I also take a recipe's suggestion of how much vanilla and toss it out the window. I rarely measure it. I pull an Emeril Lagasse and "eyeball it" and by "eyeball it" I mean add way more than the recipe writer ever intended. I measure vanilla the way Emeril measures wine. We're talking about a guy that keeps a cork screw in his pocket when he cooks. (Not even kidding.) I remember being absolutely enthralled by him on a cooking show when I was a kid. "He said to 'add a cup of wine'...but he poured in the whole bottle! I didn't even know you were allowed to do that! He's not even following his own recipe! This is nuts!" I remember thinking. These days, that's how I roll in my kitchen, and therefore, I need a lot of vanilla.
It's been several years since I bought vanilla extract. The fact that it is so easy to make, tastes better, and costs less than anything you can buy at the store makes it a no-brainer for the home baker. All you need is vanilla beans, a strong alcohol of your choice, and patience. And that's probably why every blog that ever talks about food has a tutorial on making your own extract.
There are many options for storing the vanilla. I've used the tiny quarter pint mason jars, which are easy to dip a measuring spoon in for those who like to be precise. This is a good gift-giving size too. However, my favorite approach is to just buy the 750 ML bottle of 80 proof vodka, snap out the ring inside the bottle mouth, stuff in seven or eight slit vanilla beans, and pop the ring back in place. (Just be sure your alcohol of choice is 70 proof or higher.) It pours smoothly with none of the annoying dribbling that conventional vanilla extract bottles have. I don't care how pretty that apothecary-style brown bottle is, if the lip is too round, the vanilla simply follows the curve all the way down to your hand. And I like my vanilla in my cookie dough, not all over the counter.
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| I don't put my vanilla on the floor...This was the counter top at our previous house. Left to right: store-bought vanilla in the cute-but-dribbly bottle, vanilla for gifting, vanilla in a re-purposed bottle that poured decently, and newly made vanilla. (May 2014) |
Once the beans are in the bottle, screw the cap tight, give it a vigorous shake, and leave it on the counter. Give the bottle a good shake a few times a week so the little seeds will wash out of the pods. According to beanilla.com it takes two months for the magical transformation to occur, so if you start now, your vanilla will be ready by New Year's. Beanilla is where I get my vanilla beans from, and they are about a dollar each, but you are welcome to source your own from whomever you like.
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| Vanilla that's ready to use is the color of strong tea when you hold it up to the light. Vodka based vanilla on the left, rum based vanilla on the right. |
If you are so inclined--and have a tremendous green thumb--you can even grow your own vanilla orchid! But from what I have read these house plants are quite the high maintenance creatures. Even more so than the average orchid. I am a decent gardener, but I have killed an orchid, and it was in the "easy to care for" Phalaenopsis family. If I can keep my current orchid alive and convince it to bloom again...then maybe I will consider a vanilla orchid.
Now, when you have used up your extract, do not throw away the beans! Fish them out of the bottle, cut into small sections and throw them in a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar. Give it a good shake. You may need to stir it with a butter knife to break up the chunks when you use it due to moisure, but it's very tasty stirred into tea or coffee. I also use it when a cookie recipe calls for white sugar. :)
Can't wait to try this!! Thanks for sharing with the experiential tips!! :)
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