The make-your-own vanilla extract experiment

[lilTanker]

so in about 2008 when I used to regularly visit the forum (and posted an amazing grand total of 3 posts) I found this thread and decided that I wanted to make my own vanilla extract.

So what did I do??

I ordered this big bag from the ebay store listed which was prompted shipped to me in it's tight little compressed baggy thing.

I didn't want to mess around making multiple batches so I stuck them all into a 1l bottle and what space was left I filled with vodka.

Well I diligently rolled it around, gave it a gentle shake, kept it out of direct sunlight and gave it lots of love and attention.

that was 2008.

I still have that bottle, I've used approximately 100ml of it and that's being generous which I diligently replaced with more vodka

So I have vanilla extract that is now almost 4 years old.

I can not possibly describe the smell of it, it actually doesn't smell like normal vanilla extract, it smells offensively potent, you flip that lid and you take a whiff and you wonder what the hell it is.

Then you take a few small drops, put it into a small glass of milk and you have the most amazingly strong vanilla flavored milk.

I honestly can't describe it unless you came and smelt the end product, I tasted the raw product and it's disgusting, but once diluted it's incredible in how strong it is and how far it goes.

Plus it's filled with the little seeds from all the beans hahaha.

[Toliver]

Regarding the higher prices, if I recall correctly there was a shortage of vanilla beans a little while back...something about a crop failure in one of the main bean producing countries. I remember at the time emailing my friends to stock up on vanilla since the price was going to go up.

[pastameshugana]

So I joined this experiment in November of 2008. At the time we were living in India, and I made two jars with beans a family member carried over and Smirnoff vodka. We didn't dip into the first jar until we got back stateside in early 2010, and it's been wonderful.

The first batch is now depleted, and getting refilled with spirits plus two more beans (from the original stash):

The second batch is getting cut open for use now, it still has the inspection stickers on it (must have looked funny to customs - what could this crazy man have in the bubble wrapped jars?!?):

And here it is, undisturbed nearly four years after making it:

What a smell!

[andiesenji]

That looks like it should have prime flavor...

[kathik]

Hi everyone. I am new to the forums, but I put up my first batch of vanilla earlier this year. I am at 5 months now , and the alcohol smell and flavor has finally mellowed. I used it in a recipe for the first time and it was wonderful! At any rate, I have a question for andiesnji. I would like to make vanilla bean paste and I was trying to locate the xylitol you mentioned in post 108 on page 4, but the link is broken and the company sells a number of types. Could you tell me which xylitol your friend recommended? Also, is xylitol a sugar alcohol or a sugar substitute? I was curious since they seem to be using this in sugar free products. If so, is there a reason he is using this particular product?

Thank you for any help!

Kathi

[GlorifiedRice]

If you really wanna go hardcore you can buy a vanilla bean orchid on Amazon...

Also can you drink the resulting liquor? or eat the beans cooked as a veggie?

[pastameshugana]

Also can you drink the resulting liquor? or eat the beans cooked as a veggie?

Wow... sounds like someone is in for a hangover....

My wife and I joke about 'hitting the vanilla' when the kids (5!) get crazy.

Although, vanilla beans cooked as a veggie definitely sound like an experiment..... maybe even an experiment worth trying!

[andiesenji]

Hi everyone. I am new to the forums, but I put up my first batch of vanilla earlier this year. I am at 5 months now , and the alcohol smell and flavor has finally mellowed. I used it in a recipe for the first time and it was wonderful! At any rate, I have a question for andiesnji. I would like to make vanilla bean paste and I was trying to locate the xylitol you mentioned in post 108 on page 4, but the link is broken and the company sells a number of types. Could you tell me which xylitol your friend recommended? Also, is xylitol a sugar alcohol or a sugar substitute? I was curious since they seem to be using this in sugar free products. If so, is there a reason he is using this particular product?

Thank you for any help!

Kathi

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol, also used as a sugar substitute. This the product I have. It keeps forever..

[kathik]

Thank you andiesenji!! I thought this was probably the one, but wanted to be sure. I appreciate your speedy response, since I want to add this to a Christmas gift.

Kathi

[LT Wong]

My first batch of vanilla extract based on the advice and experiences shared here has been a roaring success. It is so much cheaper and better, and they make great birthday gifts for foodie friends.

A question I have is whether I should just throw away the beans used in the first batch ( I soaked them for 9 months), or if I should just add additional beans (that is, the same amount of beans that I had used in my first experiment) to the first batch and soak them again?

Thanks.

[adey73]

has anyone bothered using Potassium Porbate in vanilla paste experiments?

Anyone canning them, or will the heat destroy the vanillin?

