Making Homemade Vanilla Extract
- Thread starter noboundaries
- Start date
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Hey Gary, we've been using the vanilla from the Madagascar bottle and have LOVED it! Both our daughters have visited and tasted goodies made with the vanilla. There were so many OMGs flying around the kitchen when they were sampling the goodies (pies, cookies, and homemade Mexican Coffee liqueur) that I thought they'd won the lottery or something.
I ordered those Madagascar beans last Spring off an Amazon site. They were about 4 1/2" to 5" long and very thin. I don't recall seeing any vanilla seed caviar in them but I'm sure it was there. They eventually made fantastic vanilla.
So why buy the Mexican beans? My wife is a HUGE Mexican vanilla fan. Happy wife, happy life! When it was time recently to think ahead to next Christmas and make another batch of vanilla, I knew I was going to buy a pound of beans. The difference in price between 1 lb of Madagascar and 1 lb of Mexican was $20 at www.saffron.com ($75 for the Mad vs $95 for the Mex with $6 two-day postal delivery). I believe I got that Saffron site from SFPrankster in a PM. All I can say is phenomenal beans! 8" long and filled with the vanilla bean caviar (pics in earlier post).
Will the Mexican vanilla be better? Time will tell but my wife will be happy. All I can tell you is there was absolutely no comparison between the beans I got to make the Madagascar from the Amazon site and the Mexican vanilla beans from the Saffron site.
Now, the Saffron folks sent me two free "sample" beans that were probably Madagascar. They were just labeled "sample." They were about 6 1/2" to 7" long but were slightly thicker than the Mexican beans. They too were filled with caviar. That's what I used to recharge my Madagascar bottle.
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- Jan 6, 2011
- 26,255
- 4,705
I bought from Beanilla. com I'm a rookie , I just Googled Vanilla beans and saw their site, Very fast shipping, beans looked OK since I didn't know what I was looking for anyway. Still learning about these type things
Gary
Vanilla Saffron Imports is a friend of mines business in SF. If you get the chance to visit, you'll learn a lot about the different varieties of vanilla. Right across the street(Valencia between 20th and 21st in the mission), they have an ice cream shop where you can try the different vanilla beans made into ice cream. The Tahitian is Priscilla's and my favorite.
If I remember correctly, the 2 sample beans are from Austrailia.
If I remember correctly, the 2 sample beans are from Austrailia.
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I believe that was the source of the Amazon beans I used too my first time. Next time, check out the Saffron site. Their website isn't real intuitive, but find "Please select a product," then choose Vanilla, then "Order Now" to get to the page where you can make your choices. Organic Planifolia (aka Madagascar), Tahitian, and Mexican. 1/8 lb up to a pound.
For those who are considering making some use 1/4 lb in a 750 ml bottle. You have to pour a little into a glass to make room. I pour about 1/4 of the bottle out, put the chopped beans in, then pour enough of the liquor from the glass back into the bottle to leave about 2" at the top. The extra air space helps agitate the beans better when you shake them. Drink anything left in the glass.
It should be pretty apparent from my recent posts I'm thrilled with the vanilla beans I got from the new source mentioned above. This morning was the first day of "agitating" the bottle. After one day with the new beans the bottle took on the same color that the old beans reached in 7 days.
Chris, I was reading this to Cath and she was making all kinds of grunting sounds as she imagined tasting the ice cream. I keep a list of places/restaurants/etc to visit in my phone and she said "Put Saffron Imports and the ice cream place in your phone!"
"Aye aye Captain!"
I don't remember the name of the ice cream parlor. It's across the street, a few doors down, heading towards 20th. In the windows are pyramids, made out of bundles of vanilla beans. You can't miss it.
If you stop by Vanilla Saffron Imports, knock loudly to get someone to answer the door. Make sure you say hello to Juan for the both of us.
CAUTION: Be prepared to be overwhelmed by the vanilla smells. It's incredible!!!
If you stop by Vanilla Saffron Imports, knock loudly to get someone to answer the door. Make sure you say hello to Juan for the both of us.
CAUTION: Be prepared to be overwhelmed by the vanilla smells. It's incredible!!!
