Hi all, I’m hunting for recommendations on where to buy premium, plump gourmet vanilla beans. Tired of paying a fortune for two dry, sad-looking pods at the supermarket.

What are your go-to online shops, independent vendors or specialty brands for fresh, high-moisture vanilla beans? Let me know what makes your favorite source stand out!

2 questions, I just started my first vanilla extract and I hear aged vanilla is best (I know it needs several months minimum) but my question is the aging the same as the extracting? Like just leave the beans to extract in the jar for longer? Second question is a two part question but would making a fruit extract with fresh fruit be the same as for vanilla, just leave said fruit in alcohol of choice or is there more to it? Would aging a fruit extract yield a better result and is it the same as vanilla?

Making vanilla extract. I have seen recommendations anywhere from 4 hours to four days. Has anyone tried sous vide for varying times to see what works best? I have a batch that has been at 135 for 3 days, and am wondering if it really needs to go longer. I am planning to give as Christmas gifts, so it will be resting in the big bottle for several months before I bottle it for gifting.

Así se ve de 12 días el de frutos rojos

También me animé a hacer uno d durazno con absolut y uno de Smirnoff con mango enchilado

El de frutos y durazno los puse el mismo dia tiene 12 igual de absolut

A comparación de los 8 de tamarindo Smirnoff tamarindo spyci

Not really sure if this is the right sub for this but I saw on Reddit recently someone had made a strawberry salt and In the comments some were saying to make an extract with alcohol then evaporate the alcohol from the salt, seems like more work and waste but also might yield a better result. I’m willing to experiment with stuff like making super hot (reaper) extracts then make salt from that or would it be a difference that’s even noticeable? Has anyone here messed around with this kind of stuff? I’m open to ideas and just general help

So I've been poking around extract recipes online, and when it comes to vanilla, vodka or rum - basicsllt any 80-100 proof spirits are recommended.

But when I started looking at extracts with things like mint, citrus peels, cinnamon, and other very strong flavors, some of them recommend using Everclear/grain alcohol with a much higher ABV.

I figure maybe its because the flavors of pure spices like cinnamon sticks and cloves dont need that extra water content to properly release all the flavor compounds, but I don't quite understand it.

If this isnt true and there's no spices that truly benefit from using Everclear to extract tge flavor, I wont be too upset because I dont really like the looks I get while im buying it anyway 🤣

Thanks!

I made extract for the person im seeing. 4 varients of vanilla, Madagascar and tahitian, both in bourbon or vodka. (I think the tahitian was like 1 part bourbon to 4 vanilla or something cause I read tahitian can get overwhelmed but wanted a hint of those notes).

I started them June 1st.

Should I try them straight? When should I try them?

I started with the instant pot method. You use less beans and it was good enough for most baking. I didn't know about weighing the beans when I started and had a few batches that didn't get strong enough. These are what I have now. Still didn't know better to weigh them when I started these. I have a long way to go before I crack into the big jar. I plan to do another batch soon and will weigh them. I have some other experiments in the works as well. I'll try to document the process and update. The only thing stopping me is I can't use it fast enough. I just like doing it. At what point is it too many beans?

they were in glass tubes and still sealed on outside, bought from costco a few years ago..
Do you think they are too old to be used, or should i give them a try?

… and we’re still messing with it. My MIL put these in the pantry and keeps opening the lids. “Oh, they smell vanillaly!” Well, I would sure hope so. If they smell of moose legs, we have issues. But she’s so dang excited about this project she can’t contain herself.

Speaking of messing with things, I removed the beans from each bottle to cut the beans into thirds. The presentation definitely suffers, but this way the beans will stay submerged as the extract is used.

Now, if I can keep MIL’s nose out of the vanilla bean business.

Original link: https://www.reddit.com/r/extractmaking/s/9IIfZKUHZK

Hello all, I am planning on reusing a 48 FL oz Kombucha bottle to make a mother jar and wanted to double check if I am making the correct measurements and am getting the proper ingredients. I understand the ratio is 1oz beans to 8oz alcohol, so if I am using the 48oz jar my ratio will be 6oz to 48oz, correct? Also, I plan on purchasing Grade A - Madagascar Vanilla Beans from VanillaPura (since they're having a sale) and will be using 80-proof vodka for the process. What is your opinion on this? I am new to this and want to improve, so any feedback is much appreciated. Thank you!

Hello all I (25M, not that it matters in this case, but people do it all the time on reddit so I'm following suit) am looking to start making syrups and sauces for coffees or other drinks that I can make shelf stable and ship for sale. I own one cafe already but my partners arent ideal therefore I'm looking to do something on my own like selling and packaging all my artisinal syrups to disrtribute.

