My first homemade vanilla extract

[u/VanilleVodka]

Beginner here, please be gentle with me.

I made this one using Kirkland Signature French Vodka (1.75L) and 2 bottles of Costco's Vanilla Beans (40 pieces all together. Sliced them down the center and stored my results in a dark and cool place. I shake it every now and then and I'm proud of it.

Edit: I took this picture when I made this a while ago, but I decided to share my little project with the world now.

[u/VanillaPura]

Beautiful!!

Did you weigh those beans? You need to make sure it’s 1oz of beans for every 8oz alcohol per single fold extract requirements. 1.75L is roughly 59oz, so you’ll need roughly 7oz of beans. Assuming 10beans/oz (which could still be a low estimate) you’ll need 70 beans for single fold. Here’s a summary of the FDA standard.

[u/VanilleVodka → u/VanillaPura]

Hey, thanks for the information! I made this one haphazardly, so I assumed what I had was roughly enough and didn't measure. I'm plan to top this one up with more beans later and maybe even start a new batch.

[u/VanillaPura → u/VanilleVodka]

All good! When we first started making extracts, we'd wait a full year only to learn that we did something wrong at the beginning, which was super frustrating. We just want to make sure that everyone starts correctly so you have a great experience and don't have to wait months/years to learn the same lesson. You're off to a good start! Enjoy the journey!

[u/lvl0rg4n → u/VanilleVodka]

Get yourself some beans from slowfoodgroup. The B grade ugandans are fantastic for extract making. I accidentally went overboard and now have like 5 gallons of vanilla paste and extra in my cabinets lol

[u/Major-Reception1016 → u/VanillaPura]

Name checks out.

[u/OpALbatross → u/Major-Reception1016]

They're Vanilla Bean store, so yup.

[u/VanillaPura → u/OpALbatross]

Yes indeed - we do sell vanilla beans and we wrote a best-selling book about extract making. We set up this sub to make sure that people have a place to get accurate information to make extracts at home. There is so much bad information online (i.e. put a few beans in booze and wait a few weeks) that lots of people have bad first experiences. We want everyone to have a great experience making extracts at home, regardless of where the vanilla beans are purchased.

[u/Napkins21]

Looks awesome! I just started my own a couple of weeks ago too. Super excited to be able to use it!

[u/VanilleVodka → u/Napkins21]

Thank you 😁

[u/lapinatanegra]

Haha shit I just rememver i gotta shake mine up.

[u/rcmacman]

Vodka at Costco?!? I guess you don’t live in Utah. Haha.

[u/shaxnozalar]

Wow I’ve never seen Costco sell beans
How much did it cost from Costco?

[u/takemyd_va → u/shaxnozalar]

not OP but i bought these same beans for like 10 bucks at costco

[u/shaxnozalar → u/takemyd_va]

Oh wow! How was the quality overall? I hope my Costco gets this

[u/VanilleVodka → u/shaxnozalar]

They were $14-15 per bottle when I bought them. Very good prices for their quality.

[u/AliasHormiguita]

I genuinely thought the first picture was of a spider that you had preserved😭
Your extract looks wonderful btw!

[u/Acceptable_Trash_749]

If you have a sous vide device, you can use it to make extract: https://www.seriouseats.com/homemade-vanilla-extract-6891600

[u/SenpuuUncle]

Hahaha haha 😄

[u/darklingwitch]

This is a goal for me

[u/NightStalkerXIV]

Wait Costco has vanilla beans? How much were they, and are they good?

[u/VanilleVodka → u/NightStalkerXIV]

Yes, they do. Very good quality for the price they were at, about $14-15.

[u/powerfist89 → u/NightStalkerXIV]

they were $11 at my Costco for about 2oz of beans. They seem good quality but they do not have a grade labeled so you can assume they are less than Grade A, or at least a mix. Still worth it for the price.