[0 - 1] - These days, it's getting harder
[1 - 3] and harder to tell what's real and what's fake.
[3 - 5] Artificial intelligence makes it possible
[5 - 7] for a computer to write prose.
[7 - 9] Software is so sophisticated
[9 - 11] that you can put anyone's head on someone else's body.
[11 - 13] If you feel like you can't trust your eyes anymore
[13 - 14] I've got bad news for you.
[14 - 15] This whole time we've been switching back
[15 - 17] and forth between the real me
[17 - 18] and a mannequin dressed in my clothes
[18 - 20] with a printout of my face taped on it.
[21 - 22] You couldn't tell, could you?
[22 - 24] Well, today the real me is gonna take you on a journey
[24 - 26] into the world's most popular flavor,
[26 - 27] where the difference between real
[27 - 30] and fake is massive, but also subtle.
[30 - 32] (paper flapp ing) (quizzical music)
[32 - 33] Vanilla beans are grown commercially
[36 - 40] in locations around the globe, Mexico, Madagascar,
[40 - 41] which produces some 80%
[41 - 43] of world production, Indonesia, Tahiti
[43 - 45] and Uganda to just name a few.
[45 - 47] In all honesty, the growing
[47 - 48] and harvesting of vanilla beans
[48 - 50] has a lot working against it.
[50 - 51] The first challenge is that they come
[51 - 53] from the vanilla orchid.
[53 - 55] Have you ever been gifted one of those beautiful orchids,
[55 - 58] you know, like in a glass terrarium flower pot thing
[58 - 61] and then killed it in like under a week?
[61 - 62] Okay, so it's not quite like that.
[62 - 64] The vanilla orchid is native to Mexico
[64 - 67] and it does grow well in similar subtropical climates
[67 - 70] but there's the very important issue of pollination.
[70 - 72] If an orchid flour isn't pollinated,
[72 - 74] it will not grow vanilla beans
[74 - 76] and pollination is no simple feat.
[76 - 79] Outside of Mexico, vanilla orchids must be hand pollinated
[79 - 82] and the practice is used commercially in Mexico as well.
[82 - 84] The hand pollinating technique still used today was invented
[84 - 87] by a horticulturist named Edmond Albius.
[87 - 89] Born into slavery in Reunion,
[89 - 91] a small island in the Indian Ocean,
[91 - 93] Albius perfected a simple technique using a thin stick
[93 - 95] and thumb to smear pollen
[95 - 97] from the male anthem to the female stigma.
[97 - 100] His method allowed for vanilla production to go commercial.
[100 - 102] The technique works really well
[102 - 104] but it's still incredibly labor intensive.
[104 - 107] It takes 600 hand pollinated blossoms
[107 - 109] to produce one kilogram of cured beans.
[109 - 111] And then don't forget about the hand picking,
[111 - 113] after which we go into processing.
[113 - 117] That includes four basic steps, killing, sweating, drying
[117 - 119] and conditioning, which oddly enough
[119 - 120] is also my morning hair routine.
[121 - 124] First up, killing, which is not a thing
[124 - 128] that I say very often...anymore. (ghostly music)
[128 - 130] This step can take a number of different forms
[130 - 132] from heating in an oven to a dip in hot water,
[132 - 135] but the goals are the same, to stop the beans growth,
[135 - 136] kill yeast and bacteria,
[136 - 139] and to start enzymatic reactions which will fuel aroma
[139 - 140] and flavor development.
[140 - 143] At this stage, glucovanillin starts to be converted
[143 - 146] to vanillin, which is the primary flavor compound
[146 - 148] vanilla-heads everywhere go crazy for.
[148 - 150] Next is sweating.
[150 - 152] Now this is pretty much what it sounds like.
[152 - 153] The freshly killed beans are held
[153 - 156] at a real sweaty temperature, between roughly a hundred
[156 - 158] and 150 degrees.
[158 - 159] The enzymes responsible
[159 - 161] for converting glucovanillin to vanillin,
[161 - 164] like all enzymes, work faster as the temperature rises
[164 - 166] up until the point that they're deactivated
[166 - 167] by too much heat.
[167 - 168] So the goal here is to keep them
[168 - 171] in that sweet spot to encourage max enzymatic action.
[171 - 173] During this time, flavors also produced
[173 - 176] by oxidation of lipids and the breakdown of proteins.
[176 - 177] Third is drying.
[177 - 179] Now the beans have most of their their gorgeous flavor
[179 - 181] at this point but still a high moisture content
[181 - 183] which can lead to mold.
