The composition, calorie content and elements of vanilla sugar. Useful properties and contraindications for use. How to make vanilla sugar without additives at home and what can be substituted for it? History of occurrence and methods of application. Vanilla sugar is quite high in calories, but it is used in cooking only in small portions, so you can safely include it in your diet menu.
The health benefits of vanilla sugar
The vanilla powder found in vanilla sugar has many health benefits. So, the use of pastries with it in the morning brings the body into tone and improves mental performance. This is due to the fact that vanilla powder will speed up the metabolism.
The benefits of vanilla sugar and foods containing it:
- Relieves irritation and stress … There is a whole list of confectionery products that can help fight stress, but vanilla sugar is one of the leaders on this list.
- Prevents obesity … Thanks to a special combination of flavoring and aromatic substances and essential oils, after consuming vanilla sugar, appetite is significantly reduced: at the chemical level, the cells that stimulate it are suppressed.
- Reduces the Risks of Diabetes … The powder contained in vanilla sugar speeds up all metabolic processes in the body, which reduces sugar levels, which cannot be said about sweet products using regular sugar.
- Powerful antioxidant … Vanilla sugar neutralizes some free radicals, which protects against several forms of cancer, including cervical cancer.
- Improves Digestion … Vanilla essential oils have a beneficial effect on the digestive system, accelerating its function.
- Helps Fight Sickle Cell Disease … Substances in vanilla sugar partially prevent sickle-shaped cells from forming as a result of this rare genetic disease.
- Neutralizing blood alcohol … If you consume products with a high content of vanilla sugar or a high concentration of vanilla powder itself, then alcohol is neutralized in small quantities, often a state of alcoholic intoxication. It has also been proven to have an effect on alcohol dependence - in some cases to complete alcohol aversion.
- Anesthetic effect … Small amounts of vanilla sugar can be consumed during menstruation to reduce pain and improve overall well-being.
Vanilla sugar, even with prolonged heat treatment, retains its properties, releasing essential oils into the air if it contains natural vanilla powder. They have a small degree of natural antidepressant and aphrodisiac effects on unsuspecting housewives.
Harm and contraindications to the use of vanilla sugar
Of course, if you consume vanilla sugar in moderation, it is quite difficult to harm the body, except when it is contraindicated. We'll look at both options below.
Consequences of abuse:
- Digestive problems … Vanilla sugar is a spicy food containing essential oils that can negatively affect the stomach and intestines in large quantities.
- Allergic reactions … Vanillin, which is part of vanilla sugar, is one of the strongest allergens along with citrus fruits. Excessive use can threaten with allergic reactions, which are accompanied by a skin rash, developing into eczema or dermatitis.
- Dizziness … Vanilla sugar can lower blood pressure, which, if low initially, will cause dizziness and nausea.
During pregnancy, vanilla sugar should be consumed with extreme caution and in small portions, or abandoned altogether: the risk of allergic reactions and dizziness increases.
Absolute contraindications for consuming vanilla sugar:
- Allergy - especially often manifests itself with constant contact with the product, for example, if you work as a pastry chef.
- Age up to three years is the greatest susceptibility to allergic reactions.
- Exacerbation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract - worsening of the condition.
It should be noted that the harm of vanilla sugar is manifested quite rarely, which cannot be said about counterfeit products. Counterfeits can adversely affect both the nervous system and the digestive system. Counterfeit products contain synthetic substitutes for vanilla powder, which sometimes contain an incompatible, and sometimes hazardous to health, composition of aldehydes.
If we compare the harm and benefits of vanilla sugar, then obviously the beneficial properties outweigh. Observing some rules and restrictions on its use, you can enjoy this product without harm to health.
Vanilla Sugar Recipes
There are a lot of dishes using vanilla sugar. As a rule, these are cold and hot confectionery. It is used both as an additive in the cooking process and in ready-made dishes, including as a powder.
In addition to vanilla sugar, which is notable for its undemocratic price, there is a synthetic substance - vanillin. It differs in that it does not have such a bright and pronounced smell, it is very easy to find it on the shelves of our stores, and the price is pleasing to the eye. However, initially vanillin was used only on an industrial scale: vanilla sugar and, moreover, pure essence or powder is much more expensive than a substitute.
