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PURE vanilla extract

post #1 of 38
2/20/05 at 6:31pm
Thread Starter 
Here is my secret to great tasting, well, anything that calls for vanilla extract. I make my own vanilla extract! It's easy and cheaper per ounce then what most grocery store call pure extract.

Start with a fifth of vodka! (any recipe must be good if it starts with a fifth of alcohol thumbs_up.gif ) ( I use Popov because it has a plastic cap which can take a pretty good beating, opening and closing)

Take 2 - 3 vanilla beans, you want to make sure that they have a shine to them. That means they're fresher. Cut them in half and split the lengthwise to expose the beans.

Drop them in the vodka, secure the cap and shake the bottle up every day for a month. (trust me, it's worth the wait)

After the first month, drain the bottle into a large bowl and discard the beans. Then, refill the bottle with the vanilla vodka. Then, cut and split 2 more beans and drop them in the vodka.

Shake daily for another month.

At the end of the second month you will have PURE vanilla extract and people will rave about your baking! I leave the second batch of beans in the bottle, it dosen't hurt anything.

I can make a fifth of extract for around $16. A 4oz bottle of "pure" (water, sugar, vanilla beans, alcohol) vanilla extract sells for $4

Happy baking!
Joe
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post #2 of 38
2/23/05 at 9:17pm
That sounds soooo good!! Thanks I think I just might try it!! I love new recipes!!
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"Learn from a turtle... it only makes progress when it sticks it's neck out"
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post #3 of 38
2/24/05 at 6:14am
I must say I like the thought of vanilla vodka too! thumbs_up.gif
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post #4 of 38
4/1/05 at 6:37am
icon_surprised.gificon_eek.gificon_confused.gif theres vanilla vodka????? Whaaaa? how does it taste?
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post #5 of 38
4/1/05 at 6:57am
I'm sorry , but what is a fifth of vodka ? Is it 1/5 of a bottle ?
And if yes , what is the onces of the bottle ?
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post #6 of 38
4/1/05 at 7:14am
I have been wanting to try that, but I have been a tad lazy. I buy my vanilla from Mexico. There's a distributor here in the US. I haven't found a bottled one that's better. Maybe I'll try that recipe. icon_lol.gif
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post #7 of 38
4/1/05 at 7:16am
I've been using the Wilton vanilla in my icings when I don't use the butter flavoring. The only vanilla I've used for many years is what I get in Mexico when I visit my sis in Az. I'd be willing to try this too, but where do you get the vanilla beans and what do you look for when buying them? Obviously I've never done it. My sister left a fifth of vodka here after she made my son's wedding cake two years ago. Uses it to glue things to fondant. So, enlighten me please. Thanks!
"Life's tough, pilgrim. It's even tougher if you're stupid!" John Wayne
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"Life's tough, pilgrim. It's even tougher if you're stupid!" John Wayne
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post #8 of 38
4/1/05 at 7:19am
I know that you can find them in a grocery store or a farmers market, with the liquid vanilla. I think that you would want to find the best vanilla beans. This might take some trying.

Carolann, don't you just love the Mexican vanilla, it such a wonderful aroma and flavor, mmmmm mmmmm good!
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post #9 of 38
4/1/05 at 7:40am
Oh yes, it's the best I've ever used. I keep a bottle of the clear on hand too, though I have yet to use it in any of my icings. Mostly I use Wilton butter flavoring for that. How do I know the best vanilla beans when I see them? LOL I'll check at my heath food store. They have a lot of grocery and produce items. I may be going there this weekend even. Might as well check it out. Have a great weekend.
"Life's tough, pilgrim. It's even tougher if you're stupid!" John Wayne
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"Life's tough, pilgrim. It's even tougher if you're stupid!" John Wayne
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post #10 of 38
4/1/05 at 8:29am
You won't know until you taste it probably. Try the madagascan beans or ask what they recommend. The farmers market is really good at having knowledgable people on hand.
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post #11 of 38
4/1/05 at 8:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by flayvurdfun

icon_surprised.gificon_eek.gificon_confused.gif theres vanilla vodka????? Whaaaa? how does it taste?



I am making some right now it smells good but I dont know what it taste like... I do know that there is now floaties from the beans in the vodka and I am going to have to strain it when I am ready to use it ...
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post #12 of 38
4/1/05 at 8:59am
My sister and a couple of friends went to Mexico this past November. I brought back some clear Mexican Vanilla. It does have a different taste.
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post #13 of 38
4/1/05 at 10:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beecharmer

My sister and a couple of friends went to Mexico this past November. I brought back some clear Mexican Vanilla. It does have a different taste.



That mexican vanilla has a bad smell to it .. There has been some saying that there is nto the right stuff in there ... when I got mine and smelled it I tossed it right in the trash... that stuff scared me...
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post #14 of 38
4/1/05 at 10:22am
Mexican vanilla isn't always orchid vanilla (what we all think of as vanilla). It's sometimes tonka beans, which can taste/smell similar, but are banned for importation because (while it take a lot of ingestion and a lot of time) can cause health problems because of cumulative exposure. So whatever you guys had, it may not have been bad, but could have been tonka. Ugh.

As for the person who asked what a fifth of vodka is: It's the basic, standard sized bottle of vodka you'll find in a liquor store, appx 750 ml.

Illy
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post #15 of 38
4/1/05 at 10:54am
Thanks ilithiya, I had to go check. It says that it is made from real orchid vanilla. Also on the bottle it says that there is no courmarin (which is derived from the tonka bean) in it.

Here's the website
http://www.molinoreal.com/ingles/vainillade.htm

Here's another that tells you how the vanilla is made
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/vanilla.htm

Thank you for the info ilithiya, because I never knew what courmarin was until now. thumbs_up.gif
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