The make-your-own vanilla extract experiment

[jcg]

Tracy - Thanks for the awesome update! You are doing great research :-) I'm glad you mentioned the yellow extracted matter in case that happens I won't freak out and toss everything.

 

I started my 2x extraction of grade b madagascar beans in Wray and Nephew Overproof as suggested by Kerry last week and it has already acquired a lovely color but is of course a long way from vanilla. Hopefully, my current batch will last until this one is ready.

 

Last night I was looking up some information on sugar in vanilla extract and came across this question on the FAQ page of Nielsen Massey:

 

 

http://www.nielsenmassey.com/culinary/faq.php

 

I remember adding some sugar to my current stock of vanilla so I threw in a Tbsp to see if it will make any difference in extraction time.

 

How much alcohol did you add 1 Tbsp of sugar to? Or how much sugar would you use per cup of alcohol?

Edited March 7, 2014 by jcg (log)

[natasha1270]

jcg - thanks for asking because I realize my math was off. I used the whole 750ml bottle which is approx 25 oz. Since N-M said the sugar makes up less than 5% of the final, I went with 4% and calc'd I should add 1 oz which I erroneously converted to 1 tbsp instead of 2 (maybe I'll put in another Tbsp when I get home). Really, I have no idea if it will speed up the extraction or possibly even inhibit it. I wish I had more beans to do a side by side comparison.

[jcg]

jcg - thanks for asking because I realize my math was off. I used the whole 750ml bottle which is approx 25 oz. Since N-M said the sugar makes up less than 5% of the final, I went with 4% and calc'd I should add 1 oz which I erroneously converted to 1 tbsp instead of 2 (maybe I'll put in another Tbsp when I get home). Really, I have no idea if it will speed up the extraction or possibly even inhibit it. I wish I had more beans to do a side by side comparison.

 

OK, so that works out to 1.5 teaspoons per 8 oz alcohol (for slightly less than 4%) and 2 teaspoons per 8 oz alcohol (for slightly less than 5%). That's based on a google search saying 1oz sugar is equal to 1.81T. My beans should be here any day so I might add 1.5t to one of my jars to see if it makes any difference.

 

jcg

[jcg]

Well my beans came in so I'm ready to start. I've decided to make a few different batches so I can compare to see what I like. I bought some 8oz canning jars, and plan to fill each with 4 oz so I can make the following:

 

1. 4oz Skyy 80 proof vodka with 12 grams grade A Madagascar beans

2. 4oz Skyy 80 proof vodka with 12 grams grade A Madagascar beans + 1 teaspoon sugar

3. 4oz Skyy 80 proof vodka with 18 grams grade A Madagascar beans (1.5 fold)

4. 4oz Skyy 80 proof vodka with 24 grams grade A Madagascar beans (2.0 fold)

 

5. 4oz Skyy 80 proof vodka with 1/2 oz of slivered almonds

6. 4oz Skyy 80 proof vodka with 1 oz of slivered almonds

 

I'll report back in 3 months with an update, but I don't think they will be fully done until 6 months. Plus I'll be using my leftover beans to make some awesome vanilla bean ice cream!

 

jcg

[Shel_B]

Came across this article http://www.chow.com/food-news/83707/making-the-most-of-vanilla-beans/ today.  The tip about storing the beans in rum (vodka, I found, is also a good choice) is very interesting to me.  Has anyone tried it?  Comments pro or con?

[Edward J]

Hmmm... interesting article.  I do it back-azzwards.

 

When I buy my beans from commercial purveyors, they come vacuum packed in 200 gr pouches.  I take a plastic jar, fill it partly with sugar, bury the empty plastic pouch in the sugar, then bury the beans in sugar.  This gets sealed airtight.  When I need beans for crème anglaise or the like, I take a bean out, use some of the sugar, replace with new sugar and put the split bean and it's seeds in my liquid and let it "ripen" overnight in the fridge.  Then I'll remove the bean, scrape it dry, wash off any milk/egg mixture, and toss it in bottle of vodka I have for that purpose.

