Making your own vanilla?

Vanilla

The way we did it at the restaurant I use to work for was to take the vanilla bean pod after it was used for what ever recipe and the beans were removed is just put it in a bottle of vodka. Everytime we made a recipe with vanilla bean in it we would just put the pod in the vodka and eventualy the vodka would turn to vanilla. Then just remove the pods from the vodka. It was just a good way to get use out of the empty pods

Hi bettyR,

Standard natural vanilla extract (which is the strength for home use) has a standard of identity set by the FDA. Here is some reading links that state the FDA standard.
Pure Vanilla Extract - Nielsen-Massey
All about Vanilla Extracts and Flavors

Here is a sight that use those standards and variations for home vanilla making. Maceration is the key... long rest.

Homemade Vanilla Extract » TipNut.com

Luc H

I add 3 vanilla beans from Penzeys (split, scooped, etc.) into a 375 ml bottle of Ketel One vodka. Shake every once in a while and leave 'til it looks good. Had pleasing results with that.

Hi Betty,

Well I know that this post is probably a day late and a dolor short but I figured that I would post it anyway. This is a recipe from Paula Dean’s book “The Lady & Sons Just Desserts”. It’s a great recipe and VERY simple. I also included her recipe for Condensed Milk. It’s a great recipe and saves you a load of money to boot. Enjoy!

Homemade vanilla extract: It's so much better than a store-bought extract and wonderfully easy to make: Split 2 vanilla beans lengthwise, and then cut them in half crosswise. Put the beans, including any seeds that may fall out, in a clean glass jar. Add ¥2 cup of bourbon, seal the jar, and give it a vigorous shake. Put in a cool dark cupboard for 2 weeks and shake it well every day. After 2 weeks, let the extract sit undisturbed for 2 more weeks. It is ready to use after that. If you keep replenishing the extract that you use with an equal amount of bourbon, the beans should last you for at least a year, or longer if you use less extract.

•fv
Sweetened Condense

I CAN'T TELL YO u how many times I've started preparing a recipe, only to go to the cabinet and find I have no condensed milk. Hope this helps you out of a possible jam. Oh, by the way, you'll find this to be a good bit cheaper than the store-bought.
This recipe makes the equivalent of one i4-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk.

l/3 cup boiling water 4 tablespoons butter
% cup sugar
l/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract i cup Carnation powdered milk

Using an electric mixer, blend together water, butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add powdered milk and blend until thick. Store in refrigerator for up to a week.

Hi Betty,

great minds must think alike--I just did some vanilla making. I bought 15 Madagascar beans from Penzey's (a friend got them for me while in Kansas City) for about $30. I got a bottle of vodka and brandy (1/5's, I think), and put 7.5 beans in each one. I split them open but did not separate them. I cut the curly ends off and put them in the sugar bowl.

What are you planning to do with your vanilla when it's done? We're planning to give it away as Christmas gifts, with other stuff, but I don't know what kind of bottles to package it in and what to give away with it. Got any ideas?

I've been getting my saffron and vanilla beans from them for years (vanilla saffron imports, that is), they also have good prices for dried mushrooms. They have great quality products.

hi guys im very impressed with there prices, im thinking about buying a 1/2lb of vanilla and if i can convince my fiancee some saffron too. any way heres my question:
how would vanilla be stored, i will be buying it to keep whole and not to make extract, i make ice creams and other desserts like that, how do i need to store the beans, i see that they are shipped in a vacuum sealed bag, once i open that will they still be ok for a while? how long? i just dont want to see mold on them all of the sodden and halve to though them out. what is a good average shelf time for them.

the sugar dosent make them dry and suck all the moisture out of them? i know chefs that once they use a vanilla bean they toss the "shell" into sugar, but i have never heard of storing them hole in there... any other suggestions or is this what eveyone else dose too

well i ordered a 1/2lb and looking forward to it.

i have been reading recipes for vanilla extract with vadka and the beans,,
what is the ratio of vadka to beans that you use, and how long to you let it sit

According to the FDA (see links I posted above), Vanilla extract is made according to this ratio:
13.35 oz per gallon of alcohol/water mixture like Vodka (US).

if 1/2 lb equals 8 oz that is enough for 0.6 gal or 2.4 quarts (9 1/2 cups in the US or 10 cups in Canada)

to recap: 1/2lb of vanilla in 2.4quarts of vodka.

As for sitting, the longer the better. Cut the beans in 1 inch sections. Just leave the beans in the liquid and start using your vanilla. 1 month is ideal to obtain the maximum flavour.