[183 - 185] Drying is the key to preventing it.
[185 - 187] Also, the enemy of my friend is my enemy
[187 - 188] and so I just want it to be known
[188 - 191] that I'm anti mold, like bad mold.
[191 - 193] Finally, it's time for conditioning.
[193 - 194] Now, the really weird thing
[194 - 196] about conditioning is that you purposefully get all
[196 - 199] of the natural moisture out of your hair with shampoo,
[199 - 202] only, they add it back with like new moisture,
[202 - 203] it's so strange.
[203 - 207] What, hair episodes tomorrow? Yep, okay.
[207 - 209] During conditioning, the dried beans are packed
[209 - 213] into a box for at least a month, but often a lot longer.
[213 - 216] This step enhances and also preserves the beans' flavor.
[216 - 219] They're finally ready to be shipped and used. Growing, pollinating,
[219 - 221] and processing vanilla this way
[221 - 223] requires incredible expertise, experience
[223 - 225] and attention to detail.
[225 - 226] All of this makes vanilla
[226 - 229] the second most expensive spice after saffron.
[229 - 231] That and mother nature.
[231 - 234] When a cyclone ravaged Madagascar in 2017
[234 - 236] it wiped out 30% of the vanilla crop
[236 - 239] and shot prices soaring up to almost $300 a pound.
[239 - 242] So the next time you hold a vanilla bean in your hands
[242 - 244] and then sacrifice it to a custard or ice cream,
[244 - 246] think about everything that went into its creation.
[246 - 248] And the same goes for pure vanilla extract,
[248 - 251] ground vanilla, vanilla powder, and vanilla paste,
[251 - 254] all of which contain at least some genuine vanilla.
[254 - 255] Okay, here's the craziest part.
[255 - 257] Everything we just talked about
[257 - 258] from the beans to these products,
[258 - 263] make up just 1% of vanilla flavoring in the world, 1%!
[263 - 265] The fact of the matter is there's no way
[265 - 266] to produce enough vanilla flavor
[266 - 270] to satisfy the world's hunger for without synthesizing it.
[270 - 274] And that is why more than 15,000 tons of pure vanillin
[274 - 275] are manufactured each year.
[275 - 278] It's often created through a chemical process that starts
[278 - 280] with an organic compound called guaiacol.
[280 - 283] Guaiacol is derived from either petroleum or wood.
[283 - 286] So does the synthesized stuff even taste like the real deal?
[286 - 288] Check out this experiment.
[288 - 289] We baked two batches
[289 - 291] of a simple ice box cookie flavored with vanilla.
[291 - 294] For one batch, we used pure vanilla extract
[294 - 296] and for the other we used imitation vanilla.
[296 - 298] My team kindly blindfolded me
[298 - 299] and handed me two cookies
[299 - 301] that could have both been pure extract,
[301 - 303] both imitation, or one of each.
[303 - 306] They turned out to be really good.
[306 - 307] I mean, look, this is a great recipe,
[307 - 308] there's a link below the video.
[308 - 310] But the results are,
[310 - 312] I found one to have more vanilla flavor than the other
[312 - 313] and I actually preferred it.
[313 - 317] And the more vanilla-y one? Imitation.
[317 - 320] So this was a recreation of a much bigger test
[320 - 321] that Hannah from Gear Heads ran,
[321 - 323] and that's why I know I am not alone
[323 - 326] in my choosing of imitation over pure in this context.
[326 - 327] Here's the deal.
[327 - 329] During all of that processing we talked about,
[329 - 332] vanilla beans develop hundreds of aroma compounds,
[332 - 335] making the vanilla experience incredibly rich and nuanced.
[335 - 337] But as I mentioned, one such compound,
[337 - 339] vanillin, is the primary one
[339 - 342] and it's what we recognize immediately as vanilla flavor.
[342 - 345] Pure vanilla extract captures the full complexity,
[345 - 348] while imitation vanilla is largely just a big hit
[348 - 349] of pure vanillin.
[349 - 351] Some brands do try to add complexity
[351 - 353] with other things like tea and cacao extract.
[353 - 356] When you heat either product, as we do during baking,
[356 - 358] we drive off lots of volatile aromas.
[358 - 360] That's why the kitchen smells great
[360 - 361] when you bake these cookies.
[361 - 362] But during that process
[362 - 365] we largely lose the nuance of the real deal stuff
[365 - 367] and that's why the big punch of vanillin
[367 - 370] in the imitation stuff often trumps pure extracts.
