Thanks for the article. I read it, then checked what I have in my pantry. I'll be making some new purchases before my next baking project.Check the labels on the vanilla. If it contains coumarin, it's imitation vanilla.
http://www.vanillaqueen.com/vanilla-from-mexico-central-american-and-the-caribbean/
I just ran out of this huge bottle of vanilla my uncle bought me from mexico years ago. It was Molino Real mexican vanilla blend with the picture of the vanilla beans and flower on the front. Not pure, but tastes so much better in my recipes than pure vanilla does. Not sure if it's toxic or not, but I need another bottle or two.
I wanted to buy some vanilla in Mexico too. Any recommendations on where to shop? Hoping it will be less expensive than in the states.
No, not that I have experienced. The 35% alcohol content is pretty good insurance as well as the fact that it doesn't really contain any macromolecules that are prone to spoilage. Can it lose some of it's 'oomph'? Perhaps. But my experience has shows the opposite. If some of the alcohol manages to ever-so-slowly evaporate, the solution as a whole is more concentrated.Does vanilla go bad? Do they have a best before date and you should throw it out after that?