For home cooking, it is better to use vanilla sugar, since it fully reproduces the above useful properties, when cooking at home it is consumed sparingly, which makes the price acceptable for the unique taste and aroma of baked goods. The best vanilla sugar is made independently: it does not lose its aromatic properties during transportation and sale.
Homemade vanilla sugar recipes:
- Recipe number 1 … Take out all the seeds from one large "correct" (we talked about suitable for cooking vanilla pods at the very beginning) vanilla pod, grind or grind in a mortar until a paste is formed. Grind 1 kg of sugar into powder, mix thoroughly with the resulting vanilla mass. Store in a tightly closed glass jar along with the emptied pod.
- Recipe number 2 … Pour 0.5 kg of sugar (powdered sugar) into a glass jar with a tight lid, place 1-2 vanilla pods in the same place, leave for a week, stirring occasionally. Sugar in a jar can be replaced several times, then until the vanilla loses its aroma - up to six months.
Here are some delicious recipes using vanilla sugar:
- Semolina casserole … Boil semolina porridge from 250 grams of semolina, 1 liter of milk and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Put the thickened porridge and cool, stirring necessarily. Beat 2 eggs and 3 tablespoons of sugar until fluffy. Put the resulting slightly warm porridge, add 2 tablespoons of soft butter, a pinch of salt and 3-5 mg of vanilla sugar there. To stir thoroughly. Grease a baking dish with butter (margarine) and sprinkle evenly with semolina, shake out the excess, turning the dish over. Put the resulting mass in a mold, smooth, bake at 180 degrees until the mass hardens.
- Custard … Almost all custard recipes contain vanilla sugar or vanillin. Mix 4 tablespoons of flour with 100 ml of milk until all lumps disappear. While stirring, pour in another 300 ml of milk, add 200-250 grams of sugar. Cook over low heat in an enamel bowl until the cream acquires the consistency of sour cream. Let the cream cool, add butter (100-150 grams) whipped with a pinch of sugar and vanilla sugar to taste. Beat until smooth.
- Banana Pancakes … Mix 500 ml of milk, 250 grams of sifted flour, 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1 pinch of salt, a flat teaspoon of vanilla sugar and 1 egg into a lump-free pancake dough. Grind 2 bananas without peel in a blender until puree, put in the dough, mix well again. The dough should be pretty thick. Fry in a hot frying pan, greasing it with butter, turning the pancakes until dark golden brown. The pancakes should be at least 2 mm thick.
Interesting facts about vanilla sugar
Above, we have already talked about which compounds are responsible for the smell of vanilla, but there is one interesting fact: heliotropin, which has a high concentration in vanilla, can be isolated by some chemical operations from black pepper, although it does not even have a flower smell!
However, the Aztecs did not use black pepper as currency in ancient times, but vanilla. In the 16th century, vanilla was first tasted by Austrians, Italians and Spaniards, much later, from the beginning of the 19th century, and in other European countries. At first, Europeans used it in the same way as the Aztecs. Not as currency, but as a spicy addition to drinks, for example, added to cocoa. Later they began to flavor tobacco and use it in culinary baked goods. Vanilla is very difficult to grow, as you have to manually pollinate the flowers, but only fifty percent of them are tied to the fruit. This led to the first experiments in the mid-19th century with the creation of artificial vanilla. I must say that the experiment was a success, only artificial vanillin outnumbered the real one. Later, experiments were resumed, and it was possible to find successful ways of producing vanillin, first from clove oil, and then from one of the components of pine wood oil. But artificially created vanillin cannot even be compared with real vanilla: the smell of real vanilla is much subtler and more pleasant.
What to cook with vanilla sugar - watch the video:
[media = https://www.youtube.com/watch? v = BR3QgMJpwgQ] Vanilla sugar appeared in Europe almost simultaneously with vanilla itself, as it is bitter, and this greatly limited its use. It immediately gained well-deserved popularity among the population: the essence and extract of vanilla lost their smell when cooked. So in our time, vanilla sugar is used in the preparation of many sweet dishes, giving them a unique festive and cozy aroma.