[hummingbirdkiss]

I am using the batch  now that I started when this thread started. it is just now perfect. 

[scubadoo97]

I am using the batch now that I started when this thread started. it is just now perfect.

Wow, nearly 8 yrs old and just now perfect?

[hummingbirdkiss]

Scubadoo I put this away with a batch of nocino and falernum I made..yup just about 8 years ago

 

I had plenty of vanilla from a batch I had previously made and thought was wonderful…so I wasn't "yearning" for vanilla and could just look away...yeah well I had no clue what a few years would bring ..I filtered bottled and left it again at the five year point (I think I am not keeping track sorry ) and that did matter..the resting time with out the beans ...

 

how perfect? well let's try give you an image ..the flavor and aroma of vanilla when you open a bottle is the essence of what I would think anyone would be searching for ..it gives me an emotional feeling to smell it ..then to taste  just a drop fills my mouth and nose with so much vanilla I laughed! it was a joy to taste it no raw alcohol at all .. .vanilla is a" comfort"  in aroma and flavor...this is extremely comforting ..the bottle is perfume as well as flavor….it was good when I transferred it at about five years but the extra rest time in the bottles was what made this as good as it is .. tasting this? it is like I had never tried vanilla essence before in my life..it is "essence" to me more than extract ..the essence of the bean transferred to liquid form and color..the flavor and aroma are perfectly vanilla …does that do it for a description? or am I being a bit dramatic? BOTH! because this vanilla was worth the small effort and great time it took to get to this point...so to keep the rotation going I am aiming for a 10 year batch now ..used a combo of beans Everclear again ..and a small bottle made with tequila .. a few years ago (midway through this batch aging I made the next batch to come)… perhaps I will move from "perfect"to "magical" I look at the rest of my life in batches of vanilla now LOL ..kidding but I could I guess 

 

the nocino and falernum ..I can not form words right now and need to taste them more ..I used almost no spices in the nocino ..green walnuts and vanilla beans and the flavor of the green walnuts is just the best I have ever tasted..when tasting next to commercial nocino there is no comparison it is just so much more delicious in my opinion I will never buy a bottle again…I have never tasted commercial falernum so I can not compare, but my home will  never be with out this either ..both are so delicious I am using them like extracts as well as adding them to beverages ..or drinking them straight up from pretty glasses ..wow with the wait I promise 

 

I am happy satisfied and very "warm and fuzzy" with all these needed tastings …time tells ..waiting is worth it and I am so glad I did not rush this .long answer to short question  ... Happy New Year 

Edited December 31, 2014 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[scubadoo97]

Sounds pretty perfect.

[andiesenji]

Scubadoo I put this away with a batch of nocino and falernum I made..yup just about 8 years ago

 

I had plenty of vanilla from a batch I had previously made and thought was wonderful…so I wasn't "yearning" for vanilla and could just look away...yeah well I had no clue what a few years would bring ..I filtered bottled and left it again at the five year point (I think I am not keeping track sorry ) and that did matter..the resting time with out the beans ...

 

how perfect? well let's try give you an image ..the flavor and aroma of vanilla when you open a bottle is the essence of what I would think anyone would be searching for ..it gives me an emotional feeling to smell it ..then to taste  just a drop fills my mouth and nose with so much vanilla I laughed! it was a joy to taste it no raw alcohol at all .. .vanilla is a" comfort"  in aroma and flavor...this is extremely comforting ..the bottle is perfume as well as flavor….it was good when I transferred it at about five years but the extra rest time in the bottles was what made this as good as it is .. tasting this? it is like I had never tried vanilla essence before in my life..it is "essence" to me more than extract ..the essence of the bean transferred to liquid form and color..the flavor and aroma are perfectly vanilla …does that do it for a description? or am I being a bit dramatic? BOTH! because this vanilla was worth the small effort and great time it took to get to this point...so to keep the rotation going I am aiming for a 10 year batch now ..used a combo of beans Everclear again ..and a small bottle made with tequila .. a few years ago (midway through this batch aging I made the next batch to come)… perhaps I will move from "perfect"to "magical" I look at the rest of my life in batches of vanilla now LOL ..kidding but I could I guess 

