Katra wrote:
> In article >,
> (PENMART01) wrote:
>
>
>>>(Alex Rast)
>>
>>>(PENMART01) wrote :
>>>
>>>
>>>>>(Naomi Darvell) writes:
>>>>>
>>>>>Overall, I think a good store-bought extract will work better than most
>>>>>homemade ones. But stay away from the synthetic stuff; use real
>>>>>vanilla!
>>>>
>>>>That's no longer true. Human sensory perception is incapable of
>>>>detecting any difference between modern vanilla flavoring and natural
>>>>vanilla...
>>>
>>>I tend to believe that any statement to the effect that "human perception
>>>is incapable of... {pick arbitrary sensory limit here}" sets the person
>>>making it up to be shown wrong by somebody. I think it's unwise to make
>>>limits on what human systems can do
>>
>>You're probably one of those fools who spends mega bucks on audio equipment
>>with specs way beyond the hearing of cats and dogs, who actually is
>>convinced,
>>because of the bucks spent, they are hearing something they're not.... that's
>>in fact called being afflicted with a psychosis... means you are nuts!
>>
>>The perception of the presence of vanilla is 100% detected by sense of
>>smell...
>>humans cannot taste vanilla on the tongue, not a possibility... humans can
>>taste only salt, sweet, sour, and bitter, vanilla is none of those. It's
>>just
>>not possible for humans to differentiate between modern vanilla flavoring and
>>the real deal... yes, humans can detect the difference in a laboratory, with
>>a
>>spectrometor, but no human can detect any difference with their own sensory
>>perception, human olfactory perception just ain't even close to good enough,
>>not even when it's at it's best, in a newborn... by the time a human is 25
>>years old they've already lost more than half their ability to taste
>>anything..
>>and it goes way downhill from there... taste is NOT developed with age... at
>>least for sight there are corrective lenses (and color chips - humans are
>>incapable of retaining color variation for more than a second or two except
>>for
>>extremes), for hearing
>>there are amplifiers... there is nothing for taste or smell.
>>
>>
>>Sheldon
>
>
> Sheldon,
>
> For once dear, I think you are wrong.
> There are subtle difference in taste and smell that can indeed be
> detected by individuals. And smell really CAN affect taste!
>
> I remember once asking my dive master if I needed to drain and re-fill a
> tank of air that had been sitting in my closet for about a year. He
> asked me if it "tasted" ok and I said yes. :-) So he said it was fine
> then and I did not have to worry about it.
>
> I'm still here after using it on a dive, so I guess it was ok. ;-)
>
> My nose is covered by a silicon mask so smell can be taken out of the
> equation. How can ypu "taste" air then?
>
> You can.
>
> The point is that the sense of taste and smell, especially when
> combined, is far more sensitive than dry "science" can explain.
>
> I dare you to send me a sample of fake and real vanilla, and I'll
> taste/smell test it for you and tell you the difference.
>
> You have my e-mail, I'll send you a mailing address.
>
> K.
I don't think you can tell the difference between real and premium fake
vanilla in something like a chocolate cake (and where I use most of my
vanilla is cooked with chocolate.)
In vanilla ice cream of course you can taste the difference.
Sugar cookies are an interesting case -- vanilla is the main flavor, but
it's cooked at a high temperature -- so I have no idea if you'd taste
the difference.
But I'm not curious enough about it to send you a cookie ;-) Maybe
Sheldon will.
Best regards,
Bob