Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: cookie1 on December 05, 2011, 05:26:25 am
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Tenina mentioned Tonka beans at her class. I have just looked online at Herbie's and he has them.
They are $14.00 for a small packet. I like the sound of them to put a tiny bit on my coffee or Crio Bru.
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I had a look the other day and there are some on ebay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tonka-Bean-whole-1-oz-/300347263855?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45ee178b6f#ht_500wt_1054) about $10.00 including postage, just wondering if I really need them.
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You can use cinnamon instead of tonka bean - similar taste.
By the way, I've heard tonka beans are banned in the States as they contain coumarine, a blood-thinning agent (though I guess you'd have to eat a couple of kgs to be affected!!)
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Tonka beans are banned not only in the U.S. It takes much less than a couple of kg to affect some people.
The beans vary greatly in how much coumarin they contain and many people are extremely sensitive.
If you take ANY anti-inflammatory medication, aspirin or similar medication DO NOT USE TONKA BEANS they enhance the blood thinning activity of these meds and can cause internal bleeding.
They are a cheap substitute for vanilla beans and in my opinion not worth the danger of using them.
If you use them in foods, don't feed the foods to children and especially not infants who have weaker capillaries anyway and certainly not to elderly people who also have weaker vein and artery walls.
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Tenina told us that they were toxic in large amounts.
Jeninwa how will you get them into Aust? Will it be ok
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There are several places selling Tonka Beans in Australia on the net. Just Google Tonka Bean..
I am going to check our local organic store to see if they have them on my next visit.
There seems to be a lot of talk about the 'coumarin' that they have in them, Some say it is bad, Most say that it is similar to nutmeg. Ok if you use it sensibly and in small amounts. Tenina has a recipe for icecream that sound yummo.
If I can get some I am going to try growing it. I love a challenge. LOL :) I have coffee, cocoa and carob growing.
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If you are determined, good luck with it. Just be sure and keep them away from children and pets. Dogs are attracted to the beans and will chew them. There are lots of warnings on many pet forums when people are going to be traveling in south America with their dogs as the trees grow wild and are also used as landscape/shade trees.
When my best friend went to Peru, Brazil and Uraguay a few years ago for a series of dogs shows, the literature that was sent with directions and information about the area included a warning about the cumaru tree pods as well as other decorative plants which could be dangerous to dogs and other pets.
In many parts of Mexico the beans are scattered under furniture and in closed places as rat killer.
Coumarin is toxic and the level varies from bean to bean, some contain much more than others. It not only causes blood thinning but is also a carcinogen and can cause liver damage in fairly small amounts consumed over a period of time.
Non-alcoholic liver disease is much higher in Mexico, Central and South America than it is in the U.S. or Canada. Mexican-Americans from the same family groups, who emigrated to the U.S. before the age of twenty, have a far lower incidence of this disease.
The UCLA Health Services, School of Public Health (Dr. Flores, Dr. Yee and Dr. Bastani) conducted a 5-year study from 1999 thru 2004 in conjunction with the University of Mexico, Mexico City.
The FDA did not ban tonka beans on a whim but after several studies showed it caused problems.
I also like to experiment and have a fairly extensive herb garden. Years ago I used to grow sweet woodruff but pulled it out when a bulletin was published in the early '90s about some pets becoming ill after chewing on the leaves - in this case it was cats.
It too contains coumarin and woodruff had been a popular inclusion in some herbal teas. I haven't seen it in any of the U.S. produced herbal concoctions for quite a few years. I'm sure they are still available in other countries with less strict laws.
I'm sure this is more than anyone wants to know but as they say, "forewarned is forearmed" and while I'm not trying to be an alarmist, you have to remember that, just as with allergens, some people react more strongly to some things. What might be perfectly safe for you might be dangerous to another.
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No Tonka Beans for this household. DH takes Aspirin and we have a dog. Thank Andie
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Fanatastic information Andie and very interesting. It always amazes me just how many ingredients are coming onto the mainstream market, I've never heard of half of these things.
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Thanks Andie. I always find your information helpful and imformative. I wonder if they get rid of pantry moth and cockroaches. I found a cockroach the other day. I hate them. At least it wasn't a biggy like the ones in the north west.
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I also found this about the Tonka bean
http://www.theage.com.au/national/foodies-go-bonkers-for-toxic-tonka-beans-20090711-dgre.html
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Referring to Adriano Zumbo, mentioned in the article that Jen linked, I think he'll do anything to introduce a new ingredient.
He's all about NEW!! and DIFFERENT!! and EXCITING!!
Did anyone see him on the first Masterchef making that ridiculous tower of macarons? I mean, really, beetroot powder? Come on....
I'm more inclined to go back and look at the ingredients our mothers and grandmothers used and explore those wonderful old recipes than run around trying to buy the very latest new ingredient.
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Yes, they did very well MJ with the limited ingredients at their disposal.
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Thanks Ande, i take wharfrin, mmm not a good mix for me, slowly being weened of to asprin.
H :)
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i tried one of adriano's confrctions with the tonka bean in it and to be honest, it was a lot of hype. vanilla is one of the most delicious flavourings and will never be toppled by the likes of a tonka bean. it's just a gimmick.
if we want to talk about toxicity, nutmeg in large quantities is also toxic, so moderation is the key.
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I love vanilla bean, actually vanilla bean ice cream is my fav ice cream :D ;D
H :)
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I love vanilla bean, actually vanilla bean ice cream is my fav ice cream :D ;D
H :)
Mine too.
I've had several discussions about tonka beans vs. vanilla beans with my neighbor who is from Mexico, born and raised in Durango.
