a lot. It’s really good and much cheaper than the small bottles at the grocery store.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our chef only uses Nielsen Massey Bourbon Vanilla Paste.

We fly our chef to Madagascar twice a year to harvest the choicest beans himself.

OP here. Thanks for the chuckle. Costco has got it on sale for $17 a bottle x 2. Still mulling it over.

Anonymous wrote:Our chef only uses Nielsen Massey Bourbon Vanilla Paste.

We fly our chef to Madagascar twice a year to harvest the choicest beans himself.

Yes it is. But you can also just use more of the cheaper stuff and I think it would be ok.

Trader Joes bourbon vanilla is sooo good, and inexpensive!

The pp is referencing a cooks illustrated blind taste test - people preferred the imitation in baked goods!

Once you cook vanilla, a lot of the nuances are gone. If you use it raw, the differences are much more pronounced.

So if you're baking, stick with whatever you use. If you want to get some for icing or ice cream, you might really enjoy it.

I can tell the difference between Penzey's and McCormick's vanilla. I have not tried anything in between because I like the Penzey's so much and I buy a replacement whenever they have their sale .

Our chef only uses Nielsen Massey Bourbon Vanilla Paste.

I read an article where they had top bakers taste test products made with imitation vs real vanilla. None could id the difference...all said they would continue to use real though. I know that is not exactly what you asked but if imitation is ok, I would think TJs real or Costco is ok too.

I bake a lot, but mainly to feed my family of teenage boys, who are just shoving food down the piehole. Have you tried Nielsen Massey or Penzey's vanilla? Does it make a discernable flavor difference?