Vanilla Sugar - Help!

[Mr. Bloom]

OK, we have a Slovakian Exchange Student moving in with us on Monday and I want to cook his favorite muffins.

I need Vanilla Sugar...which I can't find at local stores here in podunkville...

So, I understand from wiki that I can make it quickly with vanilla extract:


It can be costly and difficult to obtain outside Europe but can be simply made at home. Sometimes it can be replaced with vanilla extract, where one teaspoon equals one package. However, when it is needed as a topping, vanilla extract is unsuitable.

OK, this is helpful...but one teaspoon equals "one package" of what size?????:confused::confused:

Help! Ideas?

I need five ounces of vanilla sugar or else it will make me two weeks to derive it from vanilla beans.

PS: I know this belongs in Nutrition (Sugar/Nutrition - hmmm now that's a contradiction)...but I'm in a rush

[buddha_bellies]

Maybe they mean those packets you get at restaurants? I guess that's one teaspoon?

When do you need the sugar? If you don't need it in a hurry, you can just buy a vanilla bean or two and stick it in a 1 litre jar of sugar. It takes about a couple of weeks for the aroma to be infused with the sugar.

Good luck!

[papaver]

you can make it yourself.

Just take a container, put white sugar in it together with a vanilla pod... that's it. It keeps for ages... and you can use it after a day or two... You can even blend it if you want it to go faster.

[Mr. Bloom]

Wiki indicated that it would take two weeks to make myself...have you done it quicker yourself?

[Blueberry]

I don't know if this would work and have not tried it but....

I wonder if you could scrape the seeds out of a vanilla bean, and put them in the food processor with the sugar. I think that's about as close as you will get for "instant" vanilla sugar...

CA

[papaver]

I don't know if this would work and have not tried it but....

I wonder if you could scrape the seeds out of a vanilla bean, and put them in the food processor with the sugar. I think that's about as close as you will get for "instant" vanilla sugar...

CA


Jamie Oliver doesn't even bother to take the seeds out, he blends the whole bean. Works a charm.

And yes Mr Silver, you can use it instantly

[Selkie]

Lots of Slovaks in my hometown (Pittsburgh)! The Best food!!!

If it isn't a secret family recipe, could you please post it?

[Mr. Bloom]

I will later (after I get it transferred from my iPhone.)

His sister was very helpful (:rolleyes:) converting from metric to imperial...:Das a result, I'm trying to get 5.06 oz of this and 7.12 oz of that and then baking at 356 degrees F :D

So, first I'll have to convert back to metric since I'm certain that I don't have the tolerance to measure to the 1/100th of an oz!

Now, the next challenge...I've NEVER EVER laid eyes on a vanilla bean before...the kid's not even here and I'm already expanding my horizons!:cool:

[OakLeaf]

http://www.convert-me.com/en/

Lots of handy stuff there, including a whole section of cooking conversions, which is really handy since European recipes tend to measure dry ingredients by weight (so much more accurate)! The site tells you how many cups of sugar are in 200g (a scant one cup), etc.

[sfa]

I just checked with my sister (who hates it that you can't get vanilla extract at a decent price in Europe) and she said that the packages of vanilla sugar are about the size of a package of baking soda, so presumably one teaspoon of vanilla extract for about that amount of sugar would do it.

Here you go: http://www.cadelyn.com/cuisine/recipes/vanilla_sugar.html

Sarah

[Mr. Bloom]

Well, I just got back from the organic grocery and now know what a vanilla bean looks like. Wow, silly me, I thought they were round like coffee beans (but then I was 21 before I know shrimp had heads:rolleyes:)

That conversion program was handy! But I fear I've really screwed something up. I had to convert from oz to gallons using that site and then convert from factional gallons (dry or liquid) to get to table/tea spoons! If this works, it will be a miracle!

Lemon muffins:
6.2oz butter melted = .85 cup butter melted
5.3oz icing sugar = 12.8 tablespoon icing sugar
0.4oz vanilla sugar = 2.4 teaspoon vanilla sugar
4 eggs = 4 eggs:D
1 lemon (juice)
11.5oz flour = 1.67 cups flour
0.4oz baking powder = 2.75 teaspoons
5tbs milk
- mix all together, put into forms.
Muffin forms: use butter or spray oil on them.
BAKE: preheat oven and bake at 356' (Fahrenheit), 25-30minutes.
let cool, then ICING: 10tbs icing sugar +1 lemon (juice)

I guess that tonight we'll know!

[OakLeaf]

Just make sure you're not confounding fluid ounces with ounces avoirdupois...

[Mr. Bloom]

Just make sure you're not confounding fluid ounces with ounces avoirdupois...

:confused::o:eek: what is that?:eek::eek: how would i know?

[OakLeaf]

Ah.

If someone else has converted metric weights for you, then the result is still going to be weight. 16 oz avdp = 1 lb.

