Which Vanilla Is Safe?

[ARK]

I have Great Value Vanilla Flavoring (artificial - it has caramel color), and La Vencedora REALLLLL Vanilla from Mexico. That stuff tastes great! But, it is made with alcohol, so is it safe?

If not, what the heck can I use?

TIA!

[Lisa]

I have Great Value Vanilla Flavoring (artificial - it has caramel color), and La Vencedora REALLLLL Vanilla from Mexico. That stuff tastes great! But, it is made with alcohol, so is it safe?

If not, what the heck can I use?

TIA!

Most Vanillas are gluten free in the US as alcohol is distilled. Mexico, I'm not sure, but most likely it is gluten free.

[linds]

i use mccormicks pure vanilla. it says it has alcohol in it but because it is distilled it is safe.

[Sweetfudge]

i use mccormicks too

[Guest Kathy Ann]

Could I jump in here with a quick additional question? I'm also allergic to corn. Does anyone know if there is a gluten free vanilla out there that ALSO doesn't contain corn syrup??

Thanks!

[Kaycee]

I have Great Value Vanilla Flavoring (artificial - it has caramel color), and La Vencedora REALLLLL Vanilla from Mexico. That stuff tastes great! But, it is made with alcohol, so is it safe?

If not, what the heck can I use?

TIA!

Ark, I seem to be fine with vanillas, but I do seem to react to caramel colour as in the additive no. 150C or 150D. Being in New Zealand it could mean the ingredients are different to anywhere else in the world.

Just a thought

Cathy

[ravenwoodglass]

I use McCormicks because it is distilled from corn not a gluten containing grain. If you are sensitive to grain alcohols and many of us are call the company to make sure it is gluten-free. Distilled grain is not safe for everyone although some tolerate it fine some don't.

[Juliebove]

I use Authentic Foods vanilla powder. No corn or gluten.

[lovegrov]

Every vanilla I've ever checked has been gluten-free.

richard

[Aerin328]

My family just made a gluten-free banana bread for me for Christmas. Awesome! Except the vanilla they used (which I'm looking at) appears suspicious:

It is Spice Islands brand, "Pure Vanilla Extract." The bottle says "100% bourbon vanilla." The "bourbon" it's what's worrying me. Does anyone know if this is safe???

Thanks!

[RiceGuy]

I recently wrote to McCormick to find out what the alcohol in their vanilla extract was made from, and they told me it was synthetic. I asked for clarification, but received no response.

One of these days I may just make my own. It's apparently as simple as soaking a vanilla bean in vodka. There are numerous instructions all over the Internet. The thing is, you'll need to start early, as it needs to soak for several months to get concentrated enough.

Next time I need to buy it though, I'll probably get that powder. Sounds like a good idea to me.

[RiceGuy]

I just looked and found a nice explanation of the different kinds of vanilla:

Open Original Shared Link

Aerin328:

It turns out that Bourbon vanilla is a type of vanilla bean (not to be confused with alcohol), which is explained on the page linked above.

[Aerin328]

Thank you for the link, very interesting. Probably gluten-free but I will wait for the company to respond. Thanks again!