Background: I lived in Africa from 2002 to 2004 as a missionary nurse, and many of the other Americans there would talk about making their own vanilla extract. One of the European airlines, KLM I think, used to give out small bottles of vodka. I would hear ladies talk of saving this vodka and adding a vanilla bean to it for holiday baking. It intrigued me, but I never did it.
Fast forward to last October. My friend Gabriele, who can make just about anything, told me about the same. She helped me find a source for vanilla beans, and I was set. I by no means claim to be a "Vanilla Making Expert", but I'm happy to share my experience and tips.
You will need:
- Glass bottle (plastic will not work). I used a vodka bottle.
- Enough vodka to fill the glass bottle. (Don't buy the cheapest brand, but don't get the most expensive either. I used Smirnoff.)
- Vanilla beans. I got mine from a health food store. Check around your area, or there are places online that sell vanilla beans. I paid approximately $1 each.
- Small bottles with lids (I used 2 oz) for giving. I ordered from specialtybottle.com- $28 total for 30 bottles. The bottles need to be dark to protect the vanilla from light.
Vanilla beans are long and skinny- they looked like burnt asparagus to me. Before putting them in your bottle, use a knife to slit them down the middle, but not all the way through. This helps to expose all the sweet vanilla goodness in the middle of the beans. Put the beans in your empty glass bottle. Pour the vodka over the vanilla beans, until they are completely covered. Put the glass bottle in a cool, dark place for at least 2 months, or longer. The longer you let it sit, the better your vanilla will be.
Each day, more of the vodka will absorb the vanilla and the color will get darker and darker. When you are ready to share some vanilla, give the bottle a gentle shake, and pour into the smaller bottles. If you notice some grainy specs floating in the vanilla (like coffee or tea grounds), don't worry. This is normal. If you use a 750 ml bottle like me, you should have about 12-13 2 ounce bottles.
Add a personal label and give with joy!
OK, so I'm intrigued... does this vanilla taste of vodka? I personally find that grain vodka like Smirnoff tastes metallic - does this transfer to the vanilla?
ReplyDeleteI made some a few months ago and the vanilla tasted like... vanilla. (not that you'd ever want to drink vanilla)
ReplyDeleteI always bought the cheapest vodka I could find. I used 3 vanilla beans per 1 cup of vodka. You can add a touch of rum if you want. Mine sat in the back of my pantry and I would give it a shake every couple of weeks. Mine was fantastic. Never had a problem with the taste. It looked and smelled like vanilla. We baked all the time using it and never had a problem.
ReplyDeleteI did the same thing at Christmas!
ReplyDeletehttp://extraordinaryordinarylife.blogspot.com/2010/12/homemade-christmas-pure-vanilla-extract.html
Don't you love it!
This is really so helpful to me.I have been thinking of making homemade vanilla and this one is a very fast answer.
ReplyDeleteYou can get vanilla beans for a lot cheaper than $1 per bean. You get get 1 lb of Madagascar Bourbon Grade B Extract beans for $24.95 at Vanilla Products USA. You do not want to get Grade A beans because they have more moisture in them, therefore, you would need more beans to get the best flavor. The flavoring does not come from the moisture, it comes from the pod/seeds.
ReplyDeleteAlso if you go to vanillareview.com, you will see that the recommended ratio of beans to vodka is 6 beans to 1 cup vodka. If you use less beans, then you are just making vanilla vodka.
I've been thinking about making my own vanilla lately since the earthquake in Haiti, but I think you've convinced me! I've been using Haitian vanilla since 1986 and am afraid it will be harder to get now. I know they use rum instead of vodka, but my friend used the vodka. We're still waiting to see how hers turns out. Thanks for posting this!
ReplyDeleteI'm finally making my first go at homemade vanilla. Have 750 Smirnoff & 10 extract grade madagascar bourbon vanilla beans from vanillaproductsusa.com (suggested by 'Coupons make it free') Hope this works! A couple months is a loooong time for an experiment. Wish me luck! Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteBy law, commercial producers of vanilla extract must use (roughly) 0.8 pounds of beans per gallon of extract. When making vanilla extract, you should go by weight, not number of beans. Since your extraction will not be as efficient as commerical producers, figure one pound per gallon.
ReplyDeleteThe number of beans per pound can vary from 75 to 300. That's why you should go by weight, and not number of beans.
The author states to use 9 beans for 750 ml. This would make very weak vanilla extract. Figure 120 beans per pound for the beans they are describing and they are making roughly 1/5 of a gallon of extract - which means they should be using 120/5 = 24 beans.
Bruce Robinson
Vanilla Products USA