<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hi All--

My original question was: Is Watkins double-strength vanilla (not extract)
GF?

According to Watkins customer service rep, no, it is not GF. The reason, she
stated, is that it contains corn gluten and they aren't certain whether or
not the vanilla is processed in close proximity to wheat. Sounded fishy to
me...

Several people wrote to tell me what I thought...Watkins' explanation
sounded fishy. No one wrote to tell me they used it with no problems
(recently), but most respondents said they wouldn't use it because Watkins
obviously doesn't know what's what regarding gluten, distillation, etc.

One person wrote the following: (Many thanks to the respondent for this
information)
_____
Watkins used to have gf info on their web site, but I'm now unable to find
it. They did not identify their "original double-strength vanilla" as gf.
FWIW, I wouldn't use it anyway. They make of big deal of it being stronger,
and somehow better, than ordinary vanilla extract. What it is, is vanilla
extract with vanillin and corn syrup added. Here's the selling tip they give
to their reps:

If customer's brand is a pure extract: Place a drop of Watkins Original
Double-Strength Vanilla on customer's right forefinger and then do the same
with the customer's current brand on the left forefinger. Have the customer
rub both forefingers
with the thumb. (This rubbing creates heat, causing alcohol in the vanilla
to start to evaporate.) Have the customer smell again, noting the strong
vanilla scent on the "Watkins" hand, and the diminished scent on the
competitive brand. The reason for this difference is that the competitive
brand, because it is pure, is unstable; the alcohol evaporates more quickly
and the vanilla aroma is lost. Watkins Vanilla contains fortified
ingredients which make it more stable; the alcohol does not evaporate as
quickly, therefore producing a
longer-lasting vanilla aroma.

on their info sheet at
<http://recipebox.net/watkins/watkins_products_profiles/originalvanilla.pdf>.
(if this link doesn't work, type it into your browser by hand)

Call me a cynic, but I think it's dishonest to market it as better than pure
extract when all they've done is adulterate the extract. Stick with pure
extract. If you don't want the alcohol,
Nielsen-Massey markets a Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste which
uses glycerin as the carrier for ground vanilla beans. It's used in the same
way that the standard alcohol-based vanilla would be. They also have a
vanilla powder that likewise contains no alcohol.
_____
When it was all said and done, I wanted to eat some homemade ice cream, so I
did. No problems. However, I would not buy Watkins vanilla myself, exactly
for the reasons stated above.

I'm pretty sensitive. If you have and use Watkins double-strength vanilla, I
would have to say it is GF. Use your own judgement. I don't know about their
other vanilla products, so please check with Watkins if you have questions.

Cheers,
Ayn in Alabama

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