Oh, I know what you mean newmansmom!! I often wonder if my *friend* thinks that my cooking is just too overpowering, but they seem to genuinely like everything I make. But their food is always so bland. It's like, if you like my food so much, BUY SOME SPICES!!! Hehehe.

kims_cakes:
do you also use vodka to make your homemade vanilla? I have heard of using rum. Do you also use that many (30) vanilla beans? And where do you buy your cheap beans online?

Has anyone every tried making/using vanilla sugar?

And thanks to everyone for your input. It's been very educational

I am not kim -but yes, a fifth of vodka, and 30 vanilla beans (split and cut into 1/3's) stuffed into the vodka. Shake it every other day or so. Let stand for 4 weeks before using. You can get the beans on ebay.

Oh yeah - poultry seasoning. I've been guilty of that one.

Someone asked about vanilla sugar. I've made it but honestly I couldn't tell much difference. I put a vanilla bean in a glass container with about 2 cups of sugar in it, put a nice tight lid on it and let it hang out for a few weeks. When I opened it I could smell the vanilla but it wasn't very strong so I could have had an old worn-out bean that wasn't fresh. I really couldn't taste it in the sugar and I haven't tried it since.

I started buying vanilla beans online a few years ago because it's so reasonable and everyone told me how amazing home made extract is, so I HAD to make it. They said to use a cheap bottle of vodka to make it... no reason to waste the good stuff. Guess what? The vanilla extract taste like cheap vodka with a vanilla bean floating in it. I used a fifth of vodka and 30-40 beans cuz I like it strong. Handled it exactly the way you're supposed to, shaking once a week or so. Keep it in a dark cupboard, etc. Every time I use it, it just tastes like I poured cheap, nasty vodka into whatever I'm making. I can't get away from that taste. So, for me it's just not 'the bomb'. I still use vanilla beans for things, but I have pretty much a whole fifth of home made vanilla that just sits there. Mocking me.

Sumkat I use about 5 beans to 2 cups of vodka. I heat the vodka first then add the beans. I let it soak for about 8 weeks before I use it. I've bought the beans different places on line. I just googled it and read reviews. Good luck!

I have been making homemade Vanilla for years. The key is to use a good quality vodka that has been distilled(filtered) several times. I buy the good stuff when it is on sale. It makes a world of difference.

I also buy by beans on e-bay. I also use them 3 times. I split/scrape them for cooking, add them to the sugar for a few weeks, then put them in the vodka for extra flavoring. HTH

Also depends on what you can get at your grocery store. You can find some premium ingredients in Publix and Kroger that you won't find at Wal-mart or Food Lion, for example.

When it comes to chocolate, I use Ghirardelli (which I can get at the groc store) and Scharffenberger (which I get at Williams-Sonoma). It depends on the application which one I'm going to use.

For other ingredients, sometimes you can find premium at bargain prices. There's a farmers market near Atlanta (Dekalb Farmer's Market, for those of you in the area) where you can get really great spices, herbs, extracts and organic dried fruits for really good prices (a cup of fresh ground cinnamon for 35 cents for example).

I don't understand how people have spices and herbs around long enough to expire! We have a huge drawer full (so full that we've had to resort to storing some in a cabinet in addition to the drawer) and pretty much every time we go to the store we have to replace something because we've used it up! (And that's even with buying stuff in bulk as mentioned in my PP).

Maybe it's because both DH and I cook and we do pretty much everything from scratch? (DH has even started making mayo of late, and OMG is it the best stuff ever!)

Melvira - you need to use GOOD vodka, not the cheap stuff. Also, the longer it sets, the better it is. It actually "ages" - the newly made stuff isn't nearly as good as the vanilla that is several months old. I now keep 3 on hand, one aging, one new, and one I am using. If made properly, it is the BOMB!

i say, BIG difference between a good branded chocolate over a generic chocolate..so i splurge on that

So, where do you go to find good chocolate? Someone mentioned Williams-Sonoma, and we do have that, but anywhere else, and what are good chocolates to use (I've heard of Callebaut, but never seen it, tried ganache made with Ghiradelli chips, but wasn't really impressed)?

I remember wanting to get some good chocolate for a fondue or something I was doing, but when I melted it, it seized. I think there must've been some sort of filling in it that I didn't realize was there, and that the filling wasn't compatible with melting into the chocolate.

I don't know if it's just that I don't know about the good places to get things, but it really seems like there's not nearly as much in the way of specialty shops here than I see are available to, say, the chefs on Food Network shows. Ina Garten goes to cheese shops and butchers where the people who work there really know about what they're selling and have great recommendations... the only dedicated butchers here, that I've seen, anyways, are the Carnicerias (and most of those are located in areas of town that are rundown and high in crime, so I don't know that I'd be brave enough to go there on my own), and I know of no dedicated cheese shop.

Yah this vanilla is plenty aged because I just won't use it. It's gross. I guess I'll try making some with good vodka and see if it's any better, but I hate to waste the booze! Hahahhaha!

Sagebrush - did you just melt the chocolate by itself or mix it with heavy cream and liqueur? To make chocolate fondue, you have to do more than just melt the chocolate itself, it needs the added fat from the cream and the liqueur adds a nice depth of flavor.

Try:
www.chocoley.com it can be ordered online or via phone 866-528-5252
Great product & easy to use.

www.customchocolateshop.com (Merckens) also a great product can be ordered online or found in most cake shops.

www.auiswiss.com (Albert Uster - Des Alpes Chocolate) Again great stuff and can be ordered online.

Lastly Callebaut Chocolate is my favorite but it is difficult to find I purchase it at Resturant Depot.

On Vanilla Sugar - I leave my split beans in the sugar rotating containers (I have 2) so that the one is gain flavor while I am using the other.

On Mom's cupboard - mines no different... mom's of the 60's had parents that grew up in the depression and back then they couldn't afford spices nor was there the variety or knowledge that we have today.. Today my 15 yr old is a foodie and can tell you everything you want to know about any food...& I think she doesn't listen!!

I really want to try making my own vanilla. I don't know anything about what brands of vodka are good. Any suggestions. (Why did I think vanilla is made with Tequilla- is Mexican vanilla made that way?) Also, a good friend is leaving tomorrow and going to India on spring break. Might sound really dumb, but India=spice trade, right? At least I think I remember that from history class. What should I tell her to look for in a vanilla bean? Or is there really any difference? This sounds like such a fun little expirement. I would have never ever thought to MAKE vanilla. Lovin' cake central and all of you right now.

tavy - yes, you can use bourbon too - I just prefer vodka since it is clear to start out with, I can tell how dark my vanilla is. Vodka and Gin both are more of a "neutral" flavor - bourbon isn't' neutral - it has distinct flavors.

Hi, I saw this and had to respond. I've been ordering bulk chocolate from these guys http://www.gourmail.com/ for close to 20 years. (Wow! I can't believe I'm old enough to say that. ) They carry Callebaut, Valrhona and others. But you really have to be make a LOT of chocolate anything to justify buying blocks this large. I do truffles for the holidays usually and am always happy with what I get.
I think ingredients really do matter it may not be something that you'd notice right away but for me it's usually when I'm cutting corners and that someone will notice and say something.

They are both fine for making vanilla - I have used both and can't really tell a difference. (not a refined enough palatte maybe??) Some say one has more "bouquet" = smell ~ but again, they are both good.....and so is the mexican beans. I think the first two brands are a little stronger, but that is just my opinion!