Vanillin and vanilla sugar are a powder that is made up of many ingredients. The main aroma and taste are given to them by the large quantities natural vanilla. Vanilla itself is a very expensive seasoning, but in order to be able to use it beneficial features, smell and taste that enhance the aroma rich dishes, vanillin and vanilla sugar were made available for our table from it. Vanilla sugar can be made with your own hands.
Vanillin types
- There are several types of vanillin. One of them is crystalline. It has a real vanilla flavor. Crystal Vanillin long time retains its useful properties, even after high temperature processing. Used for baking, making confectionery and ice cream.
- There is a kind of powdered vanillin. It is smaller, contains more various reinforcing additives in its composition and has a sharper smell. This type of vanillin is suitable for making chocolate. The aroma of such vanillin is already felt when room temperature. It dissolves more easily in water. Such vanillin can have a variety of berry and fruit flavors.
- Liquid vanillin is a mixture of vanillin dissolved in alcohol. It is used to make beverages, confectionery and dairy products.
How is vanillin used?
Vanillin is used in perfumery, liquor making and cooking. In cooking, vanillin should be used in an amount that depends on the cooking time, cooking temperature, and the consistency of the dish being cooked. Too much a large number of vanillin can add bitterness to the dish. When preparing delicious flour dishes vanillin is usually chosen with high temperature stability. Vanillin is added to these dishes while mixing all the dry ingredients of the dish. Or they can be added at any stage of preparation, having previously been dissolved in fat.
Usually, 4 to 9 grams of vanillin is added per 1 kilogram of dough. In the manufacture of chocolate, vanillin is usually used in the form of crystals or powder. If you want to enhance the flavor of milk-based products, use vanillin in liquid or powder form. Here, for 1 liter of products, from 0.5 to 2 grams of vanillin should be used and vanilla sugar.
The action of vanillin
- Vanillin dissolves well in alcohol, hot water and ether.
- Vanillin is used to enhance the flavors of dishes, flavoring ingredients.
- It helps to hide or soften unwanted flavors in a dish.
- Vanilla aroma remains on the hair and skin for a long time, acting soothingly.
- Vanillin gives drinks soft taste and pleasant aroma. With it, you can improve the aroma in the house.
What is vanilla sugar?
Vanilla sugar is nothing but vanilla pods mixed with sugar or powdered sugar. Sugar takes over all the smell of vanilla on itself, and then the vanilla is removed from it. It is more convenient for use in culinary production, as it contains practically no additives. If vanilla sugar is stored for too long, the vanilla flavor may evaporate. It is used for the preparation of cream, creams, fruit compotes, dairy dishes. Vanilla sugar is very suitable for muffins, cocktails, coffee. It must be added at the very end of cooking so that its aroma does not disappear too quickly.
How to make vanilla sugar with your own hands?
You can make your own vanilla sugar. To do this, take 1 kg of sugar, powdered sugar and 1 natural vanilla pod. Try to buy only the longest pods. They are considered the most valuable. Cut the vanilla pod lengthwise. Take out all the seeds, they must be crushed in a mortar and add powdered sugar there. After mixing, pour the mixture into granulated sugar, mix again and put the pod in the same place. Vanilla seeds can be added directly to cream or cream, and only the pod can be used to make vanilla sugar. Store the resulting sugar in a carefully closed jar in a dark cool place. Leave to infuse for 4 days and you can enjoy real vanilla sugar.
How to make Vanilla Muffins?
Take 400 g of flour for pancakes, 1 teaspoon of soda, 250 g of sugar, 150 g of butter, 2 tbsp. spoons of vanilla sugar, 2 eggs and 0.5 sour cream. Mix flour, soda and sugar. Melt the butter and pour in the same. Add eggs, vanilla sugar and sour cream. Mix all this gently. The dough must be divided paper forms, you will get about 14 pieces. Bake them at 180 C for 15 minutes until they become golden color.
What are the benefits of vanilla and vanilla sugar?
Vanilla with its smell has a calming effect on the body. The smell of vanilla will help in the treatment of some serious diseases. It will tame anger, eliminate feelings of anxiety and irritation. The smell of vanilla can relax, help with insomnia, relieve anxiety, have a stimulating effect on the body and cheer up. Vanilla, which is the main component of vanillin and vanilla sugar, is an antioxidant, antidepressant and anti-carcinogen.
