I've been making vanilla for about 15 years. The best ever was made with Tito's Vodka. I've used Rum, Bourbon and Irish Whiskey. They were all awesome but Tito's was over the TOP in flavor. IMO, it's the best. But, we all have different tastes and likes! :) Thank you for sharing. ♥
Wonderful video and instruction. (A friend who was listening, but not watching, asked me why I was watching Marge Simpson! I hope you'll take that as a compliment!)
I made this recipe today; however, I bought half-pint jars by mistake. So, I used three beans in each jar, instead of the 6 beans your recipe calls for. I think they'll work out fine. I also used leftover beans to make batches the old-fashioned way, by putting jars in the cabinet and letting them sit.
I know I'm late to the party but so glad I found your video! It gave me some great ideas! Thank you for doing this! I went a step further. I decided to try making other extracts for a flavoring basket..for a Christmas gift. I made cacao extract, lemon, coffee, blueberry (cuz I had leftover dried berries) & vanilla extract! They came out great! Cant wait to give it to my brother! 😁 I'm also going to make more for baking and am so excited to see how it works!
Highly recommend using imported Russian Vodka for all vodka based extracts! Huge difference! It's an amazing spirit in comparison to the Smirnoff brand I've used. Wish I'd discovered this gem sooner.
I love your blog and channel!! I can always count on recipes that come out tasty and correct. Vanilla extract has really increased in price. Thanks for this. I’m blind and measuring from a jar will also be easier. 😊
Hello! Do you discard the vanilla beans after a week or can they be repurposed? Or maybe you can just leave them inside the jars to get a stronger extract (or are they completely spent by then)? If you leave them in the jars can it cause the vanilla extract to go bad? I know for a cold infusion you can basically leave the beans in there indefinitely... Does the hot infusion significantly shorten their shelf life? Sorry for all the questions 😅 Also, great video!
I was so excited to do this and bought all the things you suggested for it. I followed what you said. Today was day 7 and I put in the smaller jars. However, the color is not very dark and it tastes watered down. Any advice?
Hi Kim! You can leave it for a few more days or you can pressure cook again. I am not sure why this did not work for you. It may have been that your beans were not fully split.
@@AMindFullMom thank you for responding. I left them it all in the jars while I went on vacation a week. Now I’m putting in smaller jars. I bought the beans from your link. I have lots of little specks (sludge) so I’m thinking I should strain before bottling. Yours looked pretty clear.
Hi Rosalie! You can make only 2 jars. Add 12 half beans into each pint jar. Pour the vodka up to the lip of the jar and then loosely place the lid on the jar. The cooking time will be the same.
I use 2 ounces of beans in a pint jar. (3 ounces for double-fold) That’s probably 3 to 4 times more than the amount you used here. The FDA minimum for 14 ounces of vodka is 1.5 ounces of beans. I didn’t make up the amount I use. It was recommended amounts by experienced extract makers. I’d love to see a blind test to determine if I’m just going way overboard. Oh, and I never use bottom-shelf vodka. Even mid-grade is literally just a few bucks more. Why risk it? I use Rain vodka, which is distilled 7 times. I just bought a 1.75 liter bottle last week for about 22 dollars. The plastic bottle rotgut was about 14 dollars.
Wow, that's truly interesting. Grocery stores have been advertising artificial vanilla extract a month ago at stupid prices. Any suggestion to adapt your invention into an extract?
@@CatchLightAnne I honestly don't know what you are referring to. I have never seen black vanilla extract. Sorry I can't help more. Vanilla will darken over time, but is more deep brown than black.
The flavor of vodka does affect your taste of the vanilla. I prefer to spend extra on the better vodka if I use vodka. I actually prefer Bacardi or Spiced Rim
I did everything as directed, except I used 7 beans, my extract looks kinda cloudy is that okay? I have made extract the slow closet version and it was clear 😢..
@@AMindFullMom well I checked it today ..and it still looks kinda murky, but I smells spectacular! I did use grade A beans that were a little oily, I’m wondering could that be the culprit? I’m planning on gifting this, but I am doubting the quality of the extract cause it is a little murky… i did another run of extract today, using a Grade B beans and the extract was not murky like my first batch, I’m suspicious that the grade A has more caviar and oil, which caused the vanilla to be murky
The cloudiness is an emulsion caused by the combined vodka and moisture and oils in the grade A vanilla beans. The quality is just as rich as the clear extract made with drier grade B beans. The quality is in the taste, not the appearance.
Sorry but you still need to let that sit a few months. What you get after a few days is way too light and weak and won't have the depth of flavor actual steeped vanilla should have.
