If you watch enough unusual baking shows long enough, you will at some point be confronted with “the conversation”. Then the confectioner of the moment brings the Tahitian vanilla pods (378 dollars per pound), Ecuadorian chocolate from To’ak ($210 per 1.76-ounce bar) or Plugra European Butter ($28.59 per pound) and explains why using the highest quality ingredients makes a huge difference when baking. You may laugh at the idea of spending so much money to try out a recipe, but you may also wonder if certain ingredients really improve the final product that much.
Does the quality of the ingredients really make a difference?
Even those of us who love to bake and do it all the time may hesitate to throw those expensive ingredients into a batch of cookies for the Girl Scout bake sale. But for a cake or other dessert for a special occasion, that expense can make sense. If the occasion calls for it, the chefs we spoke with think it’s worth spending more on the ingredients.
“Better quality baking ingredients definitely make a noticeable difference in the taste, texture and aroma of desserts,” said Yoonjung OhExecutive Pastry Chef at Hive Hospitality. “Not every high-quality ingredient is essential, as some have a bigger impact than others depending on the type of desserts you are making.”
It’s important to know that not every ingredient needs to be expensive — just the ones that have the strongest flavor. Oh said she mixes and matches expensive ingredients with cheaper ones, and swaps out more expensive ingredients that make the biggest difference in a particular dish. “When I’m making chocolate desserts, I prioritize using high-quality cocoa powder and chocolate, but for the rest of the recipe, I use regular all-purpose flour, butter, eggs and milk,” she said. “If I’m making something where I want vanilla to shine, I’ll invest in vanilla beans for their rich flavor, but then I might skimp on other ingredients.”
Penny StankiewiczHead instructor for confectionery and baking at the Institute for Culinary Education‘s campus in New York City, added this thought: “My rule of thumb is that when an ingredient plays a key role, is a dominant ingredient, or when the recipe has only a few ingredients, quality is even more important.”
A plea for the cheap stuff.
You could spend a few dollars on a bottle of artificial vanilla flavor or climb the high price heights with a poundTahitian vanilla pods, the rarest and most expensive of all varieties.While some say the cost is justified, others are happy with a more frugal approach.
Erika Kweeaka The Pancake Princess, is a food blogger and content creator who takes a “perhaps controversial” approach to vanilla. “I sometimes use vanilla extract and artificial vanilla interchangeably,” she said, citing America’s Test Kitchen And Epic Taste tests in which tasters could not tell the difference between the baked goods or in which, in some cases, artificial vanilla came out on top.
“Although I prefer to support high-quality vanilla producers, such as Heilala And Nielsen-MasseyI think artificial vanilla is an area where you can save costs if necessary,” said Kwee. “I have used both Adams And McCormick artificial vanilla.” She is supported in her view by baker Helen S. Fletcher of the blog Pastries Like a Pro. “One of my biggest pet peeves is the constant harping on about needing ‘pure vanilla,'” she said. “I use McCormick artificial vanilla in many of my recipes and only specify the expensive brands in recipes with more vanilla.”
Vanilla: Find a middle ground – or do it yourself.
Many other bakers we spoke with said that vanilla bean paste is a good middle ground in terms of value for money. A 4-ounce jar of Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Bean Paste for Baking and Cooking can found online for under $20“It can be a cost-effective alternative to pure vanilla extract,” said Altreisha FosterBaker and owner of Sugar Spoon Desserts and President of the Cake Therapy Foundation.
Or you can save even more by choosing a DIY option. “When baking, I can save money by making my own vanilla,” said baker and food journalist Claire PtakAuthor of “Love is a pink cake.” After using vanilla beans to make pudding or syrup, she gives them a second life by rinsing and drying the pods, then putting them in a bottle of vodka or sugar syrup. “Vanilla extract is so expensive, and you get so much flavor out of something you would otherwise have thrown away,” she said.