 

the nocino and falernum ..I can not form words right now and need to taste them more ..I used almost no spices in the nocino ..green walnuts and vanilla beans and the flavor of the green walnuts is just the best I have ever tasted..when tasting next to commercial nocino there is no comparison it is just so much more delicious in my opinion I will never buy a bottle again…I have never tasted commercial falernum so I can not compare, but my home will  never be with out this either ..both are so delicious I am using them like extracts as well as adding them to beverages ..or drinking them straight up from pretty glasses ..wow with the wait I promise 

 

I am happy satisfied and very "warm and fuzzy" with all these needed tastings …time tells ..waiting is worth it and I am so glad I did not rush this .long answer to short question  ... Happy New Year 

I haven't  done this intentionally but I recently "discovered" what I thought was a bottle of Christian Bros. brandy in the back of my small pantry (has very deep shelves on which I have trays to allow me to pull them part way out to get at things in the back).  I wondered why I had stuck it back there and not with the other liquor bottles so pulled it out and found I had sealed the top by dipping in liquid plastic coating.

I cut the stuff away and opened the bottle and the intense vanilla aroma alerted me that this was not "pure" brandy. 

I have no idea why I did not label it - I usually label everything - but I tested some in a spoonful of cream and it is perfect.

 

My other containers are all labeled with the dates they were started - this one is an orphan and the last time I reorganized that shelf in the pantry had to have been at least four years ago, if not longer.  It's where I keep the stuff that is for long-term storage. Canned water, emergency canned rations, etc.  This bottle was behind that with a couple of jugs of my home made vinegar that are "aging" - and they are labeled 2008 and 2009.

[SLB]

This has been a wonderful thread, y'all.  I've been making my own vanilla with straightahead Stoli for some time, but I'm curious about rum-based vanilla.  Has anyone compared plain white rum with other more flavorful rums?  By "more flavorful", I mostly mean "darker."  I definitely do not mean "spiced", or anything like that.  Any thoughts on this?

Edited February 27, 2015 by SLB (log)

[Kerry Beal]

I've made vanilla with overproof Wray and Nephew - makes a lovely vanilla.  Haven't bothered to make it with a darker rum though.

[Lisa Shock]

Has anyone experimented with using an ultrasonic machine to speed things up? I saw a video online of someone making different extracts this way to speed things up. I don't have a machine, but have been thinking about getting one for various purposes.

[Kerry Beal]

Haven't tried it with vanilla - but use one for various alcoholic extractions with good effect so no reason it wouldn't work.

[SLB]

I started a bottle a couple of weeks back with Andie's method, of using grain alcohol to cover at first.  When I topped off with my ordinary vanilla spirit -- good ole' fashioned Stoli -- the extract became not merely cloudy, but really milky.  I can't seem to post a photo on this (how do y'all do that?), but I'm wondering if that's normal.

 

One thing to note, this was the second extract on most of these beans.  Actually, I don't know how you would really count it since I never actually decanted the extract from when I first submerged the beans (in 100% stoli, no grain-alcohol-starter); so it was more like in contant extraction for about a year and a half.  I did add some new beans to this round, but I'm wondering if the first set of beans were dead and that's why the solution is so milky.  Any thoughts?  

[Shalmanese]

I started a bottle a couple of weeks back with Andie's method, of using grain alcohol to cover at first.  When I topped off with my ordinary vanilla spirit -- good ole' fashioned Stoli -- the extract became not merely cloudy, but really milky.  I can't seem to post a photo on this (how do y'all do that?), but I'm wondering if that's normal.

 

One thing to note, this was the second extract on most of these beans.  Actually, I don't know how you would really count it since I never actually decanted the extract from when I first submerged the beans (in 100% stoli, no grain-alcohol-starter); so it was more like in contant extraction for about a year and a half.  I did add some new beans to this round, but I'm wondering if the first set of beans were dead and that's why the solution is so milky.  Any thoughts?

