Homemade Vanilla Extract

[VickiLynn]

I ordered mine from Amazon.com for about 50 per bean:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CPZSC8

 

[Denim Deb]

I think I'm going to have to try this. I hate to buy real vanilla extract, it's so expensive, but I also hate to buy the imitation stuff cuz it's not real.

For someone that doesn't drink, what alcohol would work best, or is there something else that can be used?

 

[Rhettsgreygal]

This is also my first time making it. I believe most people use vodka. I have seen recipes where people have used brandy, rum and tequila.

I don't drink much at all and vodka is on sale at the grocery store here. I bought one bottle (1.75 liter) on Sunday and found that I have enough vanilla beans for 1 - 2 more bottles. I bought another today and may get another before the sale ends. They are going to think I am an alcoholic if I keep buying the stuff

Or they may think I am trying to "drink away" the snow storm headed our way. I am so sick of snow. Snow should be outlawed after taxes are mailed in.

 

[VickiLynn]

This is also my first time making it. I believe most people use vodka. I have seen recipes where people have used brandy, rum and tequila.

I don't drink much at all and vodka is on sale at the grocery store here. I bought one bottle (1.75 liter) on Sunday and found that I have enough vanilla beans for 1 - 2 more bottles. I bought another today and may get another before the sale ends. They are going to think I am an alcoholic if I keep buying the stuff

Or they may think I am trying to "drink away" the snow storm headed our way. I am so sick of snow. Snow should be outlawed after taxes are mailed in.

I agree about outlawing the snow! 6-10 inches coming!! Last year we had our onions and potatoes planted by this time! This is really depressing

Denim Deb, I remember reading somewhere about using diluted glycerin instead of vodka for nonalcoholic vanilla extract. But if you normally buy vanilla extract in the store, you're getting alcohol anyway.

 

[Rhettsgreygal]

This is also my first time making it. I believe most people use vodka. I have seen recipes where people have used brandy, rum and tequila.

I don't drink much at all and vodka is on sale at the grocery store here. I bought one bottle (1.75 liter) on Sunday and found that I have enough vanilla beans for 1 - 2 more bottles. I bought another today and may get another before the sale ends. They are going to think I am an alcoholic if I keep buying the stuff

Or they may think I am trying to "drink away" the snow storm headed our way. I am so sick of snow. Snow should be outlawed after taxes are mailed in.

I agree about outlawing the snow! 6-10 inches coming!! Last year we had our onions and potatoes planted by this time! This is really depressing

Denim Deb, I remember reading somewhere about using diluted glycerin instead of vodka for nonalcoholic vanilla extract. But if you normally buy vanilla extract in the store, you're getting alcohol anyway.

Don't forget they were building snowmen in May last year.

 

[calendula]

This is also my first time making it. I believe most people use vodka. I have seen recipes where people have used brandy, rum and tequila.

I don't drink much at all and vodka is on sale at the grocery store here. I bought one bottle (1.75 liter) on Sunday and found that I have enough vanilla beans for 1 - 2 more bottles. I bought another today and may get another before the sale ends. They are going to think I am an alcoholic if I keep buying the stuff

Or they may think I am trying to "drink away" the snow storm headed our way. I am so sick of snow. Snow should be outlawed after taxes are mailed in.

I agree about outlawing the snow! 6-10 inches coming!! Last year we had our onions and potatoes planted by this time! This is really depressing

Denim Deb, I remember reading somewhere about using diluted glycerin instead of vodka for nonalcoholic vanilla extract. But if you normally buy vanilla extract in the store, you're getting alcohol anyway.

Don't forget they were building snowmen in May last year.

I know a lot of people hate that there's more snow coming, but I always kind of considered Easter to be the cut off date for snow...and even then we sometimes still get snow after Easter. It's supposed to be good snowball making snow though, so I think we'll have one last (hopefully) winter play-day when I get home tongiht.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I made vanilla extract last year with vodka and I desperately need to replinish my beans. It's getting pretty pale now. It was easy, and much cheaper though!

 

[ORChick]

I think I'm going to have to try this. I hate to buy real vanilla extract, it's so expensive, but I also hate to buy the imitation stuff cuz it's not real.

For someone that doesn't drink, what alcohol would work best, or is there something else that can be used?

I would suggest vodka. It has very little flavor of its own, and will take on the vanilla flavor very well. As to the alcohol content - The amount used in any one recipe is so tiny as to be unimportant (from the alcohol standpoint, not from the flavor), and most things with vanilla are cooked or at least heated so that some, at least, of the alcohol will evaporate. If still concerned about the alcohol (as I gather some people with children are, though I'm not sure why) you could skip the vanilla extract altogether, and use your vanilla beans to make vanilla sugar, or just use the beans themselves in your cooking.

 

[Denim Deb]

It's not the alcohol in the vanilla extract that's a problem, it's buying the alcohol that's a problem! Especially since my hubby is an alcoholic, and I don't need more of the stuff in the house than is already here. :/ Maybe I'll just have to buy a bottle of it, and hide it so he doesn't find it.

 

[ORChick]

It's not the alcohol in the vanilla extract that's a problem, it's buying the alcohol that's a problem! Especially since my hubby is an alcoholic, and I don't need more of the stuff in the house than is already here. :/ Maybe I'll just have to buy a bottle of it, and hide it so he doesn't find it.

Ah yes, I can see that might be a problem. You could get a bottle of vodka and decant it into canning jars immediately; pop the vanilla beans in, and store them in your pantry, and then get rid of the vodka bottle.