What's alcohol of choice for extracting vanilla from the bean pods?
Making vanilla extract
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The cheapest you can buy. But we like spiced rum from sams club for use in our coffee. But really any cheap alchol will work, vodka, etc.
The higher the proof, the shorter extraction time. The flavor base of the alcohol may help or hinder depending on which cheap alcohol you use. In this particular case, Thunderbird may not do just fine...
Just saying
So far I have used vodka, grain, and vanilla-flavored Jim Beam. My wife says the Vanilla Jim Beam batch tastes the best.
I used vanilla vodka for mine, worked well.
I leave mine to set for at least a year. I have about 8-10 jars just sitting on the shelf.
Oh good choice. I have to try that one next. I have 2 bags of beans coming in November.
If you are a purist and want just straight vanilla flavor for baking, use vodka. Otherwise the sky is the limit on what to use.
I don't go through a lot so I just top it off with vodka when i can see the top of the beans and toss in a couple more beans but I made an entire vodka bottle of it in 2019 that is still going
I wouldn't have the patience to wait a year. I might have said this before, but I don't understand why you don't add a little heat to speed up the process? Steep it like you would tea and the extraction would go much quicker. Simmer it on a stove with the lid on and your done within a couple of hours.
Tahitian Beans drying. Got to help turn them. The smell was incredible- didn’t want to wash my hands. They made great vanilla extract!
Of course the scenery was too bad either.
Of course the scenery was too bad either.
Where is this?
A good extract, of any kind, isn't just about developing a flavor, but a depth of flavor and character. Sometimes that can only be accomplished with time and patience. For example, in the few batches of meads I've made, it's certainly drinkable and tastes decent when I first bottle it. But let it sit a year before drinking it and it mellows out and some of the more delicate flavors start standing out more and it just tastes way better. (My blueberry melomel was just ok when I first bottled it. Now, after more than a year of bottle aging, it's amazing.) Or if you're aging wine or bourbon in barrels, how long it ages in the barrels is a huge factor in the final product. I've even made a simple honey schnapps - a mix of vodka, honey, and a little hot water to loosen up the honey a bit before mixing it into the vodka - and even on that I noticed a difference in flavor with time.
The other side is that if you simmer the vanilla beans in the alcohol on the stove, you're boiling off all the alcohol and are left with vanilla water. Alcohol is a better solution than water for making extracts as one of the things it can do is extract some of the non-water-soluble compounds within whatever you're extracting.
As far as the patience thing, yeah, I'm not always so patient either. But some things are worth waiting for. That's why you'll notice that some are always making new batches on a frequent basis - that way when whatever batch you're using runs out, there's more ready to go and you're not waiting for another batch. Really, your initial wait is for the first batch, then there really isn't any waiting if you are making new batches here and there so you never run out.
Yea, I wasn't thinking (again lol). I should have compared it to liquors. I've tried some 8 year old Scotches and the 12 yo are so much better. As for boiling off the alcohol, yes I knew that, but I was thinking in my head, but not typing, back-adding alcohol to maintain volume. Waste I know.
So far my favorite alcohol for making vanilla extract is coconut rum which I find to be an excellent complimentary flavor.
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That does sound good, I may have to give that a try.
Small island in French Polynesia - Tahaa. I’d go there tomorrow!!!
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Started 6 more batches. Kind of experi.enting again with 3 different beans. Just kind of depends on what I can get at a good price on Amazon at the time. So I have Tahitian B grade, Tahitian A grade, and Madagascar A grade. Biggest difference I see between A and B is the length of the beans, A are longer.
Madagascar beans definitely smell really nice and are really moist. I don't think they will make a difference in making extract but it's what I could get for $32 for 50 at the time from amazon.
Garbage men are going to think I have a drinking problem, lol.
So I have gotten the brew time down to 6 months by using 25 beans per quart jar and chopping them really fine, about 1/8" to 1/4" long. If I can wait longer than the 6 months the brew gets really dark and flavorful. Problem is we use it a lot, everyday in our coffee. So I think I'm going to use store bought for awhile to give the batches more time, unfortunately that cost more.
Madagascar beans definitely smell really nice and are really moist. I don't think they will make a difference in making extract but it's what I could get for $32 for 50 at the time from amazon.
Garbage men are going to think I have a drinking problem, lol.
So I have gotten the brew time down to 6 months by using 25 beans per quart jar and chopping them really fine, about 1/8" to 1/4" long. If I can wait longer than the 6 months the brew gets really dark and flavorful. Problem is we use it a lot, everyday in our coffee. So I think I'm going to use store bought for awhile to give the batches more time, unfortunately that cost more.
Believe you have mastered this! Bet it tastes fantastic! Chuck
I started watching this thread sometime ago, and you’ve succeeded into sending me down this bunny trail. I started my first jar the end of November. For that one, I split the vanilla beans in half lengthwise. That was a chore. I started my second patch the end of February. For that batch, I chopped him into small half inch pieces. Patiently waiting is a hard part, and not my strong suit.
Not being want to leave well enough alone, when I started the November batch I also did a jar with lemon rind, a jar with orange rind, and jar filled with fresh raspberries. Has anyone else attempted to do something like this?
Not being want to leave well enough alone, when I started the November batch I also did a jar with lemon rind, a jar with orange rind, and jar filled with fresh raspberries. Has anyone else attempted to do something like this?