Why Cook’s Vanilla?
Vanilla is in our veins.
Family owned and operated for 100 years, we have hands-on control of our quality from bean to bottle, something larger businesses may find difficult to achieve. As a small family business we take great pride in working directly with small farmers, personally monitoring the cultivation and harvest of our beans in a way few can match and no one can exceed.
By specializing in vanilla for a century, we’ve developed four generations of expertise in vanilla manufacturing and deep roots in the industry. For us, making top-quality vanilla extract is a family quest, not a corporate venture.
We use the same slow, cold, proprietary extraction process our grandfather developed when he founded the company in 1918. We make vanilla the old-fashioned way, with no industrial shortcuts. For us, artisanal is not a trend, but simply how we’ve always made vanilla.
Ethical sourcing is similarly fundamental to our operations, not an after-thought designed for marketing purposes. We work directly with farmers to ensure quality beans, our most crucial raw material.
In Madagascar, we support local villages through cooperatives that provide a ready market for independent farmers while guaranteeing the best, hand-selected beans. In Tonga and Indonesia, our Dad, Ray Lochhead, personally taught our local business partners how to properly cure beans.
Cook’s inspect of each box of vanilla beans on arrival in our plant.
We’ve also innovated at every step to meet evolving consumer demands while never sacrificing quality.
We developed the first pure vanilla powder, a breakthrough in the industry with many imitators. We developed a unique alcohol-free vanilla, and of course have a full line of organic vanillas as well as Kosher, gluten-free, allergen-free, vegan and non-GMO products.
Bourbon*(Planifolia) Vanilla versus Tahitian Vanilla?
*Though Bourbon is the common term, technically this only refers to vanilla beans from Madagascar. The species is referred to as Planifolia.
Bourbon:
Think of Bourbon (Planifolia) vanilla as your basic vanilla. It got its name not from whiskey, but from the French Indian Ocean colonies that first began growing vanilla for export several centuries ago. This is the variety that originated in Mexico, where vanilla is native to the tropical rainforests of Veracruz. Planifolia vanilla is the chief variety now grown in Madagascar (Bourbon), Indonesia, Uganda, Comoros and other main vanilla regions.
Flavor notes: creamy, sweet, warm, rich, smooth, buttery, sun-ripened.
Bourbon(Planifolia) vanilla has enormous aromatic complexity, with over 400 known flavor components. It easily stands alone as a flavoring ingredient. At the same time, it has a remarkable ability to enhance others flavors such as chocolate, coffee and fruits.
Each region has subtle distinctions in its Bourbon(Planifolia) vanilla flavor notes:
Madagascar: rounded, smooth, mild, warm, subtly spiced
Indonesia: smoky, dark, intense, peppery
Mexico: more forward cinnamon and spiced notes, slightly floral and bright
Tahitian:
A less common vanilla bean variety, grown mainly Tahiti and Papua New Guinea. Tahitian vanilla is a distinct species, producing a smaller, fatter bean and a unique flavor profile that is not easily pinned down. A favorite of pastry chefs for its floral bouquet, Tahitian vanilla provides a distinct and bold vanilla flavor. It pairs beautifully with tropical fruits.
Flavor notes: floral, fruity, perfumed, sweet, tropical, exotic, with a vague hint of anise.
Regional distinctions:
Tahiti: clean and crisp.
Papua New Guinea: more smokey, rich and deep
Why Pure Vanilla?
Vanilla beans are the fruit of an orchid that requires almost unimaginable care and attention to cultivate, pollinate, harvest and cure. Like other fruits, vanilla has extraordinary flavor complexity that cannot be artificially replicated. Of the vanilla bean’s 400 flavor components, the most prominent is vanillin, at around 0.5- 2.5%. Vanilla’s aromatic complexity is what captivated Europeans after Cortez brought the pods back from Mexico and eventually made vanilla the world’s most heavily used flavor.
Artificial vanilla is made by synthesizing vanillin, the main component of vanilla beans, and ethyl vanillin, which does not exist in vanilla beans. The result is a shadow of pure vanilla. It comes across as flat, synthetic and artificially sweet.
Why Multiple Vanillas?
Just as every chef relies on an array of spices, bakers also need flavor variety.
We recommend starting with three vanillas. Why three? Because Bourbon(Planifolia) and Tahitian vanillas have radically different flavor profiles (like lemon and lime). Bourbon vanilla is your staple, and a Tahitian blend provides a creative variation.
The Bourbon(Planifolia) vanilla extract will complete any dessert. When in doubt, use Bourbon vanilla. Tahitian vanilla extract offers a unique vanilla profile that tends to be more dominant. Use it when you are feeling bold, daring, or want the vanilla to stand out.
We also recommend having a third vanilla that incorporates a different medium, visual effect or practical use. Examples are our pure vanilla powder, vanilla puree, or our alcohol-free vanilla.
Want to add a dash of vanilla to almost everything? Go for the pure vanilla powder — a quick and easy vanilla condiment that comes in a shaker jar, like cinnamon. Sprinkle it on anything, from pancakes to coffee.
Love the look of vanilla seeds in ice cream and creme brulee? We recommend the vanilla bean puree, with the perfect amount of vanilla bean seeds in a sugar-syrup base. Add pure vanilla puree to baked goods, ice creams, and custards for that beautiful vanilla-bean look but with the strength and ease of an extract.
If you want to avoid the sugar base, try our Pure Vanilla Crush, made simply of pure extract and seeds. Shake it up, and the seeds distribute through whatever you’re making.
Do you cook at high temperatures or add vanilla to non-alcoholic beverages? Try our alcohol-free vanilla, whose flavor profile closely resembles the delicate flavor of a whole vanilla bean without the hassle. Put it in you coffee creamer, smoothies, juices and teas. It’s also great for candy making, ensuring that the vanilla flavor survives high temperatures.
Keep whole vanilla beans on hand for special occasions or for a custom blended homemade vanilla extract.
Our full line of vanillas will make your baking come alive by layering and building vanilla flavor profiles. Having multiple vanilla products in your pantry opens creative opportunities to use vanilla in places you never imagined.
