A Buyer's Guide to the Best Vanilla Bean Paste
Vanilla bean paste adds a delicious vanilla flavor to your food, and every chef should have a jar in their kitchen. If you are ready to get one, we have already shown you some of the best vanilla bean paste in 2024, so feel free to choose. However, if you need more information to help you make the perfect buying decision, this guide is for you.
What is Vanilla Bean Paste?
Vanilla bean paste is a sweetening ingredient that gives any recipe the best vanilla combo. If you want to make a dish with vanilla flavoring, one or two teaspoons of vanilla bean paste will provide the required vanilla taste.
Chefs prefer it for flavoring cakes, ice creams, pastries, and other dishes because a small quantity of it does so much. So instead of buying and scraping whole vanilla beans to get that delicious vanilla flavoring, you can mix a little vanilla bean paste and be on your way to a tasty meal.
How Do I Choose the Right Vanilla Bean Paste?
Ingredients
The ingredients are perhaps the single most important factor to look out for when buying vanilla bean pastes. Some vanilla bean pastes contain gluten, allergens, sugar, and other preservatives, while others are pure extracts and free from these ingredients. The choice is yours to make.
Beans Specie
Vanilla bean pastes differ in many areas, and the type of bean species is one of them. These species differ from brand to brand, and it’s up to you to choose what suits your cooking needs best. For example, Mexican vanilla beans are spicy, and their taste is sharper than normal. Madagascar vanilla beans are often creamy and rich in vanilla flavor, while Tahitian vanilla beans are sweet and give a sharp undertone taste. You can study the different species of vanilla beans to help you make the right decision when getting vanilla bean pastes.
Shelf-Life
There is no use buying a product if it will not serve you for a reasonable period. So before you buy your vanilla bean paste, you should check the shelf-life. If it is less than one or two years, you can get a small one, so you can use it up in time. However, you can get up to a gallon and store it in your pantry if it is longer than two years.
Size
Another factor you need to consider when getting vanilla bean paste is the size. Vanilla bean paste products are usually packaged in ounces, and the more ounces in a jar or container, the higher the price. So if you run a restaurant or a catering service business, you can get a gallon or a large container of vanilla bean paste for your kitchen. However, choose a smaller container if you are baking for only yourself and your people.
What Are the Differences Between Vanilla Bean Paste and Vanilla Extract?
Vanilla is one of the best flavors in the world. It has a rich and creamy form that makes it one of the top flavorings for bakers and chefs. However, apart from adding vanilla bean paste to your dishes, there are also other ways you can get the vanilla flavor into your recipe, one of which is vanilla extract. Vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract are often used interchangeably. However, we want to look at some of the subtle differences between them.
Flavor
The vanilla flavor is sharper in vanilla bean paste than in vanilla extract. This is because vanilla bean paste combines vanilla beans with vanilla bean powder, while only the liquid vanilla is extracted and stored for vanilla extracts.
Thickness
Even though vanilla bean paste has a liquid syrup-like form, it is still thicker than vanilla extract. This is because vanilla bean pastes often contain bean specks and extra bean powder, while vanilla extract contains only the pure liquid directly obtained from the vanilla beans.
Uses
Vanilla bean paste is perfect for making thick, paste-like dishes like ice cream, frosting, pudding, crème Brulee, custard, etc. Vanilla extracts, on the other hand, work perfectly for simple baked dishes like cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pastries, etc.
Price
Vanilla bean paste costs more than vanilla extracts in most stores. This is because vanilla bean paste is prepared with far more ingredients, and they are usually harder to make. On the other hand, vanilla extract is pure and obtained directly from vanilla beans.
Tips for Using Vanilla Bean Paste
One Tablespoon At a Time
Your recipe and the number of dishes will determine the amount of vanilla bean paste to be used. However, it is best to measure it one tablespoon at a time. Doing this will let you know how to ration your ingredients for the best possible result.
Store In an Airtight Container
The container or jar for vanilla bean pastes should always be airtight to prevent the paste from going bad. So once you take the amount required for your recipe, tighten it firmly immediately. Also, clean the area close to the cap. Chances are some bean paste spilled over, and ants will come calling if it isn’t properly cleaned.
Store It At Room Temperature
Do not refrigerate your vanilla bean paste. Vanilla bean paste is best stored at room temperature; anything hotter or colder will harm your bean paste.