[370 - 373] While you let that sink in, I'm gonna head to the kitchen.
[373 - 375] If you do get your hands on precious vanilla beans
[375 - 378] it pays to know how to get the most out of them.
[378 - 380] Fresh, well stored beans will be shiny,
[380 - 382] soft to the touch and flexible.
[382 - 383] Beyond having better flavor
[383 - 386] and aroma, they're also much easier to split and scrape.
[386 - 388] To split a bean, I like to use a pairing knife
[388 - 390] and drag it from end to end.
[390 - 391] Then I open up the bean
[391 - 393] and scrape away from me to extract
[393 - 394] as much of the seeds as I can.
[394 - 395] Check out this experiment.
[395 - 398] This is what it looks like with a dried out bean
[398 - 401] and here's what it looks like with a fresh, flexible bean.
[401 - 403] Buying from a reputable source is your best bet
[403 - 405] for getting good beans.
[405 - 407] Now, the pod itself holds a lot of flavor as well
[407 - 409] so you want to get the most out of it.
[409 - 411] If you're making say, my vanilla bean ice cream recipe,
[411 - 414] do like I do and blend the entire vanilla bean
[414 - 416] with the milk in the recipe, then let it hang
[416 - 418] out in the mixture as you heat it to help extract flavor
[418 - 420] into the ice cream base.
[420 - 422] If the pods don't make sense in your recipe
[422 - 424] you can still put them to use.
[424 - 425] Massaging the bean with sugar
[425 - 428] and then dropping it into a sealable sugar container is fun
[428 - 430] and it looks and smells good.
[430 - 433] But if you really want rich vanilla flavor in your sugar
[433 - 435] it's better to blend the two together
[435 - 437] or you can make an entirely new product.
[437 - 440] Just dry the pods in a low oven until brittle
[440 - 442] and then grind them to a powder in a spice grinder.
[442 - 445] This powder has a rich, malty floral flavor.
[445 - 447] It's not a direct sub for vanilla
[447 - 448] but it adds lovely complexity
[448 - 450] to things like cookies and brownies.
[450 - 453] Vanilla works incredibly well with dairy
[453 - 455] and creamy blank slates where it can really shine,
[455 - 458] but it also adds so much as a stealthier ingredient.
[459 - 460] Take chocolate for example.
[460 - 462] Most chocolate bars you buy have vanilla
[462 - 464] in the ingredient list, and our top recipes
[464 - 466] for things like brownies, chocolate cake,
[466 - 468] and chocolate cookies have a generous amount
[468 - 469] of vanilla extract.
[469 - 472] Combining vanilla with another incredibly aromatic
[472 - 474] and flavorful ingredient makes for super complex
[474 - 476] and delicious chocolate goods.
[476 - 478] But this pairing is anything but new.
[478 - 481] In fact, it's about as old as it gets in vanilla's history.
[481 - 482] Aztecs were combining the two,
[482 - 484] hundreds, if not thousands of years ago.
[484 - 486] So the lesson here is simple.
[486 - 489] Don't skimp on vanilla in your chocolate recipes.
[489 - 491] But today I'm gonna show you one of the greatest vehicles
[491 - 495] for vanilla flavor in my humble opinion, pastry cream.
[495 - 497] Okay, so not just pastry cream,
[497 - 499] though I would happily eat vanilla pastry cream
[499 - 500] by the spoonful.
[500 - 502] Today it will be the filling for choux au craquelin.
[502 - 505] Now, this recipe by Cook's Illustrated Deputy food editor
[505 - 508] Andrea Geary features a cookie crunch outside,
[508 - 509] light as air puff
[509 - 511] and rich whipped cream-lightened pastry cream.
[511 - 515] They look incredibly impressive, but are totally achievable.
[515 - 517] It's a real Paul Hollywood handshake of a recipe,
[517 - 518] if you know what I mean.
[518 - 520] But we'll start with the pastry cream.
[520 - 523] Now we whisk flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl
[523 - 526] and then add egg yolks and milk and whisk until smooth.
[526 - 528] Then we pour in some simmering milk to temper the mixture.
[528 - 531] It then goes back into the pot with the rest of the milk
[531 - 533] and we cook, cook, cook, while we whisk, whisk, whisk.
[533 - 536] We cook this for a total of about 10 minutes
[536 - 538] to ensure that the mixture gets nice and thick.
[538 - 540] That might seem like a long time, but it's important
[540 - 544] because our friendly egg yolk contains a special enzyme called amylase.