Probably due to loucheing

[SLB]

That's helpful.  It does look like absinthe or ouzo-with-water.  Not so appetizing, but I'm not having it on the rocks.

[thock]

I started a bottle a couple of weeks back with Andie's method, of using grain alcohol to cover at first.  When I topped off with my ordinary vanilla spirit -- good ole' fashioned Stoli -- the extract became not merely cloudy, but really milky.  I can't seem to post a photo on this (how do y'all do that?), but I'm wondering if that's normal.

 

One thing to note, this was the second extract on most of these beans.  Actually, I don't know how you would really count it since I never actually decanted the extract from when I first submerged the beans (in 100% stoli, no grain-alcohol-starter); so it was more like in contant extraction for about a year and a half.  I did add some new beans to this round, but I'm wondering if the first set of beans were dead and that's why the solution is so milky.  Any thoughts?  

 

Very normal. There's something about using the high-proof alcohol that extracts more of the oils from the beans. It will eventually, over time, clear up.

 

Take a look at this post of mine for how mine clouded.

 

ETA link.

Edited March 8, 2015 by thock (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Adding some higher proof alcohol should dissolve the precipitated essential oils.  

[SLB]

That's interesting, Kerry; I thought the cloudiness was caused by the use of grain alcohol as a "starter".

 

I topped off my rum-based extract just now, and it was even cloudier than the Stoli-topped one!  In fact, it looks a lot like Orange Julius, to the left below:

 

 

Edited March 12, 2015 by SLB (log)

[SLB]

Just a follow up -- the rum vanilla is losing its cloudiness already.  The vodka one (with more of the once-used beans), is slowly losing its cloudy.  I'm no longer worried.  I am in a hurry, though, to taste the difference.  

[EsaK]

Couldn't find a more recent DIY-vanilla extract topic, sorry if there was one. I put my own vanilla extract going in early May, so it's been going for about two months. I put in 35g of very dry grade B vanilla, and 500g of 80% vodka. Now, I understand that the vanilla is supposed to be 10% of the liquid's weight. I have 500g of 40% vodka in the fridge, and I'm wondering if I should be just adding that to it now or what. Hopefully I'd find more grade B vanilla, but if I do get some for example in 6 months what would be the best way forward? Should I put the 40% vodka in? Should I wait and do nothing? What if I put in the new vodka and fail to find more vanilla, is it going to be intolerably lame? 

So many questions...

[Thanks for the Crepes]

22 hours ago, EsaK said:

Couldn't find a more recent DIY-vanilla extract topic, sorry if there was one. I put my own vanilla extract going in early May, so it's been going for about two months. I put in 35g of very dry grade B vanilla, and 500g of 80% vodka. Now, I understand that the vanilla is supposed to be 10% of the liquid's weight. I have 500g of 40% vodka in the fridge, and I'm wondering if I should be just adding that to it now or what. Hopefully I'd find more grade B vanilla, but if I do get some for example in 6 months what would be the best way forward? Should I put the 40% vodka in? Should I wait and do nothing? What if I put in the new vodka and fail to find more vanilla, is it going to be intolerably lame? 

So many questions...

 

I don't think you can really go wrong with extracting vanilla flavor from the beans in vodka. It works well and in my experience, does not go bad. If your extraction is too weak or too strong, you should be able to adjust it with no problems.

[thock]

Based on my personal experience, if you dilute it too much, you're not going to be thrilled with the results. Yes, it will be vanilla-y, but it won't be very strong. I'd leave what you have steeping alone until you can find more vanilla beans.

 

My first attempt at vanilla extract was ok, but I didn't use enough beans, so it was not even up to grocery store vanilla strength. I was much happier when I made a stronger extract.

 

Looks like vanilla beans have really gone up in price, but you can still get them from vanillaproducts on eBay (http://stores.ebay.com/Vanilla-Products-USA). It doesn't look like they have them by the pound, right now, which I found to be the cheapest way to buy beans.

Edited June 28, 2017 by thock
correct eBay seller's name (log)