Vanilla sugar can be replaced with vanilla essence (instead of 20 g of vanilla sugar, 12.5 g of vanilla essence will be required) or vanilla extract (10-15 g of vanilla sugar will replace 1 teaspoon of extract). But if you don’t have any of the above at hand, you can generally ignore vanilla sugar as an ingredient: the dish will turn out without it, however, it will not please you with a subtle vanilla flavor.
What is better to buy: vanilla, vanillin or vanilla sugar?
If you at least occasionally bake something at home or prepare desserts, you probably buy vanillin, vanilla sugar or vanilla. Or are you still thinking about it. How are these supplements different from each other? What to buy and what not to buy? Let's see, smell and decide - and all within the framework of one small article!
Vanilla- this is a beautiful plant, the pods of which have an amazing aroma, and therefore are highly valued. I think that at least once in your life you have smelled natural vanilla or the products in which it was. Well, if not, I strongly advise you to buy and try. Natural vanilla has only one drawback: it is very expensive. A bag with a vanilla pod weighing 2-4 grams costs 70-100 rubles! Typically, vanilla can be found in mid-range supermarkets and above. 
Vanillin is the main component of vanilla, responsible for the characteristic "vanilla" aroma. Roughly speaking, this is a concentrated aroma of the very essence of vanilla. Of course, it can also be obtained from natural vanilla, but then it will cost a lot of money. Therefore, vanillin is usually synthesized in laboratories. And it is called flavor identical to natural vanillin. However, vanillin is not always labeled as “flavoring identical to natural” in bags sold. Sometimes you can read "ethyl vanillin", which is essentially the same thing. 
It is worth noting another feature of vanillin: it is a very “strong” additive. The recommended dose of vanillin per 1 kilogram of dough is only 1 gram. If you add it too much, then the baking will have a specific bitter taste, and the aroma can become frankly intrusive. Well, in creams and desserts that are not baked, crystalline vanillin is generally not recommended to be added.
Where the best option will be vanilla sugar.
Vanilla sugar can be obtained in two ways. First, mix natural crushed vanilla with sugar or powdered sugar. Secondly, mix artificially obtained vanillin with sugar. Vanilla sugar, prepared in the second way, is more common and cheaper. But the first option is worth buying: with natural vanilla. A bag of such natural vanilla sugar costs 25-40 rubles for 10-15 grams. The most common brands that produce such an additive are Dr. Oetker, Kotanyi. At the same time, Dr. Oetker also has a budget option, with vanillin instead of natural vanilla.
Vanilla sugar has a relatively low concentration of vanilla, so it can be used in much larger quantities than vanillin. On the other hand, it ends rather quickly. And here we come to another option - vanilla sugar, prepared by yourself.
From a purchased vanilla bean, it is quite possible to make it yourself. From one vanilla pod, you need to carefully clean the contents, add it to a couple of tablespoons (about 40 grams) of sugar or (better) powdered sugar and leave it in a closed container for a week. If you want a more intense concentration, you can use more vanilla or less powder. If less intense - add more powder.
It would seem that such a question as vanilla and vanillin: what is the difference between them is not worth it for an experienced chef. But for an amateur, it is often not a problem to simply open a bag of vanillin and use it. Are there any differences? How do these concepts differ?
What is what
Is wonderful tropical plant, a relative of orchids. This is a creeper with delicate yellow-green flowers. Natural vanillin can be seen on the surface of the fruits of the plant after a special procedure called fermentation. The substance appears as a colorless crystalline powder. Vanillin is different characteristic odor and taste.
Scientists have learned how to create a synthetic analogue of vanillin. The production of paper is accompanied by the formation by-product. It is a brown liquid containing the reaction product of lignin (a wood polymer) with sulfurous acid. The mixture is treated with alkalis and oxidizing agents. Synthetic vanillin is isolated from this substance.
Natural vanilla began to be replaced with artificially synthesized solely because of the high cost of the pods. Synthetic analogues are used in perfumery, pharmacology, food and confectionery production in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages.
Since the 2000s The French manufacturer Rhodia has developed a technology for producing biosynthetic vanillin. As a raw material, the French use ferulic acid obtained from rice bran, and directly the synthesis finished product provided by specific bacteria. The French analogue can be recognized as a flavor natural origin. Especially considering that on the surface of vanilla pods are formed with the direct participation of the same ferulic acid.