Luc H.

thanks ill have to do some math to find out how much i need to use but thats a good start..

ill probly start with 1qt or or maybe smaller, i got a 1.75 liter bottle of one of my favorite vodka so i dont want to use it all


any one eles?

Damack,

If you're using vodka, don't use your "favorite." I'd suggest not using a high-end alcohol at all. Why not? After a month, whatever you use will taste like vanilla!

There is a difference in types of alcohol used, but you can tell very little difference in the quality. For instance, you can discern the difference between extracts made from a smooth cognac and a raw brandy -- but it's muted. And you cannot tell the difference between an inexpensive cognac and a prestige label. You're baking with the stuff, by the tsp -- not drinking it straight.

Stick with the basic rule of cooking with alcohol. Use something drinkable, but don't waste anything good.

We've been making our own for quite some time using inexpensive cognac we buy from Trader Joe's. Currently, under $10 for a 1/5.

The "traditoinal" base for vanilla extract in the United States is bourbon. We seem to have quite a few people who use vodka here. The reason vodka is popular as a base is because it has brings so little of its own flavor to the party. This is an even better reason not to waste the very subtle distinction on making vanilla extract.

Tip: Don't accept the strength of your homemade extract as being the same as a commercial product. There will be some difference between type, preparation and amount of pods between you and a spice manufacturer. Taste your recipes for the strength of the vanilla extract before baking, and adjust accordingly.

FWIW, following Luc's formula, a 0.750 mL would take roughly 2.5 oz of beans. I wouldn't take that formula too seriously for homemade extract. For one thing there's a wide variation in strength and quality of vanilla beans, and if you're using good beans that would make a very intense extract indeed. Also -- incredibly expensive.

We use ten to twelve Mexican beans per 1/5 of (inexpensive "VSOP") cognac, age for a minimum of 6 weeks, and find ours runs about a third lighter than the commercial vanilla we used to use. Our recipe is very typical of homemade vanilla, and I recommend the proportions -- no matter what type of base you use.

BDL
Edited by boar_d_laze - 2/18/10 at 7:01am

i have always made it with vodka and its all up to u the more there is the more flavor u are going to get off of them so everything is up to you:chef:

I think I really messed up on this one! My friends dad used to deliver to the spice companies for packaging and gave her hundreds of fresh vanilla beans. She in turn gave me loads of them and told me to put them into fresh bottles of vodka and let them sit until they turned very dark over the course of about 10 weeks. I asked her how many beans to put in and she said as many as you could squeeze in after you poured out some of the vodka. Well, long story short I poured off some vodka from 2 new bottles and got about 17 beans in each bottle. The liquid is indeed extremely dark and very strong smelling now. I don't do a whole lot of sweets baking and just how long will this vanilla hold? Should it be refridgerated, does it go bad, should I remove and discard all the pods from the bottles? Thanks for any information, I would hate to use it and poison us, the truth is that right now it has been sitting over a year because I forgot about it and it has been in the closet.......time to pitch it out?

Hi Mattie,

A year or two is not a problem. 

No need to keep it in the refrigerator.  You have at least another year.  Leave the pids in the bottle, or remove them.  It doesn't matter.  But, they been soaked so long they probably don't have any life left to them.  If you do take them out of the alchohol, you can throw them away. 

Considering how many vanilla beans you used per bottle of vodka, and how long they rested, your extract must be quite strong -- probably very close to commercial strength.  

Enjoy it,
BDL

BDL,
 
Thanks for the answer. I just dug out one of the bottles from the cabinet again and while I thought I had put about 17 beans into each bottle, the one I took out actually has 32 in it.  It smells stronger than any vanilla I have ever smelled before. I will have to dig out the other bottle and see if I put 17 in that one or the same amount. I don't know how strong commercial vanilla is but this is even darker than the other vanillas that I have here and they are supposedly some good ones. Maybe I'll have to do a little baking this weekend to try it out, I would guess I would use less than half of what a recipe says for this stuff. Guess the only way to find out is to give it a try. Wish me luck. Thanks again for your help.

 

Mattie

You're welcome.  That's a heck of a lot of beans per bottle.  Higher up the thread Luc posted the FDA standard, which was also an extremely high ratio of beans to solution.  

I'd try making something like hot chocolate or whipped cream first, before baking anything -- just to get a handle on its strength.   

Good luck,
BDL

In Italy they sell pure alcohol for making nocino or limoncello or preserved cherries or other liqueurs.  It's pretty cheap.  Would that be better?  Since you can't find pure vanilla extract here, only artificial and disgusting vanillin powder, I tried years ago to make my own.  Split and soaked a couple of beans in a small jar with some alcohol.  It never tasted of much.  The beans hadn't even been used in anything.  Is that the problem of the quantity, or could it be the beans were old and tasteless?  (There is, as far as i know, no particularly good source of vanilla or other spices here).  (Is vanilla considered a spice?)

