And don’t say “vanilla”, I know what fucking vanilla tastes like. There’s a distinct flavor that marshmallows (especially store-bought marshmallows) have and I want to know what it is.

  • CerebralHawks@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    172·
    13 days ago

    It’s sugar.

    And yes, it might be vanilla. Tons of things have vanilla in them that aren’t “vanilla.” Like chocolate chip cookies. Like frosting. It’s not enough to give it a “vanilla” flavour, just enough to give it something. That’s why vanilla is considered boring/default, because in baking, it is.

    Now if you’re talking roasted marshmallows, you’re applying heat to sugar — you’re caramelising it. Before you say “I know what fucking caramel tastes like,” I’m just describing the process for what is happening to the sugar, and yes, that is actually how caramel is made. It’s also how a lot of hard candy is made, too, like those little white and red peppermint discs. Those just use mint extract rather than vanilla. Same concept. Heated more (hard ball stage rather than soft ball).

    Look at the ingredients though. If vanilla is listed, it’s vanilla. If it’s not, you’re just tasting sugar. If you’re roasting them, you’re tasting caramlised sugar (possibly with some vanilla).

    It’s not a secret ingredient. They have to disclose all ingredients. There are no true mystery flavours out there. White/clear Lifesavers? Those are pineapple. Same with white jellybeans. It’s only a mystery to kids, and to those who don’t research.

    • Sergio@piefed.socialEnglish
      4·
      13 days ago

      OK, I’ll look at the ingredients.

      CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, DEXTROSE, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, WATER, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF GELATIN, TETRASODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE (WHIPPING AID), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, BLUE 1.

      https://www.kraftheinz.com/jetpuffed/products/00600699003285-marshmallows

      Looks like there is some kind of “natural and artificial flavor” besides sugar and corn syrup. Wat are those? Dunno. Apparently it’s legal to have secret ingredients that are not disclosed unless a Non-Disclosure Agreement is signed.

        • Sergio@piefed.socialEnglish
          2·
          13 days ago

          Possibly. But there are several different types of vanilla. Also:

          An estimated 95% of “vanilla” products are artificially flavored with vanillin derived from lignin instead of vanilla fruits.

          and

          However, vanillin is only one of 171 identified aromatic components of real vanilla fruits.

          Also you may be amused to know:

          In the United States, castoreum, the exudate from the castor sacs of mature beavers, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a food additive,[54] often referenced simply as a “natural flavoring” in the product’s list of ingredients. It is used in both food and beverages,[55] especially as vanilla and raspberry flavoring, with a total annual U.S. production of less than 300 pounds.[55][56] It is also used to flavor some cigarettes and in perfume-making, and is used by fur trappers as a scent lure.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla

    • Skyrmir@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      13 days ago

      They’re supposed to disclose all the ingredients, the contents of my Olive Oil and Peanut Butter would argue they very much do NOT.