Fundamental difference
The fundamental difference between vanilla and vanillin lies in the natural origin. This fact causes all other differences:
- the aroma of a natural product is formed from more than 400 components. The vanilla note, of course, is dominant, but the nuances that support it are also important, because these are cinnamon esters, anise alcohol, aldehyde;
- the usefulness of artificial substitutes is limited to the realm of fragrances. They can be used in aromatherapy. But there will be no vitamins or minerals in them, that is healing properties possesses only natural vanilla;
- scientifically, the harm of artificially obtained substitutes has not been proven. But how exactly will they differ from natural vanillin, so it is an impurity, albeit in very small doses, of propylene glycol and coumarin. The latter is known to be a carcinogen;
- food allergies can occur natural product as well as synthetic. It happens that a person calmly tolerates vanilla, but gives out allergic reaction to its substitute, but it can also be vice versa.
In 2009 culinary magazine Cook's Illustrated (USA) conducted an experiment to reliably establish whether vanilla and vanillin are the same or not. A group of lay tasters were asked to compare desserts made with both natural vanilla and synthetic vanilla.
The answers to the question whether it is possible to replace a natural product with an artificial one sounded like this:
- for puddings and dairy desserts, it is preferable to take natural ones;
- no significant differences were found in the baked goods, although some tasters noted that they found the cookies cooked in a hot oven with artificial flavor to be tastier.
What to choose in the end: either vanilla; everyone decides for himself. However, without being an expert in spices, it is easier to determine the quality of the pods, which should normally be slightly oily and elastic, than to distinguish natural vanilla sugar from its lignin counterpart.
It happens that you walk around the city and involuntarily catch nice smell baking, a picture immediately before my eyes delicious bun, freshly baked pies or some other muffin. All this smell comes from some bakery or bakery.
Due to the fact that such a spice as vanillin is added to the dough, baking acquires a pleasant aroma.
What is vanillin made from?
Vanillin is a colorless, crystalline powder, with a characteristic vanilla odor, obtained by synthesis in the laboratory. The demand for such a spice exceeds the collection of vanilla itself, which is why it is necessary to synthesize vanillin by an artificial method. It has the ability to dissolve in water. Since vanilla itself is very expensive, due to the difficulty in growing it, it is necessary to replace it with a powder with the addition of vanilla extract. For large scale production bakery products vanillin is used because of its cheapness and availability. Nowadays, on the shelves of supermarkets or in the market, you can easily find the right seasoning.
Vanillin types
There are several types of vanillin in production:
- Crystal. It has a pronounced vanilla flavor and is used in baking, chocolate and ice cream production. Enhances its scent at high temperatures.
- Powdered vanillin. It has the form of a powder, has the ability to dissolve easily in liquids, has a characteristic aroma of vanilla, and is used in the production of chocolate.
- Vanillin in liquid form. Used in the preparation of drinks.
How to make vanilla sugar
What can replace vanilla? Vanilla sugar has been popular with housewives and has been used in cooking since ancient times, mainly in the preparation of confectionery and bakery products. It has sweet taste, pleasant aroma of vanilla.
The basic procedure for obtaining vanilla sugar is to mix powdered sugar with vanilla extract.
Vanilla pod must be mixed with sugar and left for a while to saturate the aroma. After that, it is necessary to keep in a dark, closed place so that the smell does not disappear.
Sugar is produced by growing beets. After the beet has passed technological process processing, a sweet product is obtained from it.
The process of growing vanilla is the most time-consuming due to the fact that the plant has to be pollinated artificially. The price of vanilla is much higher than that of sugar.
You can make vanilla sugar yourself, without any problems at home, if you have the right ingredients. If you have the time and desire, cooking will not be difficult. Vanilla Sugar Ingredients:
- 1 kg sugar
- 1 vanillin pod
Peel the pod from the seeds, and mix with powdered sugar and leave for a while to soak in the smell.
The use of vanillin and vanilla sugar in cooking
Vanillin has wide range applications not only in Food Industry and also in cosmetology. You can often catch hints of vanilla in the aroma of perfume. There is also a wide selection of shampoos, shower gels, soaps, creams, etc. with vanilla scent. But, as we have said, the main area of \u200b\u200buse is cooking.
What can vanilla be used for?
When cooking, you should strictly adhere to the recipe, as this spice has a pronounced taste. With an overdose of this spice, the dish may be bitter.. On sale, this product often comes in a weight of 1 or 2 grams. One bag of 1 g is enough for 1000 g of flour. When preparing flour dishes, the recipe is mixed with dry ingredients. In the manufacture of milkshakes or any other drinks, vanillin is advised to use in liquid form. Approximately 1-2 grams per 1 liter of liquid.