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We will definitely be going and will absolutely say "Hi" to Juan for everyone!
bmaddox
Master of the Pit
bmaddox
Master of the Pit
This is the truth. After having some of my home made vanilla my MIL decided to make her own. Instead of periodically tasting and waiting till it was right she just strained the beans out at 8 weeks. I tasted it last week and it is not very good. The alcohol flavor has not gone away yet and she has thrown the beans away so it is pretty much a waste.
She could add more beans and the extract will turn out fine, with patience and time.
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This bottle is almost a year old. I took a picture of it about 2 weeks ago so I would have the bean name handy when I placed my BP order.
This is the first batch with the Planifolia, and it tastes great. Butcher-Packer had them on sale last year after Christmas, so I bought a few packs. I usually get mine from Beanilla.
It's hard to see in the picture, but the color of this is almost black and the flavor is outstanding. An ounce of homemade vanilla goes into gift packs for many of the ladies in the family each year.
This is the first batch with the Planifolia, and it tastes great. Butcher-Packer had them on sale last year after Christmas, so I bought a few packs. I usually get mine from Beanilla.
It's hard to see in the picture, but the color of this is almost black and the flavor is outstanding. An ounce of homemade vanilla goes into gift packs for many of the ladies in the family each year.
We've "seeded" a bottle several times when it was about 1/4 full. Add new beans and top off with vodka. Works fine.
I continue to be amazed at the vanilla extract we're making with the beans from Saffron Imports. Here is what the extract looks like this morning after just two weeks of being agitated almost daily in the bottle. It is opaque and the aroma is phenomenal. It took several months for the batch from the other supplier to reach this level of maturity. I had to take to take two pictures, one against a natural light background so you can see the degree of opaque saturation. Wow.
bmaddox
Master of the Pit
Wow that looks good. That has a lot more color than the stuff I made with beans from beanilla that soaked for 3 months.
Okay, the Mexican Vanilla is just phenomenal. I rarely use the Madagascar any more. There's only about 1/3 of the Madagascar bottle left, about 8 ounces. When I use it up I'll grind up the chopped beans at the bottom of the bottle in my blender and use the paste for cookies and ice cream.
New way to use vanilla found.
Now that I have a 6 as the first digit in my age I tend to wander around the house in the middle of the night (if you're in your 50s or older, you know why). I turned on the TV around 2-3 AM the other night and saw a show called Hack My Life. It is all about life hacks, easy ways to do things. On the episode I watched before falling back to sleep they were blind taste testing cheap whiskey with expensive whiskey. They took the cheapest whiskey they could find, added a teaspoon of vanilla, some simple sugar syrup, and 3 drops of liquid smoke to the bottle. They fooled every single taste tester! Eight in all. Those folks may not have had developed palates for whiskey, bourbon, or scotch, but I thought, what the heck, I'll give it a try because I use cheap whiskey, bourbon, or brandy in my BBQ sauce.
What I like about the more expensive brands is the aroma and flavor of vanilla extracted from the oak barrels. I tested the hack on two types of inexpensive liquor I had in the cabinet, an $11, 1 liter bottle of Zapopan Reposado tequila from Trader Joe's (which is surprisingly good BTW) and a $13, 1.75 liter bottle of Christian Brother's VS Brandy from Total Wine. I didn't transform the whole bottles, just a couple ounces of each. In each glass I put 2 ounces of the liquor, 1/4 tsp of Mexican vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp of homemade simple sugar syrup (1 cup sugar to 1 cup filtered water, heat just enough to dissolve the sugar, let cool, put in a container then store in the refrigerator).
DANG! The tequila was just as satisfying as a $70 bottle of Anejo tequila I've been sipping on for years. The brandy was GREATLY improved and as easy and satisfying to drink as my two $45 and $50 bottles of scotch I've been nursing for years.
Just another creative use of homemade vanilla extract!
New way to use vanilla found.
