I have several things that I keep around because I sometimes need them for my bakery business. Or because I just haven't used them up completely. Or haven't thought about throwing them away. Or whatever. It's fairly easy to tell which things are artificial flavors, since they usually SAY "imitation" or "artificial" or simply "flavor" (e.g. strawberry FLAVOR, almond FLAVOR, butter FLAVOR). Not the real thing, just the FLAVOR of it.
A good clue for vanilla? If it's clear, it's not real vanilla... At least, not that I'VE ever seen...
If you're looking for the real thing, look for "extract" or "natural" or "natural oil". Watch out for things that are "made with" real vanilla, et al. That means it's just part of the ingredients, not that it's totally natural. "Double strength" varieties of vanilla are big offenders here, as they will sometimes make real vanilla, and then add the fake stuff to make it "double strength". Ask me about discovering that AFTER using it in my food... That'll teach me to read the labels... *sigh*
So in visual summary of my cabinet:
Interesting note: Did you know that Wintergreen oil is sometimes manufactured in a lab, and then marketed as "natural" because it is molecularly the same? Just something to think about...
Some good things to think on. I try and use the real stuff as much as possible and do when I cook and bake. I hate fake food!
ReplyDeleteVery good points. I can't wait until I have more shopping options than what I have here. Sometimes it's hard to find real food around here. Shoot, I can't even get almond butter in town...sorry for the sidenote. I didn't know that there was a difference between vanilla flavoring and extract until I was married.
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