Vanilla extract. 16 oz bottle on amazon $75. Why?????

[jo-jo]

I have about a million things on my saved list. So I get that McCormick vanilla has changed price notice. I just saw a 16 oz bottle went from $50 something to $75.

Why? How can it cost so much?

I use a tablespoon for every batch of chocolate chip cookies. I'm going to have start charging my grandkids for cookies.

I know there are other brands, but I've used McCormick for years and years. Good thing I won't need any for another year.

Added.....
Second question....Anyone make their own vanilla extract?

 

[NannyBeBe]

I buy vanilla extract from Sam's Club or Costco. Sam's Club vanilla is 8 oz. for $11.00; Costco is 16 oz. for $17.00. I am not a gourmet baker, but they both seem like good products to me.

 

[tony67]

You have to be careful with the subscribe and save stuff.

My guess its out of stock and they switched it to a third party that charges way too much for it.

I assume this is the 4oz six pack I see for 75 - its shipping from some random third party and they only have 5 left.

Id say order a smaller once and wait for the multipack to be back in stock.

BTW - They have a 16oz bottle for 59 and a subscribe and save discount of 15%.

 

[firefly_ris]

I'm seeing $59 for McCormick brand 16oz bottle sold by Amazon (not third party). Have to keep an eye on who it's being shipped by and inventory and all that.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

I did make my own vanilla, and I love it! I bought the vanilla beans off of Amazon and then used vodka in a large mason jar. Waited about 9-12 months before using it for the first time. I have added more vodka as needed.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I think I bought a bottle of pancake syrup vanilla flavored at Target for a crazy price . Like $20 but it is good ! Won’t buy again tho cause it’s so expensive I just want to save it for special occasion .
I better check the expiration date.
I just bought a box of craft beer for Advent Holiday mid - December and just noticed expiration date for January already ! Does beer expire ? Haha
Maybe somebody will be brave or not notice on Super Bowl Sunday.
Really hard to get excited about fancy beer when family grew up in St.Louis home of Anheuser Busch
Go Kansas City Chiefs !

I think pricing on Amazon is very deceptive and confusing . Maybe $75 vanilla smells better .
I think vanilla perfume would be worth that price tag!

 

[jo-jo]

I did make my own vanilla, and I love it! I bought the vanilla beans off of Amazon and then used vodka in a large mason jar. Waited about 9-12 months before using it for the first time. I have added more vodka as needed.

How do you know when it's done? Can it get too strong? How much beans / alcohol ratio?

 

[tvguy]

That's nuts. I just checked at my grocery store, McCormick 2 ounce bottle is $7.69, so buying 8 to get 16 ounces would only be $61.52. Of course, the 16 ounce bottle of Costco brand vanilla is only $35.

 

[_19disnA]

I would check around online since prices at Amazon are often higher then other sites. Unless you do a LOT of baking, 16 oz of vanilla extract will last a very long time. Typically the 1-2 oz bottles are enough for several months of use. What I would not do is buy any of the imitation vanilla extract. It tends to taste more like chemicals and is awful in baked goods. Walmart or even your local grocery store likely has it at a competitive price.

Have tried making my own vanilla extract from beans and vodka in the past. Honestly, those ingredients tend to costs just as much if you buy good vanilla beans and the hassle isn't worth it.

 

[Jeannie]

I make my own. It's delicious! These are the directions I followed: https://natashaskitchen.com/vanilla-extract-recipe/

 

[dizneegirl]

Make my own vanilla all the time. Vodka and vanilla beans. You can't "overdo" it. It's "done" when it's brown in color, and smells like vanilla (I'd say taste it, but it would be like doing a vanilla-flavored shot). I've had bottles that have lasted years. Sometimes I add extra vodka as I go, and sometimes I just use it up, and start a new bottle as it gets low (750 ml lasts quite a while).

 

[RedAngie]

The Barefoot Contessa insists on “good” vanilla, the kind found in gourmet shops. I wonder how pricey those are.

Does a home baker really need a 16oz bottle?

 

[gmi3804]

Amazon's grocery prices are off the charts. Sometimes you can find a deal if you buy in super bulk (like 1,000 coffee filters), but by and large, they suck.

Vanilla prices have plummeted in the last year, after hitting huge highs for a time because of a couple years' worth of terrible crops.

America's Test Kitchen's #1 vanilla extract (imitation, which they found was just as good as the real thing - go figure!) costs less than $2 for 8oz; Target brand (the bottle and label shape are the same) is exactly the same product.

 

[AppleDumpling]

The majority of the world’s vanilla supply is grown in Madagascar. The harvesting process is very labor-intensive and severe weather conditions, ie. typhoons, in recent years have decimated the crop, causing prices to spike. If you can get vanilla from Mexico, it may be less expensive, but have a somewhat different flavor. Like others here, I have bought a large bottle at a reasonable price at a warehouse club, in my case BJ’s, and it lasts me a few years.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

How do you know when it's done? Can it get too strong? How much beans / alcohol ratio?

It cannot get "overdone." I found a recipe on-line. I honestly don't remember which one I used.

 

[kanerf]

I am pretty sure you can buy vanilla extract at Dollartree for $1.25. I think it is a 4 ounce bottle. Not sure how good or bad it is.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

WOW- While I know McCormick's vanilla ranks pretty highly and is often used because it's sold everywhere, that's even pricier than Nielsen-Massey's top rated vanilla extracts. Only their Tahitian vanilla is pricier, and that's expected with all Tahitian vanilla. We just usually get Costco's 16oz bottle of pure vanilla extract, which is around $17. I believe Costco's is Mexican vanilla, but some say the taste is comparable to Nielsen-Massey's Madagascar vanilla.

 

[Pooh2]

I always used Mccormick pure vanilla but has gotten crazy over the past three years.
I switched to a large bottle of Watkins on amazon for $11.
I don't notice any difference in my cookies.

 

[Minnesota!]

I use Watkins or Baker's. Good prices, good product.

 

[jo-jo]

The majority of the world’s vanilla supply is grown in Madagascar. The harvesting process is very labor-intensive and severe weather conditions, ie. typhoons, in recent years have decimated the crop, causing prices to spike. If you can get vanilla from Mexico, it may be less expensive, but have a somewhat different flavor. Like others here, I have bought a large bottle at a reasonable price at a warehouse club, in my case BJ’s, and it lasts me a few years.

I had a bottle in use, but about a year or two ago, BJ's had the bottles on clearance, for about $8 a bottles. Bought a few. BJ now seems to carry their own brand of spices/extracts.

It's seems I've been reading about bad growing conditions for a long long time. Like years.

This is from Time in 2018.

"These days, vanilla theft is a big business in Madagascar. That may seem like a distant problem, but its repercussions are likely to be felt at your favorite dessert parlor this summer. Climate change, crime and speculation mean the price of the fragrant spice has skyrocketed from $20 a kilo five years ago to $515 in June."

Guess not just climate issues. Maybe extra security adds a lot too.