Claire Saffitz

So that's why it's great to have a couple different kinds.

If you have an extract, you have maybe some paste or you have some whole beans because they're used really differently.

That being said, I just love it so much.

I do add it a lot to a lot of what I make.

But it's not an afterthought.

And that might be one of the reasons why it can be sometimes criticized.

It's like, oh, you just...

If you're adding it thoughtlessly to everything and you're not really tasting it, I can see why people would think that it's not the amazing flavor that it is.

The point of this being that vanilla can really shine on its own, and I encourage people, if they love to bake or do pastry or make ice cream or whatever it is, to really invest in one bean, which is an investment.

Weirdly, at the grocery store, for some reason, one bean costs $20, and then you can get a pack of...

25 beans for 50, you know, if you order them online or something, you know, from a specialty site.

So I would say play around with it and really use it in a way that you're going to experience the full flavor and not just as a thing that you keep a little jar of it and add it to, you know, a cake that you're making because it's so special on it.