When it comes to vanilla, there’s nothing like the real thing—especially when vanilla flavor is the star of the dessert. In my experience, pure vanilla, either beans with their dazzling seeds or pure extract, gives the best flavor to desserts, whether they’re cakes, custards, sauces, ice cream, cookies, or fruit compotes.

香草豆及其小种子给任何甜点带来了特别强烈的味道和天堂般的香气，但是它们的成本很高，不像纯香草提取物一样容易获得。当我庆祝特殊场合或特定甜点从有效的味道和诱人的美丽种子中受益时，我会在甜点中使用香草豆。但这是我定期使用的纯香草提取物 - 这是我所有甜点中的主力成分。虽然它的味道不如豆子强，并且缺乏种子的视觉元素，但我发现结果同样芳香和美味。以下食谱利用了香草的纯大胆风味，您可以用纯提取物或香草豆制成所有这些甜点。

Although it might be tempting to use less expensive imitation vanilla flavoring, especially if your dessert features other strong flavorings like spices or chocolate, don’t do it. Imitation or artificial vanilla flavoring isn’t really vanilla at all, but a lowly, cloying impersonator that will always leave a bitter taste in your desserts.

Best buys: shopping for and storing vanilla

Extract
Buying: Always buy pure vanilla extract, never imitation.

Storing: Sealed and stored in a cool, dark spot, vanilla extract will last almost forever—the flavor may even improve with age. That’s good news if you like to buy in large quantities. Many good brands are available in larger volumes at discounted rates.

Beans
Buying: Selecting vanilla beans is much like choosing fruit—look for size, shape, feel, and smell. The perfect bean is 5 to 7 inches long, plump, and has very dark brown skin; it should feel moist and supple (not dry and brittle) when rolled between your fingers. And be sure it passes the sniff test: Even through heavy plastic, the aroma should be close to intoxicating.

Storing: Store vanilla beans in a sealed container in a cool, dark place. They should stay moist for up to six months. If they begin to dry out, add them to your vanilla extract or a jar of vodka. And don’t discard the used beans: The seeded pods still have tons of flavor. Add them to your sugar container, coffee beans, or favorite liqueur.

Is vanilla bean paste better?

You might see vanilla bean paste in stores—it’s a thick liquid that suspends the tiny vanilla seeds. We tested all the recipes here side by side using beans, extract, and paste, and we found that the paste worked best in batters. We don’t recommend paste for custards (ours had a strange texture) or icings (ours separated).
—the editors