And when I see "pure bourbon vanilla" does that mean it's been soaked in bourbon, or is it a type of vanilla. 

Bourbon vanilla is a type of vanilla.  There are two main types of vanilla, and one other that is harder to find.  Madagascar Bourbon vanilla comes from, guess where, that's right Madagascar.  Tahitian vanilla comes from Tahiti.  Both taste slightly different.  Tahitian vanilla has a slight licorice flavor that Madagascar vanilla doesn't.  In addition, there is Mexican vanilla, but that is a strange area.  Some mexican vanilla extracts are legitimate, however some are cheaply made fake vanilla extracts that have coumarin in them.  Coumarin is potentially bad for you, as it can cause liver and kidney damage, and a derivative of coumarin is used as a blood thinner.  If you want Mexican Vanilla extract, get Mexican Vanilla Beans and make your own. 

FYI, the Bourbon in Madagascar Bourban Vanilla comes from the Isle of Bourbon, where the french first planted vanilla orchids.  That isle is now called Reunion with a little accent over the e that I don't feel like figuring out how to type.

As for making vanilla.  I bought a 1/4 pound of vanilla beans on ebay, split, scraped, and soaked them in Absolut vodka in an old wine bottle.  I shook the bottle every few hours for the first few days, then went to once a day, then once every few days, then whenever I thought about it.  After 6 months, I had a beautiful brown liquid with a strong vanilla aroma and an amazing taste that I use in anything that requires or deserves vanilla.  I simple strained it through coffee filters and poured it into some 2 oz. glass bottles I bought online. 

Its a relatively inexpensive project that yields great results. 

As for siduri's question.  I think using a completely neutral spirit would yield better results, however, as vanilla extract is usually 35% alcohol by volume, you'll have to add water to your final result before bottling or using.  I have considered making my own limoncello for a while, and will be doing so sometime in the near future.  In fact I want to use lemons, oranges, and key limes to make a few varieties. 

Here's a interesting suggestion.  When I was in Walt Disney World a few years ago, I had an Italian Margarita.  It consisted of freshly squeezed lime juice & simple syrup (as in a good traditional margarita), and instead of Tequila and Triple Sec, it included Grappa and Limoncello.  It was much smoother and better tasting than a normal margarita.  Worth trying.

Thanks dphagan. 
lots of interesting information. 

It's better to use something around 80 to 90 proof -- 40% - 45% alcohol -- to make vanilla extract than 100% grain neutral spirits.  In any case, bourbon, rum, brandy, etc., make excellent vanilla extract bases with each spirit brigning its own identity along with the vanilla.

Siduri, maybe you could look at those labels.  My guess is that the alcohol sold in Italy to make limoncello is already diluted, or that typical limoncello recipes include dilution.  As a finished spirit, you usually find it at around 60 proof or so.  Typical American recipes call for infusing vodka with lemon zest, then further diluting, usually by about half, with a sugar/water syrup.  When using vodka, the trick is to get one with almost no flavor in order to let the lemon flavor come through.  And of course using grain neutral spirits, "everclear," etc. accomplishes that -- but requires more dilution.

Vanilla is different though.  When you make homemade vanilla extract, the point isn't to mimic a pure, commercial-style extraction but to make something better.

BDL

BDL,
  I so appreciate all your posts and knowledge and if you have a use for some of this vanilla I would gladly send you some. Like I said I don't bake a lot and these two bottles I made will probably be more than I would actually use in a lifetime. I'm going to give some to a DIL who likes to play with baking but that will still leave me with a lot of it so if you'd like some send me a PM and I will get it to you.
Mattie

Hi BDL
Thanks for the information.  The one i made was tasteless, not better.  Or almost tasteless.  I was hoping for a really nice vanilla flavor.  Maybe the beans were old, maybe i didn't put enough in.   This was back before internet and none of my cookbooks told you how to make vanilla, and I wasn't even sure if that was the right way - it never even took on a color. 
I'm not very knowledgeable about alcohol, and next time i'm in the store I'll check the label.  I do believe it's 98% because if i remember, here they don't use proof, they use percent - wine being about 11%, or so my husband has just told me. 

Hi Mattie,

Thank you so much for the generous offer. 

We're already overloaded with our own vanilla extract.  Why not transfer some to smaller, pretty bottles and gift it?  Everyone uses vanilla sometimes.  I'm sure yours is at least equal to "best quality" commercial -- and it sounds as though it might be even more concentrated.

Thanks again,
BDL