Making your own vanilla extracts

36 hours old

Vanilla is one of my recently acquired, favorite flavors. Ever since I discovered whole vanilla pods and use them in a variety of my baking and cooking, I have no regards for store bought vanilla essences or extract. It may seem pompous that I am making a bold statement such as this but I have no intention of discrediting any company that makes these vanilla extracts. I do think some pure vanilla extracts are very good products. I just think fake, imitation vanilla does not come close to the real deal. And, the real deal does not come cheap.

You can make your own vanilla extract at home and I promise you that is it extremely simple. I cannot stress that more. It's been 36 hours since I steeped my own vanilla extract and it looks and smells heavenly! So I urge you to try making your own bottle of vanilla extract at home as one 375ml bottle can and will last you years because it is more potent than the imitation. As for cost, let's just say the cost of one 125ml bottle of pure vanilla extract can buy enough pods to make 2-3bottles 375ml of vanilla essence. So, you can do the math.

To make vanilla extract you will need only two ingredients and some patience. Technically, the extraction process will take 6 months but you can start using the extract at 4 weeks.


Vanilla extract recipe:
1.5 cup of vodka (you should use a clear alcohol that is relatively flavorless and must be between 35% - 40% alcohol level)
8 vanilla pods, seeds scraped and pods cut into 1 inch pieces

Method:
Put the vanilla pod pieces and seeds into the bottle of vodka and shake. Let it sit in a cool, dark place. Shake daily for the first week, and then 2-3 times on the second week onwards. After 6 months, sieve the content.

You can either discard the vanilla pods and precipitations or you can dry it out on a few layers of kitchen towels and mix it with your sugar to make vanilla sugar. As you can see, the vanilla pods can really stretch its uses and it is very worth your while.

I used Absolute Vodka but you can go ahead and use any vodka brand you please.

Like wine, vanilla extract will mature over the years giving you a rounder and deeper flavor as time goes by. And because it is steeped in 40% alcohol, it will last forever and will never go bad. However, after 6 months of steeping I suggest straining the vanilla essence to rid the pods and seeds. The extract will continue maturing after as well.