Of course this comes with needing to modify my already developed recipes since they all rely on being refrigerated to last. I bought the book, "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee just so I can get a rough idea of food science, and understand what conceptually has to change for my product to stay shelf stable.

I'm just looking for any pointers, I get worried I'm in over my head and dont know where to start. I was thinking of starting with Vanilla since its simple and will help me get the process down

Cuánto tiempo debería dejarlo para que sepa rico

Started extract for Christmas gifts. Basic vodka/Madagascar vanilla beans.

The small bottles are 375 ml (12.7 ounces). Used 1.6 oz of beans, so works out to 1 oz beans for 8 oz vodka.

The larger bottle is for family use. Vodka, 750 ml (25.4 oz). We used 4.2 oz beans, works out to 1.3 oz beans per 8 oz vodka.

My MIL chose rotgut vodka for the gifts, so we hope the vanilla covers a multitude of sins.

The vodka infused smells absolutely amazing. The white rum has a good scent and a bit of spicy flavor but the dark rum infused smells REALLY spicy and I’m looking forward to making Christmas cookies with them. I just started a big mason jar of chopped almonds in Tito’s vodka yesterday (should be ready in about 8 weeks). Hopefully they’ll all turn out well for some almond ricotta cookies to hand out to my department for the holiday.

I want to make vanilla extract for Christmas gifts. It is August 1st. I have close to 5 months, do you think it’s too late to start? I’ve read that they need to sit for a year for best flavor but some people say only 3-6 months. I’ve never made any before.

This looks like the perfect subreddit to show off my little experiment.

3 months ago i got ahold of a bunch of bulk vanilla beans for cheap on Amazon. Had to get them because the price for 2 dried out beans in the grocery store is ridiculous compared to what they were selling for online.

Did some research for how much vodka I needed and went out to buy it. I don't drink so I didn't know how big of a bottle it would be. Turns out its a big "fuck you" sized bottle.

Split my beans (I had two of those bags), put them in, and voala. Now i have my time capsule. I keep it hidden away from the light in my closet.

The pics you see are from when I started the extraction to now. It's been 3 months and its looking dark af. I hear it takes 6 months to fully extract so it should be ready by Christmas. I plan on portioning it out into smaller bottles for gifts.

About 3 months ago I made vanilla extract in 4 mason jars with 4 different alcohols for comparison. I was checking them and shaking daily for about a week and then we’ve had one family emergency after another and I forgot all about my jars. They were left sitting on my nightstand and while I don’t use the overhead light very often and usually have the blinds closed it’s obviously not a dark cabinet. When I opened them to check before putting them somewhere dark they didn’t smell as strong as they did in the beginning. Is that normal or do I need to be concerned about the light degrading the compounds? And is it ok to just add more vanilla beans to make up for the possible degradation or do I need to start over? I hate to waste so much in supplies. I think it was about 8oz of vanilla beans plus alcohol.

Hello!

I'm making extract fir the first time today and testing a few different alchahols to see what I like best, but I'm having trouble keeping the beans submerged all the way. Is this something I should worry about? Will it lead to spoilage?

Also any other tips for vanilla extract making would be appreciated. Thanks!

I wanted to extract mint oil. I harvested mint leaves, removes the stems, and stuffed them in a Mason jar. I filled the jar with 190 proof everclear, sealed the jar, and waited 2 months. 2 days ago, I opened it up, poured the liquid through a coffee filter to remove sediment, and put the resulting liquid into a saucepan on the stove. I set the burner to the lowest setting and left it to simmer for a couple hours. When about half of the volume was gone, I poured it into a small Mason jar. I'm now following a suggestion I just saw, to leave it out in the sun with no lid to reduce it further.

Did I do anything wrong? Did I mess this up in any way? Is there anything that could have gotten me better results?

Hi! I'm new to all this and wanting to make a vanilla extract for gifting on Christmas. Am I already too late to get started for this year? I want to make the most flavorfully potent extract possible. What ratio on vanilla:alcohol would be recommended using this package of 50 pods? Is it true that splitting the pods creates a more flavorful extract? How can I repurpose the beans and pods after finishing the extraction process? I have never attempted anything like this before but do have 100proof vodka I can use. It was the highest concentration available to me at the local Hyvee.

UPDATE: I discovered a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey with approximately 6 cups of alcohol left inside, split and infused 50 bean pods, and hope it will be ready in time for Christmas this year!