
Why Make Your Own Vanilla Extract
Why make your own vanilla extract when you can purchase it? Despite the fact that vanilla beans are not inexpensive, it is still much more cost effective to make your own. And when you make your own, you are able to control all the factors that produce a high quality vanilla extract.
In addition, homemade vanilla extract makes a beautiful, and much appreciated gift.
What Variety of Vanilla Beans Should I Choose?
In the same way that coffee beans vary depending on where they are grown, so do vanilla beans.
Vanilla beans can be light and sweet, or dark and earthy. They can be bold and fruity, or buttery and creamy, with all sorts of variations in between.
Vanilla planifolia, also known as Madagascar vanilla, is the most commonly used vanilla bean with a sweet and creamy flavor profile. There are many other varieties; including Mexican, Tahitian, and Ugandan, each with a different complexity.
Should I Use Grade A or B Vanilla Beans
Grade A or gourmet beans are plump and soft because they have a high moisture content. These high quality beans are rich in vanillin with a rich smell and taste. They are also more expensive than Grade B beans.
Grade B beans are dry and may even break or crack. In this dried form, they have little scent, but once re-hydrated, the flavor and scent does bloom. They definitely can be used for extract, but generally do not have other uses.
Which beans you choose is a matter of personal taste. Many extract makers will only use Grade B beans because they produce a more concentrated vanilla extract. These beans do, in general, take longer to extract. Some makers prefer to use Grade A because it contains more oil, which is extracted into the final product.
If you will be using your beans to make products like vanilla sugar, or you want to extract the caviar from inside the bean after extracting, be sure to choose Grade A beans.
What Is the caviar? The seeds scraped from inside Grade A beans is the caviar. Grade B beans are too dry to scrape any of these seeds.
2 ounce Amber Glass Jars with labels |
Why is Alcohol Used and What Type is Used
Alcohol is the most effective way to extract the vanillin flavor from the vanilla bean. Glycerin may be used, but the quality is not as good, and the extract has a shorter shelf life than extract made with alcohol.
Vodka is the most common alcohol used, but rum, bourbon, and whiskeys are also used.
For the beginner, it is best to start with vodka because it is tasteless and odorless, allowing the vanilla to shine. As you learn the flavor profiles of different beans, you can experiment with using other alcohol types to make unique extracts.
I prefer Absolut vodka which is made from deep well water, and winter wheat grown in Sweden where GMOs are not allowed. It produces a beautiful extract.
The vodka I use is 80 proof, or 40% alcohol. The FDA requires a minimum 70 proof, or 35% alcohol on vanilla extracts to be sold commercially, so whatever alcohol you choose, be sure it is at least 35% alcohol or you will not get a full extract.
What is Meant by Single Fold and Double Fold?
Double fold vanilla extract simply means that it contains twice the vanilla beans as single fold for the same amount of alcohol. This will produce a more concentrated, higher quality, and sweeter final product.
The FDA has strict guidelines as to the strength and moisture content of vanilla extract. For those of us making our own extract at home, we don’t need to be so stringent, but the guidelines help us to decide how we want our final product to turn out.
How to Store Vanilla Beans
It is best to keep your vanilla beans in the vacuum sealed bag they come in until ready to use. When sealed they last for several months in a cool, dry location. Do not refrigerate or freeze.
The best way to store and preserve beans is in alcohol, so if possible, get your extract started sooner rather than later.
Organic Madagascar Vanilla Beans Grade A |
Homemade Vanilla Extract
Making vanilla extract is simple, but producing a high quality extract takes attention to detail. At minimum, 1 ounce of beans are used per cup of alcohol.
Double the amount of beans for a double fold extract, which will produce a high quality extract. Keep in mind that proper extract making is done by weight using a kitchen scale, and not by the number of beans.
When making extract it is essential that the vanilla beans are fully covered in alcohol. Use a glass jar with a tight lid, not a plastic jar. Cut the beans if they do not fit properly in your jar.
For best flavor, leave the beans in the alcohol for a full year. Slicing the beans exposes more bean surface to the alcohol, and can reduce the extraction time.
Experienced vanilla makers insist that whether the beans are cut or not, they should be left to extract for a full year. In addition, some claim that a richer vanilla extract is produced when the beans are not cut.
Whether to slice or not really is a matter of preference. If you like the speckles in your finished product, do slice them. If, after your extract is finished, you plan to remove the caviar from the beans to make vanilla sugar, then leave your beans whole, but be sure to extract for a full year.
Who knew that extract making was so controversial, but another area of disagreement among vanilla makers is whether or not to shake your extract jar. Many insist that it can speed up the processing time, while other dispute that. It certainly cannot hurt so go ahead and shake your jar daily, or even just weekly if you are so inclined.
The Art of Extract Making by Paul and Jill Fulton |
Taste Testing Your Vanilla Extract
The best way to know that your extract is finished is by taste testing. If you love your extract after 90 days, go ahead and use it. But keep in mind that if you love it after 90 days, you’ll love it even more after a year.
The best way to taste test is to place a few drops of your extract in a tablespoon or two of milk, stir, and allow it to sit for several minutes. The milk will bring out the rich flavors and better allow you to judge the quality of your vanilla extract. If you taste alcohol first, your extract is not ready; you want the sweet vanillin to be the first thing you taste.
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Ingredients
- 1 ounce vanilla beans use 2 oz for double fold
- 1 cup 70 – 100 proof vodka
Instructions
- Using a kitchen scale weigh out 1 ounce of vanilla beans (or 2 oz for double fold) for each cup of vodka you plan to use.
- If desired, slice your vanilla beans down the length of the bean. Cut beans in half if necessary to fit in your clean glass jar with lid.
- Place vanilla beans and vodka in jar. Beans must be fully submerged.
- Cover and place the jar in a cool, dark area, and shake as desired.
- The recipe may be doubled or more. Be sure to use at least 1 oz of beans per 1 cup of alcohol.
- For best results, allow to extract for a full year, but you may taste test earlier and use if the quality meets your standards.
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