Posted: Sat Jun 04, 05 8:53 pm Post subject: Home-made vanilla extract/essence
ButteryHOLsomeness said on another thread that she often makes her own vanilla essence/extract, too impatient to wait for details I took what she'd said, and have split a new vanilla pod, and shoved it in an ex-maple syrup jar (ie a smallish bottle) and just covered it with vodka. I don't think the splitting is necessary but we thought it might improve/speed up the taste. Colour and smell already looking impressive and I only started it at 5 today!
The bottle of Nielson Massey I have says there's sugar in theirs, but also water, so I hope I might get a nice vanilla flavouring that will be effective added to sweet things...if nothing else I'll have trendy vanilla vodka
I'll let ye know how it goes (bet you can't wait)
wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 15051 Location: East Midlands
Posted: Sat Jun 04, 05 8:59 pm Post subject:
I'm not sure that would make it into baking in this house!
Where do you get your vanilla pods from - they always seem prohibitively expensive (although definitely worth it for custard!)
Where do you get your vanilla pods from - they always seem prohibitively expensive (although definitely worth it for custard!)
Honesly, you answer a person's question, and then they ignore the answer completely, I ask you, what am I doing all this for, don't you know I'm an artist
I always think that about vanilla pods. does anyone know if you can cheaper anywhere (asian/chinese supermarkets or something?)
The cheapest I've found them is Holland and Barratt..about £3.50 for 4...I've just bought some off Suma, and I think bulk buying from them is possibly the cheapest. You can buy it by the kilo but probably not wise unless you've won the Premium Bonds and have a lot of friends with big families and a baking habit. I think it's because cultivation and preparation is so difficult, I'd have to look it up but I think the orchids have to be hand pollinated and then the pods have to be cured for quite a while to bring out the flavour, another of those things you wonder how on earth did they discover it?
sorry i couldn't give you any further instructions until now bugs, i've had an awful tummy bug and not even the lure of downsizer has been able to keep my mind off it so i spent a great deal of time in the last 24 hours or so wallowing in bed watching the x files and wishing i could just die (in between trips to the toilet )...
feeling a bit better now so i will tell you that basically you have done exactly what needs doing.
i split them lengthwise as it helps the vanilla flavour to infuse a bit faster and adds colour faster as well. pure vanilla extract has a base of alcohol so that's how i came up with the idea originally. it's stronger than store bought but lovely and very cheap! i was inspired to make it the first time about 8 years ago when a friend of mine went to mexico (i lived in texas then) and came back with a 75cl bottle for only $2 i had a good look at it and realised what they were doing so i then started looking at the back of the bottles in the supermarkets and sure enough it was basically vanilla soaked in alcohol.
with you using such a small bottle you should have some very strong extract within a month. don't be afraid to reuse the pod by topping up with vodka (though i suspect any white alcohol would do)...
Oh no, Buttery, I hope it didn't sound like I was saying you should have answered / Hope you're feeling better and thanks for the advice, even this morning it's looking impressive and the smell has changed already from vanillay vodka to slightly vodkay vanilla, so I might do a bigger batch as well
Gertie
Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Posts: 1638 Location: Yorkshire
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 05 8:25 am Post subject:
Buttery, I hope you are feeling better - nothing worse than having a poorly tummy and spending the majority of your time on the loo!!!!
Where were we - oh, yes - Like Buttery I've made home made vanilla extract using as near as dammit the same method.
Mind you, I do believe the staff at T***o's may have thought I was an alcoholic last year owing to the amount of cheap vodka I was buying - we always have a bottle in the freezer (any found in a cupboard is quickly used up by me, for liqueurs, etc.
Any other suggestions as to what people use vodka for (well, apart from drinking neat, I mean!)????
I suppose you could try distilling a rose essence as well - anyone tried it?
thanks for everyone's concern about my wellbeing... still feeling vile unfortunately so i've cancelled my work for monday, wouldn't you know it, on the rare weekend where i chose to take assignments i've had to cancel for all of them plus monday as well
might even go to the doctors tomorrow stubborn git that i am
anyway back to a more pleasant subject
how would you recommend doing the rose essence? the dog roses are blooming here and i'd love to try that out... would that be the same thing as rose water and if not how would you make rosewater? how much roses do you think should be used?
i would think you could make a nice coffee essence by cracking some coffee beans and infusing them in the vodka as well. would probably work well with anything that could be bruised or cracked and wouldn't dissolve in the alcohol.
i love coconut essence in hot chocolate, i wonder how that would be done hmmmmmm
wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 15051 Location: East Midlands
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 05 9:56 am Post subject:
Oooops - sorry! Been a bit dozy lately - slightly distracted. What was I saying? Oh yes - Thank you!
Hope you're feeling better soon buttery. If you figure out how to do the coconut essence, let me know. I'm making soap later (better hope I'm over the dippy phase!) and rather fancy a coconut flavoured one, the coconut one in the book is made with coconut oil and cocoa butter, and fragranced with rose oil (!?!) THat's just perculiar!
I wonder how many takers there would be to split a kilo of vanilla pods?
i'd be willing to be one of the takers, i love vanilla pods and would be happy to have enough to be able to add them to custard as someone mentioned earlier, or even for making homemade ice cream!
if you can get it down to a reasonable price pm me and i'll chip in for some
alison Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 12918 Location: North Devon
I'd be up for it as well, I'll have a look through the two wholesalers cats I have and look for that place that sells them in bulk.
As for coconut essence...well I bought a kilo of dessicated coconut from Suma with the intention of making macaroons/pyramids to coat in chocolate like a homemade Bounty bar....of course I've not done that (have made the pyramids though and I think they would work). It's so strongly scented I think it would be worth a go a la the vanilla essence.
Somebody somewhere must have written a book or site on making your own flavourings. The one I really want is almond essence - I bought the only one I can find and although it is just almond and peanut oil it really doesn't smell right at all.
I think I'll edit my original post to say home made essences...
Infinity sells organic vanilla pods at £44 for 200g and they are from www.organicherbtrading.com who seem to say £180 a kilo plus delivery.
I wonder how many pods are in 200g? Quite a few I would imagine.
Edit...5xpods each in a plastic packet weigh just a bit over 20g...so you should get a good 50 pods in 200g, probably more, that works out under £1 each (depending on postage) which is reasonable I think. Actually as they're organic I suppose it's extremely reasonable providing they are in good condition.
wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 15051 Location: East Midlands
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 05 5:17 pm Post subject:
That would be 10 each for about a tenner (assuming we don't get enough takers for a kilo!), allowing a bit for postage.
How's that sound?
Do you want me to do it Bugs, as I'm on holiday, or are you ordering stuff soon anyway?
sean Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 42207 Location: North Devon
but probably not wise unless you've won the Premium Bonds and have a lot of friends with big families and a baking habit. I think it's because cultivation and preparation is so difficult, I'd have to look it up but I think the orchids have to be hand pollinated and then the pods have to be cured for quite a while to bring out the flavour, another of those things you wonder how on earth did they discover it?
)... 
/ Hope you're feeling better and thanks for the advice, even this morning it's looking impressive and the smell has changed already from vanillay vodka to slightly vodkay vanilla, so I might do a bigger batch as well 
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