vanilla paste vs. vanilla extract

vs. vanilla powder?

I love vanilla.

Sometimes, I add more than my recipes say.

Lately several of my recipes have used vanilla paste (um, why do I type pasta every time there?) instead of vanilla extract. Within an hour of my last recipe publishing, I had 18 people ask me about vanilla paste. Several more questions throughout the day and days after - so I thought I'd share more here.

I order my vanilla paste online, but I have seen it in some stores. Vanilla paste is the same as (pure*) vanilla extract in strength and flavor - so you can easily substitute the same amount of vanilla extract for any recipe with paste.

*I always buy pure vanilla extract, not imitation. I don't know what that is, but it is synthetic.

I just love vanilla, and I love products. Especially cooking and baking products, so I have to try everything. Vanilla paste is more like a gel consistency, and has the vanilla bean seeds in it:

I also use vanilla powder. I haven't had this in a while, but I picked some up when we were in Mexico in December.

This stuff is good. Almost coconutty good.

Vanilla powder is the whole vanilla bean, ground into a fine powder. I use it to flavor liquids, from smoothies to coffee drinks.

Do you use vanilla paste? Straight bean? Powder?