December 1, 2016

homemade vanilla extract

Twice a year our local liquor store has a HUGE sale! They sell everything just $1 over what they buy it for!! What an awesome deal, right?!

Since hard liquor has a super high mark up, I figured this was the time to stock up on some vodka and make homemade vanilla extract. And since you can use any 70-90 proof vodka, I got the cheapest one I could find. Pair that with the awesome sale, and I spend pennies on two gallons of vodka. Now, I felt a little judged buying cheap, plastic bottle vodka, but hey, the end result will be awesome.

When making vanilla extract, it is actually very important that you look at your vanilla grade. There are two grades – A (1 & 2) and B.

So whats the difference? The biggest being the moisture content and appearance.

Grade A-1 beans are very dark in color, pliable and moist. The moisture content ranges from 30%-35%. These are the highest grade vanilla beans offered in the industry and also have a hefty price.

Grade A-2 beans are dark in color, with reddish hues or stripes in parts of the bean. These have a moisture content ranging from 25%-30%.

Grade B have a deep reddish-black coloration. You may find slight splits or cuts along the bean. They are very aromatic, but also noticeably drier than the other Grades, their moisture content ranges from 15%-20%. These are the bean you want to use for your extract!!

Look!! They even give you a recipe right on the packaging!

For cooking, you would want to choose grade A, since this is considered the gourmet grade. For extract you would choose grade B, because they are design to be drier. That said, you can use grade A vanilla to make extract, however you will be spending a little more money and your product will not necessarily be better than if you used grade B beans.

Now, let’s chat origin. Madagascar beans are the most popular type, but many other places actually produce vanilla. Here is a quick breakdown.

Bourbon Vanilla – mild, well balanced
Madagascar Vanilla – rich and creamy
Mexican Vanilla – bold, dark, smokey
Indian Vanilla – full, chocolate
Tahitian Vanilla – floral, cherry-chocolate
Tonga Vanilla – earthy, fig, raisin

For my extract, I used Tahitian Vanilla beans. Why?! To be honest, that is what I could find for a reasonable price and I’ve heard many great things about Tahitian vanilla. But don’t be afraid to play around! Buy one or two different types and infuse different patches. That is truly the only way you will find out, which bean will make the most delicious extract of you.

Okay, enough chatting about the beans. How do I make my extract?!

It is actually super easy!

What you need:

vodka – 70-90 proof
Grade B vanilla beans
a brown glass
- using a brown glass vs. clear glass. Vanilla is sensitive in that it will lose flavor over time. Using brown glass, will protect your product from light and therefore hold it’s flavor longer ☺️.