Real Vanilla vs. Imitation, it really doesn't matter...

 Today I was talking to my cousin who told me his daughter is interested in making her own vanilla extract. 

We talked a bit about the expense and how expensive vanilla extract can and somewhere in that conversation I said that truthfully I didn't really feel it mattered all that much that I had over the years used real vanilla and imitation vanilla and never had someone even notice if I used one over the other. 

Now, I am sure if anyone ever read this that someone will take objection. Someone will point out that real extract is natural and imitation is synthetic. Or someone may point out that good extract makes a difference in some recipe or other. To that I will say if you don't want to use something artificial by all means don't. And if you feel that real vanilla extract makes a difference in your favorite recipe go ahead and keep on using it. 

After saying to him that maybe in a dessert or dish where vanilla was the star of the show, like a vanilla pudding or cream, I just didn't think it was noticeable in cakes, quick breads, cookies and pies I have made over the years. And after doing a little research I saw that some pretty legitimate sources agreed! 

So, now I say with the confidence of knowing that there are some experts out there who back me up, feel free to save some money and use imitation vanilla on your cakes, cookies, and other baked goods. Splurge if you want if you're making something with less cooking time and where you want the vanilla flavor to be more prominent. 

And maybe before you reach for the more expensive ingredients do a little homework, they may not always be the right choice.