Now that I have a 6 as the first digit in my age I tend to wander around the house in the middle of the night (if you're in your 50s or older, you know why). I turned on the TV around 2-3 AM the other night and saw a show called Hack My Life. It is all about life hacks, easy ways to do things. On the episode I watched before falling back to sleep they were blind taste testing cheap whiskey with expensive whiskey. They took the cheapest whiskey they could find, added a teaspoon of vanilla, some simple sugar syrup, and 3 drops of liquid smoke to the bottle. They fooled every single taste tester! Eight in all. Those folks may not have had developed palates for whiskey, bourbon, or scotch, but I thought, what the heck, I'll give it a try because I use cheap whiskey, bourbon, or brandy in my BBQ sauce.
What I like about the more expensive brands is the aroma and flavor of vanilla extracted from the oak barrels. I tested the hack on two types of inexpensive liquor I had in the cabinet, an $11, 1 liter bottle of Zapopan Reposado tequila from Trader Joe's (which is surprisingly good BTW) and a $13, 1.75 liter bottle of Christian Brother's VS Brandy from Total Wine. I didn't transform the whole bottles, just a couple ounces of each. In each glass I put 2 ounces of the liquor, 1/4 tsp of Mexican vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp of homemade simple sugar syrup (1 cup sugar to 1 cup filtered water, heat just enough to dissolve the sugar, let cool, put in a container then store in the refrigerator).
DANG! The tequila was just as satisfying as a $70 bottle of Anejo tequila I've been sipping on for years. The brandy was GREATLY improved and as easy and satisfying to drink as my two $45 and $50 bottles of scotch I've been nursing for years.
Just another creative use of homemade vanilla extract!
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edwardc
Newbie
- Aug 9, 2016
- 11
- 10
8 oz. Glass bottle or Jar, 7 Vanialla beans, 1 cup vodka 70 proof/35% Alcohol (prefered brand/quality).
Slice these beans longways and place in bottle. pour 1 cup vodka(or your selected one) and the vanilla beans should be submerged. Dhake them once or twice a week for best results. Keep it intact for 8 weeks.
Magic, you have vanilla...hmm delicious one
Stor etham at room temperature out of direct sunlight and enjoy till the last drop
Slice these beans longways and place in bottle. pour 1 cup vodka(or your selected one) and the vanilla beans should be submerged. Dhake them once or twice a week for best results. Keep it intact for 8 weeks.
Magic, you have vanilla...hmm delicious one
Stor etham at room temperature out of direct sunlight and enjoy till the last drop
dsai lugo
Newbie
- Aug 14, 2016
- 2
- 10
Hi Noboundaries,
Thank you for your posts. I just started my very first batch of vanilla extract on 8/6/16. I am so happy to find your posts and thank you for sharing your experience and pictures. I used grade A Madagascar beans that I have left over from baking and used 15 7-8" beans for 2 cups of vodka. It has gotten really dark in just one week but the alcohol smell is still very strong. I'm looking forward to my day 36 and day 66 just like yours. In your experience, when can I start using the extract for baking, cookies, cake etc.?
Thank you for your posts. I just started my very first batch of vanilla extract on 8/6/16. I am so happy to find your posts and thank you for sharing your experience and pictures. I used grade A Madagascar beans that I have left over from baking and used 15 7-8" beans for 2 cups of vodka. It has gotten really dark in just one week but the alcohol smell is still very strong. I'm looking forward to my day 36 and day 66 just like yours. In your experience, when can I start using the extract for baking, cookies, cake etc.?
Just saw this today Dsai Lugo. Since your extract is darkening quickly you can probably use it in 30 days. You'll know when it smells right. With the Mexican vanilla that turned dark quickly I believe our first use was right at a month. Taste was a little light than one fully aged three months but it was still better than what you get commercially. It only gets better with age.
In fact I have a banana pecan nut bread 9x5 loaf in the oven as I type (third one I made this weekend). My wife is taking one to work tomorrow and we already finished off the other one. The original recipe called for 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. No way. I tripled it to 1 1/2 tsp. My wife's home office is next to the kitchen and she's going nuts with the aroma coming from the oven! 22 more minutes to go!
In fact I have a banana pecan nut bread 9x5 loaf in the oven as I type (third one I made this weekend). My wife is taking one to work tomorrow and we already finished off the other one. The original recipe called for 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. No way. I tripled it to 1 1/2 tsp. My wife's home office is next to the kitchen and she's going nuts with the aroma coming from the oven! 22 more minutes to go!
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