McCormick Culinary Imitation Banana Extract, 16 fl oz - One 16 Fluid Ounce Bottle of Banana Flavoring Extract, Perfect for Baking, Keto, Beverages and More

I have to eat low carb for health reasons. I workout twice a day but am still very overweight so loading up on carbs is not an option. I practice a cyclical low carb diet with 5 days on, two days off but that doesn't mean I go eat a gallon of ice cream on my off days. One thing I miss and crave is the Sonic Banana milkshake. So with this extract, I make a more "grown up" morning smoothie consisting of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, green tea matcha powder, vanilla extract, banana extract, a scoop of low carb vanilla meal replacement powder like Orgain, Purely Inspired, or even Slim Fast Diabetic, and a small splash of a sugar free vanilla creamer, and ice in a powerful blender like NutribulletRX. You can even add a little bit of monk fruit or stevia extract for a touch more sweetness before blending. Anyway, I love it. It tastes more like an indulgent dessert than an ordinary breakfast smoothie and is one of my favorite post workout meals on hot days. I read both negative and positive reviews before buying. Some said the flavor was watered down and you had to use a lot. Others said the flavor was off, and artificial. To me, the flavor is good and I am using a teaspoon for a 12 to 16 oz smoothie. I don't measure how much ice I add so my smoothie size varies. I just know that I have made at least five or six smoothies with the banana extract and it still looks practically full.

I originally tried to order natural banana extract but it sold out while it was in my cart. So, I went with imitation. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I use real bananas in many things from pancakes to cookies and this is going to enhance the banana flavor in the best way. As soon as I opened the seal, the smell of banana shot into my nose. It’s not subtle like natural extract. It smell just like banana runts (those miniature fruit shaped candies I used to get from candy dispensers at the store). I used it in my banana pancakes, and I think they the high heat made the flavor evaporate a bit. However, when I used it for my toddler’s date balls that require no baking, and when I used it for a smoothie, it tasted great. Ultimately, it think that if you’re going to heat it, it’s best to use it as a flavor enhancer to things that already have banana. As for the things that don’t need heating, it works much better than the natural stuff.

After researching this the imitation brand makes more sense and tastes just as good

Maybe I just can't get the amount to use correct - but I either don't taste it at all or it has a fake "plastic-y" kind of banana flavor. Not candy banana flavor - just not quite right. More chemically. I'm glad I have it to use in a pinch but it's not as good as I'd hoped. But again. Maybe it's just me not using the correct amount. It IS good - just not as good as I was hoping it would be. Taste is subjective though. Maybe you'll like it more than I did. Definitely a solid 4 stars from me though even considering it wasn't my favorite.

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Yes I know it may be concerning since it smells like nail polish remover. But don’t worry! As long as you are baking on high heat like muffins, bread, maybe even pancakes. It will taste the same as any other extract. The reason for it is because when you bake with any other alcohol the smell and some of the taste dissolves with the high heat. But if you are doing things on low heat like jellos, pudding and etc. You shouldn’t use it. Since it will not dissolve. Trust me I had the same concern when I bought it but when I baked some muffins it smelled and tasted the same as any other extract. Highly recommend to buy or make your own because this will save you money by like $20

PLEASE NOTE: The four and five star reviews here are for other flavors. NOT for this virulent "banana" nightmare. Check out the reviews for this specific product, and you'll see why you should never, ever purchase this. Truly horrific! Stay away at all costs. I am a cook, and was going to use this for a special Frozen Banana Parfait. Although we use all natural ingredients, including fresh bananas, the process of creating the dessert necessitates the use of additional extract to obtain the perfect balance of flavor. We used several wonderful natural banana extracts in the past, but our supplier no longer supplies them, so we tried this. We were making desserts for over 200 customers, for a banquet, which is why we ordered this large bottle. Once opened our first reaction was that there was a mistake. The smell was exactly like paint thinner, or a strong nail polish remover or varnish, or perhaps a strong paint remover mixed with rubbing alcohol. And ironically not a hint of anything resembling the smell or taste of anything edible of this Earth, especially anything "banana". The bottle came to us extra hot from the shipping, so we thought maybe this was just built up fumes, so we all did dip in and try a taste. The following reactions are not an exaggeration. Several of the cooks literally began to retch, one became so ill she had to lie down for several minutes, and I literally was close to calling 911, since I felt I had been seriously poisoned. We are all seasoned cooks who experience all types of odd and exotic foods and spices and flavors, as well as ingredients that are "off", so to get this kind of reaction demonstrates just how vile and possibly deadly this “extract” is. I have no idea what a respected company like McCormick was thinking. A quick check on the ingredients possibly solves some of the reaction since the main ingredient of this witches brew is Alcohol (34%) and not much else.I have no idea what the use of this would be for. Not for anything ingested. Perhaps to make incendiary bombs, or for rubbing medication on boxers after a fight or stripping paint off a 100 year old dresser. It could also be used to kill aliens from outer space. Seriously. This is toxic. Take it from professionals, and stay away at all costs. For your own health and safety, and those of your loved ones. UPDATEl :: I noticed that somebody made a comment on my review of this monstrous mess of a product. They were trying to be helpful but I didn’t want anyone to get the wrong impression and think that perhaps we had made a mistake. As a professional cook with a group of other even more professionals working with me on this particular day, when we encountered this product, I must say that the suggestion given to us simply does not apply. At least not for this product. Professionals can taste extracts or concentrated flavors, understanding the intense flavoring that may occur since they are of course concentrated, and may also include alcohol or other elements to the flavoring in its pure form. Therefore this was taken into account when we tested this product. It is imperative when using ingredients that everything is tasted or tested first before it is diluted or included in a recipe. That was the purpose of taste-testing this in its pure form as well. Bottom line is: no, the horrific taste of this disastrous product had nothing to do with it being in a concentrated form. Believe me, this is a poisonous horrific mistake. And it should be pulled from the market. Please take it from professionals who know. Again however to the person who made the comment. I know you meant well and we thank you for taking the time and trouble to give us a suggestion.

Like a real banana