If someone has converted metric volumes for you, then the result is still going to be volume. 8 fl oz = 1 c

It works out same-same for water (just as 1 ml water = 1 g), but for most ingredients it's a very important difference!!!

Dry ingredients are never measured in fluid ounces - if you have a recipe that actually calls for ounces of flour or sugar, then they mean ounces avoirdupois. If someone's converted a European recipe, flour and sugar are probably measured by weight, so they've converted from grams to ounces avoirdupois.

But I'd do the conversion from scratch, using convert-me, because it seems like you're playing "telephone" with your recipe... Did you see the pull-down menu to pick your particular substance, and the fact that there are two different spaces to enter fluid ounces vs. ounces avoirdupois?

Five ounces (avoirdupois) of granulated sugar (probably weighing as close as nevermind to vanilla sugar) is 3/4 cup. Et cetera.



ETA: I love that site. :) It's fun just to browse. And handy even when you're not switching from metric to Imperial - like, a recipe calls for 1 c chopped onions, well, what I have is whole onions that I can weigh - if I pick the one that's 1/3 lb I'm spot-on. :D (Or maybe I should pick the onion that weighs a little over 1/3 lb, since I'll be tossing the stem and root ends into the stock pot. ;))

[Mr. Bloom]

Well, i just found an imperial recipe on the 'net using virtually similar ingredients!

The Stress! The Stress! I can't take it anymore!

I feel like Papa from Breaking Away:
Papa: What is this?
Mama: It's sauteed zucchini.
Papa: It's I-tey food. I don't want no I-tey food.
Mama: It's not. I got it at the A&P. It's like... squash.
Papa: I know I-tey food when I hear it! It's all them "eenie" foods... zucchini... and linguini... and fettuccine. I want some American food, darnit! I want French fries!

[smilingcat]

Well, I just got back from the organic grocery and now know what a vanilla bean looks like. Wow, silly me, I thought they were round like coffee beans (but then I was 21 before I know shrimp had heads:rolleyes:)

That conversion program was handy! But I fear I've really screwed something up. I had to convert from oz to gallons using that site and then convert from factional gallons (dry or liquid) to get to table/tea spoons! If this works, it will be a miracle!

Lemon muffins:
6.2oz butter melted = .85 cup butter melted
5.3oz icing sugar = 12.8 tablespoon icing sugar
0.4oz vanilla sugar = 2.4 teaspoon vanilla sugar
4 eggs = 4 eggs:D
1 lemon (juice)
11.5oz flour = 1.67 cups flour
0.4oz baking powder = 2.75 teaspoons
5tbs milk
- mix all together, put into forms.
Muffin forms: use butter or spray oil on them.
BAKE: preheat oven and bake at 356' (Fahrenheit), 25-30minutes.
let cool, then ICING: 10tbs icing sugar +1 lemon (juice)

I guess that tonight we'll know!

could you post the recipe in the original units. 4 eggs seems wayyy too much for the flour and the "oil" . This is looking a lot like pound cake or sponge cake not a muffin.

Temp is the typical baking temperature. 350F. When in doubt, bake it at 350F for cookies, brownies, muffin.

Gotta go shopping so when I get back I'll check in. in about 2 hours.

smilingcat

[papaver]

Well, I just got back from the organic grocery and now know what a vanilla bean looks like. Wow, silly me, I thought they were round like coffee beans (but then I was 21 before I know shrimp had heads:rolleyes:)

That conversion program was handy! But I fear I've really screwed something up. I had to convert from oz to gallons using that site and then convert from factional gallons (dry or liquid) to get to table/tea spoons! If this works, it will be a miracle!

Lemon muffins:
6.2oz butter melted = .85 cup butter melted
5.3oz icing sugar = 12.8 tablespoon icing sugar
0.4oz vanilla sugar = 2.4 teaspoon vanilla sugar
4 eggs = 4 eggs:D
1 lemon (juice)
11.5oz flour = 1.67 cups flour
0.4oz baking powder = 2.75 teaspoons
5tbs milk
- mix all together, put into forms.
Muffin forms: use butter or spray oil on them.
BAKE: preheat oven and bake at 356' (Fahrenheit), 25-30minutes.
let cool, then ICING: 10tbs icing sugar +1 lemon (juice)

I guess that tonight we'll know!

I forgot to tell ya... a little package of vanillasugar is 8 g :D

[lph]

Mr. Silver - pm your address and I'll send you a package of vanilla sugar for use later. It's a staple here, really cheap, and then you can make lemon muffins til the cows come home :D

How do you usually measure stuff in recipes? I have recipes using both volume (litres, decilitres and/or cups, tablespoons etc.) and weight (grams).

[OakLeaf]

How do you usually measure stuff in recipes? I have recipes using both volume (litres, decilitres and/or cups, tablespoons etc.) and weight (grams).

In the USA it's almost exclusively by volume. The only common exceptions are for meats, and sometimes for large main ingredient vegetables (e.g., "one small butternut squash [1-1/2 lbs]").