By itself, it tends to dissolve well in water, alcohol, fat. Use this powder to enhance the flavor of dishes. Using cosmetics, the smell remains on the hair and on the skin for a long time, has the ability to soothe, relax. It also occurs in the form incense sticks to give pleasant smell in the house.
Vanilla sugar is widely used in the manufacture of confectionery creams, ice cream, all possible pastries, drinks, milkshakes. For baking, it is necessary to proceed from the calculation that for 1 kg of sugar there are 8-10 grams of vanilla sugar. It is used in the process of kneading the dough or for sprinkling the product on top.
lovers home baking vanilla sugar is more suitable to use. Making this spice at home is very easy and not difficult. It is necessary to purchase vanilla in the form of a stick, it will last for a very long time. for a long time. You should mix sugar with a stick and leave it to smell, so you will always have the opportunity to make vanilla sugar.
Vanilla is often added to spirits such as cognac or homemade liqueurs.
The difference between vanillin and sugar infused with vanilla extract is that vanillin has a finer grinding and is more concentrated than vanilla powdered sugar. When using this concentrate for cooking variety of dishes, it requires much less than vanilla powdered sugar. Vanilla Sugar chemical composition differs in that it is more natural in its components than vanillin.
For small children, sweets are not desirable. This can lead to your child suffering from cavities.
Useful properties of vanillin and vanilla sugar
The smell of vanilla has the ability soothe, muffle the feeling of aggression, anxiety, irritation. This smell can easily cheer up, give confidence. Helps fight insomnia. It is an antidepressant of its kind.
Vanilla sugar, being a favorite flavor additive many housewives, is a mixture of vanillin and powdered sugar. It is very easy to use and gives the dishes a delicious aroma and taste. It is ideal for baking, because it does not lose its qualities when exposed to high temperatures.
It is also widely used in the preparation of creams, cocktails, cereals, casseroles, sweet sauces and yogurts. Eating foods containing vanilla sugar is extremely beneficial because it is a powerful antidepressant. If this is done in moderation, then the mood will rise, and the figure will not suffer. In addition, this aroma is able to relieve anxiety, save from insomnia and normalize digestion.
Vanilla sugar, which is widely used in cooking, can be easily made at home. To do this, you need to take a natural vanilla pod and 1 kg of granulated sugar. The main thing is that the pod is soft and oily. From it you should get all the seeds, grind in a mortar. Grind sugar in a coffee grinder and mix with seeds. Keep the resulting product under a closed lid. You might be interested in reading.
With the help of vanilla sugar, any sweet dish can be given an unusual aroma and delicious taste. rich taste. Here are some recipes for you delicious meals with vanilla sugar, which will certainly please you and your family.
vanilla ice cream
Components:
- milk - 550 ml
- sugar - 50 g
- yolks - 3 pcs.
Whipped yolks with granulated sugar heat in a water bath until thickened. Mix half of the milk with vanilla sugar, add to egg mixture. After 10 minutes, remove the mass from the heat and add the rest of the milk, mix well. Pour the chilled milk mass into molds, put it in the freezer and after a few hours we get delicious.
vanilla sauce
Ingredients:
- cream - 200 ml
- vanilla sugar - 1 teaspoon
- yolk - 1 pc.
- butter - 1 teaspoon
- corn starch - 1 teaspoon
We heat the cream with vanilla sugar, add sugar with whipped yolks to the mixture. Then we add starch and butter, stir and set aside.
Vanilla Nut Cookies
Ingredients:
Mix the sifted flour, chopped hazelnuts, sugar, vanilla sugar. After we mix the mass, add the eggs here, knead soft dough. We roll it out, cut out the figures with molds, put it neatly on a baking sheet, greased with oil, put it in the oven. After 20 minutes, take out the cookies and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Fruity Vanilla Dessert
What you need:
- apples - 3 pcs.
- almonds - 2 tbsp. spoons
- banana - 1 pc.
- cherry - 1 tbsp. a spoon
- vanilla sugar - 1 table. a spoon
- brown sugar - 100 g
- lemon - 0.5 pcs.
Roast the chopped almonds, remove the pits from the cherries. Boil peeled apples with the core removed in water with lemon juice. Add sugar to the same water, cook until syrup is obtained. We make mashed bananas, mix with nuts and vanilla sugar. We put the resulting mass in apples, pour syrup over them, put in the oven for 10-20 minutes. Ready apples decorate banana cream and cherries.
