Vanilla
vuh-NIL-uh
Vanilla planifolia
Sweet, creamy, floral, warm.
What it is
Vanilla is the cured seed pod of Vanilla planifolia, a climbing orchid native to Mexico, and the only orchid grown for food. Its flavor is sweet, creamy, and floral, the backbone of countless desserts, and it is the second most expensive spice in the world after saffron. The cost comes from labor: the flowers must be hand-pollinated, and the pods are cured for months to develop their aroma. Whole beans, pure extract, and paste all carry the flavor, while cheap imitation vanilla uses synthetic vanillin. It works in custards, baking, fruit, and even some savory sauces.
What it pairs with
Goes wrong with: sharp savory dishes.
Whole vs ground
Whole cured pods are split and their tiny seeds scraped out, and the empty pod still holds flavor for steeping. Pure extract and paste are the convenient forms.
How to handle it
Split a pod, scrape the seeds into cream or batter, and steep the pod too. Add extract off the heat, since prolonged high heat drives off the aroma.
Storage
Keep whole pods airtight and dark, never the fridge, which dries them out. Extract keeps almost indefinitely.
Buying note
Whole beans should be plump and supple, not dry and brittle. For extract, choose pure rather than imitation vanilla.
Classic dishes
creme brulee, ice cream, vanilla sponge, custard.
Out of vanilla? Substitutes
No substitute is exact. These are the closest by flavor behavior, with the ratio to start from and how the result will differ.
| Use instead | Ratio | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| pure vanilla extract for a whole bean | about two teaspoons per pod | convenient and consistent, slightly less rounded than a fresh bean |
One odd thing
Vanilla is the only orchid grown for food, and its pods must be hand-pollinated, which is part of why it is so costly.