I can\\'t wait to try this. It just kills me that it will take months, I am all for instant gratification .

I probably should have checked out the recipe before buying the vanilla pods. It cost me $10 for four pods today. The recipe someone posted on page one calls for TWELVE. I think I'll just keep on buying the vanilla essence in the shop.... yikes!! I guess I assumed I'd be using one pod only, silly me!

I wonder if you can modify the recipes to make other extracts?

The economical way to buy vanilla beans is by the pound through an eBay dealer in the USA. Seriously cheap and wonderful quality. They get through customs into Australia just fine as they are not live, jic any Aussies were keen to try this! I currently have 4 x 500ml bottles reaching maturity in my pantry!! Yum! There is truly no comparison with bought extract, IMO.

Evoir, you are the best source of info for this sort of thing in our corner of the world! Who do you buy from, do you remember their name?

hmmm... now I have four very expensive pods to do something with.

I just ordered my vanilla beans from ebay. My first batch of vanilla extract should be ready just in time for my birthday!

Yay!

Zespri - I am always happy to share my knowledge! I look for stuff from all over the world just to be able to offer my clients something 'different' to the usual wedding cake offerings around these parts

Thank you, Madgeowens ,for the recipe. I just got back on this thread ,and see that you did post it. again, thank you.

icer.....I tried to find my cheesecake recipe that I posted and I cant locate it.....can I have the link haha

Olive Nation has 16 beans for $14.00 no shipping. The beans were very nice quality.

Forgot to add you have to go through amazon to get the deal.

I can't wait to try homemade vanilla extract!
Too bad I have to wait...like 6 months. Oh well, good things come to those who wait!

Thanks for the recipes and ideas everyone!

Thanks for the information.

I thougt about just pouring out the extra vodka and using the bottle, but then I may not be able to get the beans out of the skinny neck if I decided to use them to make vanilla sugar when they were done. So I ended up using a canning jar. I split them, then cut them in half so they would be covered in vodka. Then I put the jar in the brown paper bag that the vodka came in.

I found this thread from my recent post. After reading all this great information on how to make vanilla extract, I have decided to give it a try. My question is, can you tell the difference in the taste in cakes & cupcakes? I am excited to try this and was just wondering what a difference it will make. Thanks.

It will make a huge difference. You will never buy it again. The taste is that different.

It sounds like people make pretty large quantities of this, which I'd love to do but I'm worried I wouldn't use it fast enough. How long is it good for?

You don't have to make a large quantity. You can make 1 cup. I use 8 beans per cup with Grey Goose vodka. Your results will be reflective of the quality of the ingredients used and the amount of beans used.

Right...but if I do have this sitting around for a little while (even if I make just a cup) does anyone know when I should be throwing it out? Or if I give it as a gift, it seems like I should tell them when it expires. Normally I would base shelf life of a product on the ingredient that has the shortest shelf life itself. (ie, milk in american buttercream.) In this case, vodka stays good for...well, a really long time. So it seems that the vanilla beans would be the "rate limiting factor", to borrow a phrase from my chemistry days. I know vanilla beans are pretty useless ("expire") when they dry up but obviously that's no longer an issue when they're in an extract. So I'm not sure how I should gauge the "life expectancy" of homemade vanilla.

Right...but if I do have this sitting around for a little while (even if I make just a cup) does anyone know when I should be throwing it out? Or if I give it as a gift, it seems like I should tell them when it expires. Normally I would base shelf life of a product on the ingredient that has the shortest shelf life itself. (ie, milk in american buttercream.) In this case, vodka stays good for...well, a really long time. So it seems that the vanilla beans would be the "rate limiting factor", to borrow a phrase from my chemistry days. I know vanilla beans are pretty useless ("expire") when they dry up but obviously that's no longer an issue when they're in an extract. So I'm not sure how I should gauge the "life expectancy" of homemade vanilla.

I made my first batch in Jan 11. I started using it in May. It hasn't gotten stronger. I think it is important to srerilize the jar and measuring cup because the impurities are what will ruin it. Alcohol is a preservative. It doesn't go bad any more than drinking alcohol will go bad (the creams do) over time under proper production and storage. I do shake all of my bottles about once a week, plus I cut my beans in half (as well as split them) so that all is submerged most of the time. I don't plan to add to or reuse the beans. I want consistency in flavor and potency. But I have a bakery. Do what you want at home and seewhat works for you.

Before you buy, read about the proper beans for extract. They shouldn't be super plump, as those have too much moisture for extract. A moderately moist bean works best. So the priciest bean is not the best. I get 16 beans from JR Mushrooms on Amazon for I think $14.00 (free shipping). I purposely don't buy more than I can use at one time.

If you give it as a gift do you have to put the bean in it. If you don't put the bean in will they have to shake it if the beans were not split to start with? Thanks.

After it gets to full strength, the bean is unimportant. I split the beans and cut them in half. Be sure to sterilize your knife. You don't want any impurities in the jar.

wee I'm so trying this! Van extract is always so expensive here in South Africa, so I use vanilla essence. Well, if this works out, no more essence for me!!

I realize that it's important to make sure the jar is clean--maybe even boil it--but realistically this isn't going to be a sterile process. I'm not going to have a truly sterile cutting board and knife unless I take this into the OR wih me and wear sterile gloves and use a sterile surgical tray, right? (And i don't think the hospital is going to go for that.) I mean, the freaking vanilla bean isn't sterile...how carried away with this do I need to get? Pretty hard for bacteria to grow in alcohol (if it doesn't contain any cream) since it is an antiseptic itself--even if it's not super high proof.

tara, every site, including the FDA site stresses the importance of sterilization. Think of the canning process. My hot water is very hot. I run my jar, the knife, and the measuring cup under it for awhile. I use a clean surface of parchment to prepare my beans. I wear food handlers' gloves. Things can grow in the alcohol. One CC member reported it. So if every site stresses it, I would think that it is important. I have $40.00 in every 2 cups, so I'm not going to prove them wrong.

Yeah, I thought someone might bring up canning. That process IS sterile, with
sterile products going into a sterile container. Vanilla beans are not sterile--unless you boil them first and have a no-touch system for getting them into the container. Just pointing out that we too often call things "sterile" when they're really just "clean", and there's a significant difference there. For a surgeon, it's the difference between good medicine and a lawsuit.

Ina squeezes the seeds out after the beans are soft. Do you do that?

I'm so excited to try this. I really want to give homemade vanilla as part of Xmas gifts. I found a few bottle options. Does anyone know if a corked bottle will work for the homemade vanilla extract of if I should only use the screw top kind?