What I have done with my vanilla

[psyfi]

I bought vanilla beans on my trip. So far, I have:

 

-some steeping in rum to make extract. It's not ready yet. The owner of the farm said I did not need to scrape the seeds, but if I do it again, I will because some seeds are now loose in the bottle and I would like it to be clear.

 

-I made some vanilla simple syrup. 1 cup white sugar with 1 cup water and one vanilla bean in a pot. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 20-30 minutes. This is good in coffee, although the vanilla taste is not too strong. It can also be used on fruits or over ice cream.

 

-I added a bean to some ground coffee-it didn't pick up enough flavour even after a month for my liking but it did add a touch of flavour. I suspect fringing the bean into the coffee would work better so I may try that.

 

-I made rice pudding, adding a couple beans to the mix instead do extract-way better than extract!

 

-I put a bean in 1-2 cups of white sugar and left it for about 2 weeks, shaking the jar about once a day. So far, this is my favourite. I tried it is coffee, but again the taste is not strong enough to really flavour the coffee but it is fantastic over fresh fruit (like strawberries).

 

Hope that helps people decide what to do with vanilla beans!

[Tikiintahiti]

I find vodka to be the best for vanilla extract. Use a dark bottle. 6 pods for 8oz of vodka. Tight lid. store in unlighted closet/pantry. shake every day for 6 months ........... glorious :)

 

You can add a pod to 8 ounces of white vinegarette, shake every day for 2 months and then combine on a salad with blood orange olive oil ........ yummy ;)

[Kenswing]

I better not let the wife see this thread.. We'll have "experiments" all over the house.. :eek:

[psyfi]

Time, I was going to use vodka but the owner of the farm said rum as it is made from sugar cane and that helps with the extract flavour so that's what I tried. We will see! I have it in clear mason jars, but in the cupboard and I shake them every morning since they are right beside my coffee cups :)

[Keith1010]

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

 

Keith

[Tikiintahiti]

Though you can use many different alcohols for the base, vodka is considered the 'purest' form to use.

 

From the experts

[Tikiintahiti]

I contacted a friend of mine who I went to school with. Her family owns one of the largest vanilla extract companies in the United States Lochhead Vanillia.

 

She said for the purest form of vanilla extract they use ethyl alcohol. Other 'flavors' use a variety of different bases.