She won't use the vanilla her relatives bring in from Mexico and warns them about it whenever she can. She says the reason most use it is because it is a lot cheaper but, like me, she prefers to use the best ingredients in her cooking, not the cheapest.
She makes the best flan I have ever tasted and while mine is pretty good, it doesn't hold a candle to hers. She simmers over very low heat a split and slightly mashed vanilla bean in the milk/cream mixture that will be combined with eggs to make the flan. She adds just a little brandy to the milk/cream as she says this makes the flavor stronger.
I think the alcohol extracts more of the flavor from the vanilla bean.
I can eat her flan with none of the reaction I get from alcohol so the prolonged simmering and the baking must drive out all the alcohol esthers to which I react.
In any event, I consider it an inferior product when compared to a vanilla bean. It's cheap because the huge trees, which are also harvested for hardwood, produce bushels of the "beans" unlike the vanilla orchid which produces one pod per flower.
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andiesenji.. Where have you seen them sold cheaply? I would love to get some to try growing them. I have only seen them at around $140 per 100grams. And at that price way outside my budget. The Prime Vanilla beans are around $100 per 100g
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andiesenji.. Where have you seen them sold cheaply? I would love to get some to try growing them. I have only seen them at around $140 per 100grams. And at that price way outside my budget. The Prime Vanilla beans are around $100 per 100g
The tonka beans are cheap in the countries where the trees grow wild, the northern part of South America, Central America and southern Mexico.
They are not grown in this country because of the ban. My friend saw huge trees when she was in South America, grown as shade trees.
My Mexican neighbor says the beans are gathered from the wild, not grown on plantations like nut trees, etc.
The price you mention for vanilla is very high. I buy from Vanilla Products (http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-ONE-LB-Ext-Grd-Madagascar-Bourbon-Vanilla-Beans-6-7-/230688786605?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b61f88ad#shId) and they ship worldwide.
A pound of vanilla beans ships to Australia for $14.00 U.S. I buy the Grade B for extract but I also use them in cooking.
I prefer the Madagascar - the Tahitian are too "perfumey" for my taste. I also buy the Mexican true vanilla as I like to combine the two types for vanilla paste.
If you think a pound (453g) is too much, split the order with one or more friends. It will still be much cheaper than $100.-- for 100g.
You can buy in lesser quantities - a dozen beans, but the shipping costs are not that much different. Buying a pound is more economical.
As I always have several jars of extract, started at monthly intervals, I use a lot of vanilla beans. It makes a great gift in a pretty bottle.
A pound of the Prime, Grade A Madascar beans is $49.94 from the same vendor.
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I buy the Heilala vanilla bean syrup from my local gourmet deli. This brand also sells vanilla pods. The vanilla comes from Tonga and is grown in partnership with a New Zealand company which helps with packaging/ distributing etc, but a large part of the earnings goes back towards the community growing the vanilla. The syrup (250ml) costs about $13 Aus but a little bit goes a long way and I use it with everything, essentially everytime I need vanilla in a recipe. It is also divine drizzled over ice cream/ desserts in general.. I have seen a few websites selling tonka beans but as far as I am concerned, nothing beats vanilla!
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The price you mention for vanilla is very high. I buy from Vanilla Products (http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-ONE-LB-Ext-Grd-Madagascar-Bourbon-Vanilla-Beans-6-7-/230688786605?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b61f88ad#shId) and they ship worldwide.
A pound of vanilla beans ships to Australia for $14.00 U.S. I buy the Grade B for extract but I also use them in cooking.
I prefer the Madagascar - the Tahitian are too "perfumey" for my taste. I also buy the Mexican true vanilla as I like to combine the two types for vanilla paste.
A pound of the Prime, Grade A Madascar beans is $49.94 from the same vendor.
Thank you for this link andiesenji. I had never thought of looking at eBay for vanilla beans.
And the prices are very much better than i have ever seen.. I am going to order some and see how they go.
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They arrived today. Went to collect the mail and could smell them. How wondeful is that smell??
Now I can try making some real vanilla icecream.
We just finished a batch of the 40 second Vanilla http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=3895.0 (http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=3895.0) that we found was a bit too sweet.
I bought the sampler pack to see if we can tell the difference between them. And we rec'd a free pack that was equal to about $10.00 worth in the supermarket. I checked again and Woolworths were $159.00 for 100grams.
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They arrived today. Went to collect the mail and could smell them. How wondeful is that smell??
Now I can try making some real vanilla icecream.
We just finished a batch of the 40 second Vanilla http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=3895.0 (http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=3895.0) that we found was a bit too sweet.
I bought the sampler pack to see if we can tell the difference between them. And we rec'd a free pack that was equal to about $10.00 worth in the supermarket. I checked again and Woolworths were $159.00 for 100grams.
The aroma is extraordinary. About two years ago I ordered some that arrived in early summer, a hot spell, and my mail carrier said the aroma in his truck was so strong that when he stopped into a fast-food place for lunch, his mates commented that he smelled like a cookie factory and the other mail in the same container took on the aroma. I told him it was from the vanilla beans and he later asked where to order some for his wife who also commented on the aroma clinging to his uniform when he got home.
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Good thing vanilla has a very distinctive smell Andie, his DW might have mistaken it for perfume and then he would have been in deep trouble ;D
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Good thing vanilla has a very distinctive smell Andie, his DW might have mistaken it for perfume and then he would have been in deep trouble ;D
My grandmother said she used vanilla as perfume when she was a girl as her papa would not let her use the regular stuff. According to her brothers, she had many admirers but not for too long as she married my grandpa when she was just fifteen.