Another way to save money is to reduce or eliminate vanilla in some recipes. “I know some bakers who leave out vanilla altogether in recipes like chocolate cake because they think it will mask the flavor anyway,” Kwee said. “Another way to save costs is to use vanilla only where it really stands out.”
Chocolate: Spend more for better results.
There is one ingredient that experts say is almost always worth a higher price: chocolate. “Never buy cheap chocolate,” warns Ptak. “In my opinion, it’s not even really chocolate.”
According to Christopher Vaughn, pastry chef at Jester Concepts in Minneapolis, this difference in quality has to do with the care taken in making the chocolate – or the compromises made on quality. “Most chocolate in the supermarket has already begun to bloom,” he said. “That’s when the cocoa butter starts to migrate and separate from the chocolate. Better quality products are stored at better temperatures and less humidity to avoid blooming. They not only taste better, but are also less volatile and easier to work with.”
This is especially true for the most chocolaty recipes. “I often use premium chocolate when that’s the main flavor, like in a mousse or ganache,” said Foster. On the other hand, it’s important to know your audience. “At a kids’ party, they can go crazy for anything, no matter how good it is,” said Michael ZebrowskiAssociate Professor at the Culinary Institute of America and author of “The little black book of the confectioner.” “Always know who you are baking for and buy accordingly.”
Kwee agreed: “Many people recognize Valrhona and Callebaut as premium baking chocolates, and I love baking with them, but as a cheaper alternative, I also love Ghirardelli Bittersweet Baking Chips with 60% Cocoa Content ($10 for 10 ounces) and even Trader Joe’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips ($3 for 12 ounces).
Prices vary quite a bit. While a 1-pound block of unsweetened Baker’s chocolate can cost around $30, you can spend double that or more for brands like Scharffen Berger or Guittard. In professional kitchens, Vaughn prefers Valrhona Chocolatewhich costs just under $70 for just over 2 pounds. “It’s helpful that they offer different percentages of cocoa butter depending on what the recipe calls for,” he said. “For home use, I usually buy Ghirardelli dark chocolate wafers ($43 for 5 pounds). It’s darker and tastes better than most, and it contains a gelling agent so it doesn’t need to be tempered.”
Butter: Is there a main or supporting role?
In most cases, their recipes work well with regular American butter, these experts say. However, you also hear bakers singing the praises of European butter.
What’s the difference between American and European butter? Butter costs about $4 per pound at the average grocery store and has a fat content of 80%. However, European butters, which are often much more expensive, have a fat content of 82 to 86%. “Even that 2% makes a huge difference,” Vaughn explained. “The end result is crispier and lighter, and cookies or cakes rise better, not to mention exceptional flavor.” Some highly rated and best-selling brands include Rodolphe le Meunier ($15 for 8.8 ounces), Ploughgate Creamery ($9 for 8 ounces), and Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter ($4.29 for 8 ounces).
“For the average hobby baker, any inexpensive unsalted butter is perfectly adequate for most applications,” Zebrowski said“But the exception to this is products where butter is the absolute star, particularly in puff pastry like croissants, danishes and puff pastry,” he said. “If you’re making these or other high-fat products like brioche and buttercreams, invest in quality butter with a higher fat percentage.”
And if you see the good stuff on sale and have space, go ahead and buy in bulk. “High-fat products like butter freeze well,” says Zebrowski. “Wrap the butter in its original packaging in aluminum foil, then put it in a freezer bag, squeeze out the air and freeze it for several months.”
Stankiewicz said she prefers vegetable oil over butter for her chocolate cakes.
As these experts have already said, choosing a premium product may depend on the occasion or the type of recipe you are baking. Here are some more tips from Konditor Daniel KeehnerThe Culinary Institute of America’s applied baking and pastry production teaches: “Save and treat yourself to the highest quality ingredients.”
“Don’t waste your money on fancy and silly tools – instead, go to farmers markets and local grocery stores and talk to people who cook with and sell these products,” he added. “Trust your own taste and learn your own style.”
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