[thock]

No need to can vanilla extract. It's high in alcohol, so will keep just fine on the shelf by itself, supposing you put it in a reasonably clean container. I'm not sure it's necessary to can vanilla paste, either. Plain vanilla beans are ok if they're in a sealed container (so they don't dry out), so I can't imagine vanilla paste would need much in the way of preservation, beyond perhaps refrigeration. Andie would probably know for sure, though.

A few days ago, I decanted the four batches of vanilla I started in post 305, about November 2010. I labeled the containers again, and combined all the vanilla bean pieces, spread them out in a glass container, and set the kitchen ceiling fan on high. The next morning, they were dry. I waited a couple of days, and just today I put them in a glass jar with a flippy lid (technical term :-) and sugar to fill the jar. I think it's about a liter in volume.

Yesterday, I decided to start some new extract. This time, I combined 120 grams of Madagascar beans from my original purchase (32 beans) with 100 grams of 190-proof Everclear in a pint jar. I did the same with some Tahitian beans (49 beans). I'm going to let them sit for a month, then top off with 80-proof vodka. I was aiming for a two-fold extract, but was estimating the math in my head, and got mixed up, so I ended up with a 2 1/2-fold. Oh, well. It should be good, regardless.

Today, I made a simple syrup of equal weights white sugar and water (200 g each) and added 200 g of my Tahitian/Madagascan blend extract when it had cooled. I reheated it, to drive off some of the alcohol, and bottled it. I'm guessing it's not as vanilla-y as I'd like it, and maybe a bit sweeter than I want, but we'll see. I also took 1.5 cups of my Tahitian extract and put it in a Rival Crockette (only has a low setting). I haven't plugged it in, yet, but I'm going to in a bit, here, and see if I can reduce it some, based on Andie's recommendation to reduce with a butter warmer for stronger extract. I don't have a butter warmer, so the Crockette will have to do. I'm just wondering if any volatile flavors will evaporate out with the alcohol, and if so, how it will affect the taste.

And last, but not least, I started a new infusion with 50 grams of whole coffee beans, 50 grams of roasted cocoa nibs, and 25 grams of Tahitian vanilla beans in 125 grams of 190-proof Everclear in a quart Mason jar. I'm going to top that off with 80-proof vodka in a month, with the intention of having it eventually turn into a vanilla-Kahlua-like liqueur. I'm thinking that perhaps I should have crushed the coffee beans, but if in a month, the infusion doesn't smell like coffee, I can always whir the mix in the blender and try again.

I'm not too impressed by my cocoa nib infusion of two years ago. I still have the nibs in there, but I'm wondering if I should have tried to find unroasted nibs. If I can easily find some, I will try again with those, and see if there's any difference.

As a general note, I think that my original infusions were a bit weak in the bean concentration. So, I'm giving the warming reduction a try for one. If that works to my satisfaction, I will probably go ahead and try it with the others.

I was thinking of ordering more beans, but the prices at the Vanilla Products on eBay have approximately doubled since 2010. Not surprising, since pretty much everything has gone up, but I can't afford to go buying more beans at the present time. I will be keeping an eye on them, in case the financial situation improves. Luckily, I had all the stuff I needed, already, to do my recent experiments.

Edited November 15, 2012 by thock (log)

[andiesenji]

It sounds like you have a great routine going. The volatile alcohol compounds will slowly evaporate with the reduction but the flavor actually concentrates.

If you don't have a meter to measure the alcohol, add just a little after you have the reduction you want. Otherwise there might not be enough alcohol to keep molds from growing. (I speak from experience...)

[thock]

Cool, thanks! I'm looking forward to seeing what I end up with, both with the reduction, and with the super-beaned extraction.

[thock]

Ok, something a little worrying happened with my simple syrup and vanilla extract mixture. I saw cloudiness at the top of the bottle I put the syrup into. I'm wondering whether this should be stored in the fridge.

I started out with 1.5 cups of the Tahitian extract in the Crockette, and ended up with 3/8 cup, to which I added enough Everclear to equal 1/2 c. I'm letting it sit a few days, to see if it improves, but at this point, it's tasting a bit bitter and off. I transferred from the Crockette to a Little Dipper, which was probably hotter than the Crockette. I'm going to run those with water next week to see what the temps end up to be. I air-reduced (kitchen fan on high) some Back Bay Trading Post vanilla on the kitchen table, last night. It's not bitter or off-tasting. I added a bit of Everclear to up the alcohol content, but I haven't yet tried either reduction in anything. I'm going to try a bit of warm milk, lightly sweetened with white sugar, and a couple of drops of extract.