[544 - 547] Amylase is really good at breaking down starch into sugars.
[547 - 550] If it isn't fully deactivated by high heat
[550 - 552] it could turn our beautifully thickened pastry cream
[552 - 555] into a liquidy mess as it sits in the fridge.
[555 - 557] Now we just remove it from the heat and whisk in butter
[557 - 561] our very, very special guest today, vanilla.
[561 - 562] How much vanilla, you ask?
[562 - 564] One whole tablespoon.
[564 - 564] - [Producer] Uh, teaspoon.
[564 - 566] - No, no tablespoon.
[566 - 566] - [Producer] T-S-P?
[566 - 569] - No, T-B-S-P, like B as in beautiful bouncing baby boy,
[569 - 572] not just P as in pretty precious princess Prudence.
[573 - 576] Look, this recipe has a ton of vanilla on purpose.
[576 - 578] What kind of vanilla you ask?
[578 - 580] Well, because I won't be cooking this mixture any further,
[580 - 582] I'm opting for pure vanilla extract.
[582 - 584] I want that complex vanilla flavor
[584 - 587] as opposed to just one massive hit of vanillin.
[587 - 589] But of course, it's cook's choice.
[589 - 590] Now, if you were feeling a little splashy
[590 - 592] and wanted to scrape the seeds from a pod
[592 - 594] and add those to the pastry cream as well,
[594 - 596] you would not be making a mistake.
[596 - 599] Now this goes into the fridge to fully set and firm up.
[599 - 602] Next we'll put together the world's simplest cookie recipe,
[602 - 604] just butter, sugar, flour, and salt.
[604 - 606] We'll roll it out, cut out rounds,
[606 - 608] and freeze the whole thing until we're ready to use them.
[608 - 610] And now for the Pate á Choux.
[610 - 613] Pate á Choux is a really unique and versatile dough.
[613 - 614] Or is it a batter?
[614 - 616] Honestly, it lives somewhere in between.
[616 - 619] It holds its shape like dough but is loose enough to pipe.
[619 - 621] To make it, you start by heating some liquid.
[621 - 624] In our case, we're using water, milk and butter,
[624 - 626] and then adding flour to that.
[626 - 628] As you'd expect, as soon as the flour hits the hot liquid
[628 - 631] it absorbs it rapidly, and that's actually the point.
[631 - 633] We are able to load this paste
[633 - 636] up with moisture that will then turn to steam during baking.
[636 - 638] We just heat this mixture to 175 degrees
[638 - 641] and then pop it in our food processor.
[641 - 644] Finally, we stream in beaten eggs until incorporated.
[644 - 645] Now, if you've ever made Pate á Choux by hand
[645 - 648] on the stove top, you know it's anything but easy
[648 - 650] to mix the paste and the eggs.
[650 - 652] The food processor makes super quick work of it.
[652 - 654] Now we just pipe rounds,
[654 - 657] top them with cute little cookie hats and bake.
[657 - 659] This is the best part of the recipe.
[659 - 661] Aside from eating them, of course.
[661 - 663] Check out the transformation as the choux pastry puffs
[663 - 665] and the craquelin melts to enrobe them
[665 - 667] before cracking and crisping.
[667 - 670] Now we lighten our vanilla-y pastry cream with whipped cream
[670 - 673] and pipe it right into our baked and dried puffs.
[673 - 676] Just look at these crackly beauties!
[676 - 677] Okay, it is time for a bite.
[677 - 679] These are so good!
[679 - 684] Can I give myself a handshake? (mannequin rattling)
[684 - 686] The craquelin offers perfect crisp contrast
[686 - 688] to the super creamy filling.
[688 - 691] And that filling, one big glorious taste of vanilla.
[691 - 694] So complex, sweet, and delicious.
[694 - 700] That's why this is without a doubt, how to eat vanilla. (gentle music)
[700 - 702] Thank you so much for watching.
[702 - 704] Now, big thanks to Hannah from Gear Heads
[704 - 706] for her extensive vanilla research and testing.
[706 - 708] Now, if you aren't already watching Gear Heads
[708 - 709] you are missing out
[709 - 711] on opinionated, rigorous equipment reviews
[711 - 714] for everything from air fryers to chef's knives.
[714 - 716] There's a link below to check it out.
[716 - 717] Now, I'd love to hear about your experience
[717 - 720] with vanilla extract versus imitation.
[720 - 722] Do you use one and hate the other?
[722 - 723] Keep them both on hand?
[723 - 726] Let me know in the comments, and I will see you next time.