Strawberry vanilla milkshake
Ingredients:
- strawberries - 200 g
- milk - 200 ml
- vanilla ice cream - 100 g
- vanilla sugar - 1 tbsp. a spoon
- cocoa - 0.5 tsp
Beat milk, ice cream, vanilla sugar and strawberries in a blender. The cocktail is ready when you get a thick foamy mixture. Pour into glasses, sprinkle with cocoa, serve with straws. Can decorate whole berry strawberries.
Each good hostess knows that any baked goods will only benefit if they are flavored with a subtle vanilla flavor. A warm and appetizing smell will awaken the best feelings and fill the house with peace and comfort. But only experienced chefs they understand how vanilla differs from vanillin and what is preferable to choose on a store shelf - a wrinkled brown pod with a somewhat inhumane cost or a bag of crystalline powder at a very affordable price.
Definitions
VanillaVanilla- a very valuable spice obtained from several types of vines of the orchid family. It comes from Mexico (the ancient Indian tribes began to cultivate the plant, using its fruits as money). Today, vanilla from Madagascar is considered the best; Indonesia and China are also recognized as major suppliers.
Vanillin Vanillin- the main component of natural vanilla extract in the form of needle-shaped colorless crystals. But most often (in everyday life), the concept is used to define a synthetic analogue of vanilla, a crystalline powder with similar taste and aroma.
Comparison
One of the main differences between vanilla and vanillin (if we talk about the goods presented on store shelves) is that the first of these products is of natural origin, and the second is synthetic, artificial. How is vanilla obtained? The fruits of some vines of the orchid family growing in the equatorial belt are harvested by hand. Then unripe green pods first on a short time placed in hot water, after 1-2 weeks, they are subjected to a fermentation process (that is, fermentation), and then dried in the open air for several months. As a result, the fruits become black-brown, covered with a slight whitish coating. If you crush them, you can get a bulk substance white color with small black patches - the very famous vanilla with a pronounced, memorable, delicate and thick, sweet aroma.
Obviously, the process of obtaining natural vanilla is very long and painstaking. The difficulty lies in the fact that the flowers of this plant, from which the fruits are subsequently formed, are open only one day a year. Moreover, in nature they are pollinated by only one species of bees or one species of hummingbird birds. Therefore, in some regions, farmers use artificial pollination, otherwise the risk of losing the crop is too great. The ovary is formed for about 9 months, and only on half of the pollinated flowers. Naturally, all of these nuances lead to a significant increase in the cost of the final product.
This is how vanilla grows
Natural vanilla extract is a tincture of the fruits of this plant in a mixture of water and ethyl alcohol that has been filtered. It contains about 200 different chemical compounds, including the polyphenol vanillin.
Vanillin is the main component of vanilla extract, outwardly resembling needle-like colorless crystals. But since the cost of natural vanilla is too high, at the end of the 19th century, chemists learned how to synthesize vanillin artificially: first from clove oil, and then from the waste of the pulp and paper industry. At the moment, the most popular method is to obtain this substance from petrochemical raw materials. Vanillin is widely used as a flavoring agent in food production and household chemicals used in perfumery and pharmaceuticals.
Often found on store shelves, vanilla sugar is usually powdered sugar mixed with synthetic vanillin. The more expensive option this product manufacturers add natural vanilla. By the way, vanilla sugar is easy to prepare yourself at home. To do this, place the powdered sugar and vanilla pod (in recipes the name “vanilla stick” is often used) in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. After a while, the sugar will acquire a bright vanilla flavor. Such a product is perfect for decorating pastries, making desserts.
Another difference between vanilla and vanillin is that the natural product, according to scientists, brings tangible health benefits. The polyphenol vanillin found in vanilla is an antioxidant that helps fight aging. The natural aroma of vanilla stimulates the production of serotonin in the body - the hormone of happiness, has a calming effect, stimulates appetite. In aromatherapy, the smell of vanilla is often used to treat depression and nervous disorders, and even to alleviate the symptoms of claustrophobia. But synthetic vanillin (though in very small doses) contains dangerous substances, because it is a product of artificial origin. However, scientists assure that in such insignificant quantities the carcinogens and oil products contained in it moderate use they won't do any harm.
Vanillin sachets can be found in almost any supermarket. Vanilla sticks are an elite product, and it is far from being found everywhere.
To clearly demonstrate what is the difference between vanilla and vanillin, a comparative table will help us.
Loading...