I smelled my two new vanilla extractions, and the coffee/cocoa/vanilla extraction. They all smell heavenly, but I'm still going to wait until next month to top up with vodka. I may not wait quite that long for the coffee/cocoa/vanilla, as it's meant to be a liqueur, eventually, but I may wait, anyway. I can always cut it with plain vodka if it's too strong, but it's harder to up the concentration quickly if it's too weak.

What do y'all think about the vanilla simple syrup? It's 1/3 sugar, 1/3 water, 1/3 vanilla extract, by weight.

[Frodine]

Hi! I have been lurking for a few months now, and decided to jump in and make homemade vanilla extract for Christmas gifts (after reading this thread, I know it won't have enough time to fully mature, but I figured I would leave a couple of beans in the individual bottles with a note that says it will take a few months to reach its peak). I started it a week ago using andiesenji's method and just barely covered the split, chopped beans with 190-proof Everclear. A week later, it's now a nice transparent amber color.

This morning I tried topping one jar up with 80-proof Smirnoff, but when I poured in a little of the Smirnoff, the solution turned very milky and cloudy. Any idea what's going on? Should I just continue adding more vodka?

Here's a picture. The one on the left is Everclear-only, and the one on the right had a couple splashes of vodka added. Thanks in advance for any advice!

[andiesenji]

That murkiness is normal. The particulates will settle out in a few days. In fact, mine looks like that ever time I agitate the mixture. I bottle mine in brown or blue bottles so the opacity of the liquid doesn't really show.

A really good vanilla should not be completely clear - it should have some of the tiny seeds suspended in the liquid.

[Frodine]

Great! Thanks for your help. One other question - when you start it with Everclear, do you usually just add vodka or do you add some water later on as well to lower the proof? Like 1 part Everclear + 2 parts Vodka + 1 part water = 80 proof? Does the higher proof impact the flavor of the end product? Thanks!

[thock]

I'm not Andie, but I haven't added water. The ratio of Everclear to vodka in the extracts I've completed to date has been about 12%. The new extracts I just started will be a quite a bit higher, close to 40%, but I still don't think I'm going to dilute with water.

[andiesenji]

I start my extract with Everclear because the higher the alcohol percentage, the more flavors are extracted in a shorter period of time.

I do not add water. I prefer to add brandy because in my opinion it produces a "mellower" flavor. I did one batch with a bottle of aged tequila someone had given me (I was later informed it was very expensive and considered a "sipping" tequila but as I don't drink, I thought this was a good use for it). That batch of vanilla is especially flavorful.

I test the flavor/strength in a spoonful (soupspoon) of cream - you can use milk or half & half. One drop should produce a full, pronounced flavor. I begin testing after 6 months but I usually allow 8 months to get the optimum flavor. Often it could be much less, but I am rather picky...

[thock]

Andie, thank you! Now I have a good method to test my vanilla extracts. I had often heard of combining it with milk or cream, but wasn't sure what volume percentage should produce what effect. This will be very helpful.

[GlorifiedRice]

Also can you drink the resulting liquor? or eat the beans cooked as a veggie?

Wow... sounds like someone is in for a hangover....

My wife and I joke about 'hitting the vanilla' when the kids (5!) get crazy.

Although, vanilla beans cooked as a veggie definitely sound like an experiment..... maybe even an experiment worth trying!

Okay I bought some cheapo vanilla beans at the grocery store and boiled them for 30 minutes in just water. I put butter and s&p on them. You simply can not bite thru them..

Its the kind of toughness that not even an hour in a pressure cooker would soften...

Oh well I tried

[thock]

Okay I bought some cheapo vanilla beans at the grocery store and boiled them for 30 minutes in just water. I put butter and s&p on them. You simply can not bite thru them..

Its the kind of toughness that not even an hour in a pressure cooker would soften...

Oh well I tried

Yeah, they're pretty fibrous.

[donk79]

So, any ideas on how many runs beans can go through before you start having undesirables flavors be too prominent? I just threw some cheap white rum (which has become my preferred extractive for vanilla, at least in comparison to equally cheap vodka) over some jars packed full with beans that had previously run two batches for about 12 months. Am I on my way to slightly discolored vanilla-ish scented vodka? Or do I still have soem essenc ein these beans to work with?

PS: could not leave the liquor store with just cheap rum. Please excuse any typos that I misseed. Already fixed a good dozen!

[thock]

I'm not sure about how many times you can reuse them, but I can tell you that I am now somewhat disappointed with the first batches I made because they were not strong enough to begin with. I have since started some double-strength extract that I will let brew for a year, without touching it. I'll probably use the beans from that for vanilla sugar, afterward.

I'd rather have too-strong extract than too-weak.

However, vanilla-flavored rum can't be bad.