[mudmucker]

As in US volume, not imperial or metric.

[Brandi]

Anything you could ever want in spices is here. http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/shophome.html including your sugar. Which I have some of and love!

[bmccasland]

:p:D:p

You sure Papa said "darnit"?

So how did the muffins come out?

I have to admit, I broke down and bought a scale in my local office supply store - and my french frend gave me a measuring cup for liquid measures. Those two things makes life much easier, no more conversions.

[Mr. Bloom]

OK, the muffins were "OK", but dry...but every great recipe requires practice.

I don't have the original recipe, it was sent to me post conversion...

I made my own vanilla sugar using beans and the food processor.

LPH: I'll PM the address and reimburse your expenses.

[uk elephant]

Mr. Silver, I quite often have the "problem" of lacking vanilla sugar. Not a big deal. In an average sized cake or muffin recipie, just add a tsp of vanilla extract and skip the vanilla sugar. Turns out just fine usuall. And if I don't have vanilla extract (which here in britain is hugely expensive and only comes in tiny bottles) I'll use any random booze: a tsp or two of kalhua if it's a chocolatey recepie, a tsp or two of cognac otherwise, or a fruity liqueur if it's a fruity recipie.

[Crankin]

Mr. S, I was hurrying in the store today, to get just 2 things and I noticed a large supply of vanilla sugar packets in the area where the the cream cheese and other semi baking thing are kept. I never would have noticed it, before this thread.
This is just a regular grocery store, not even the biggest one I go to. But, we do have a large population of Europeans, especially from the UK, living around here. If you want me to mail some, let me know.

[tulip]

I often substitute Bourbon for vanilla, since I am a holdout for Really Good Vanilla and I never seem to remember to get some when I'm at the Fancy Food Store. And I always have Bourbon around the house :rolleyes:

[Mr. Bloom]

This is just a regular grocery store, not even the biggest one I go to.

Review prior comment regarding "podunkville"

Smilingcat: Here are the original weight specs:

Lemon muffins:
175g butter, 160g sugar, 5ts vanilla extract, 4 eggs, 1 lemon, 12g baking powder, 325g flour, 5 tbs milk. Icing: 10tbs sugar, juice from 1 lemon. Bake at 355'F for 25-30 mins.

[Flybye]

Please send me a dozen muffins and I will do what I can to help you out :D
Congrats on the exchange student. I find irony in the word "exchange" in light of this thread :cool:

[Mr. Bloom]

He arrived 27 hours ago. We're having a blast.

[Flybye]

Pretty admirable. Enjoy!

[smilingcat]

Review prior comment regarding "podunkville"

Smilingcat: Here are the original weight specs:

Lemon muffins:
175g butter, 160g sugar, 5ts vanilla extract, 4 eggs, 1 lemon, 12g baking powder, 325g flour, 5 tbs milk. Icing: 10tbs sugar, juice from 1 lemon. Bake at 355'F for 25-30 mins.

Thank you Mr. Silver,

Its bit puzzling to me though. Weights are definitly european/aussi/NZ but ts and TBS mixed in?? I was expecting to see ml or cc for liquid measurement. And the icing isn't it powdered sugar and not granulated? powdered sugar has corn starch. Regular sugar does not. And it makes a big difference when you make icing.

If the muffin came out dry you may need more butter and bit more lemon juice. Or use smaller eggs. Egg white tends to dry out cookies, muffin and cake. If I have time this weekend, I'll give it a try with the recipe.

And you did beat the eggs until it became a pale yellow ribbon before you added the flour, butter, sugar, baking powder, extract and the lemon.

[Flybye]

Thank you Mr. Silver,
powdered sugar has corn starch. Regular sugar does not.

Eye learnt sumthin knew tooday. :cool:

[Mr. Bloom]

...and I'm not feeling bad for being confused:D

[uk elephant]

european recipies commonly use tsp or tbsp for small volume liquids. And a typical lemon icing for lemon drizzle cakes or any number of other cakes involves dissolving granulated sugar into lemon juice over low heat and drizzling it over the cake. Delicious. It makes it even better if you poke a few holes in the cake with a fork for the lemon drizzle to sink into.

[tantrumbean]

Lol, this made me laugh - I had the same problem with vanilla sugar here in the UK, I was trying to make a marble cake following my German recipe. This, like 99% of German recipes, contained vanilla sugar. Couldn't find any anywhere! Fortunately my mum send me a 10 pack of sachets through the post, which sorted the marble cake and a few more baking attempts. For those who are still wondering what size these sachets are, they are about as big as a cigarette packet, but thin, so not the same as a sugar sachet in a restaurant. Very useful stuff it is too - maybe I should start a vanilla sugar import export business!!!

Edit: Just noticed someone else had the same idea:

http://www.koffeeklatsch.com/product_1881_Dr._Oetker_Vanilla_Sugar_-_Vanille_Zucker.html