Ask a baker what his/her favorite ingredient is and you’ll get a little of everything: butter, sugar, flour, yeast, etc. Ask a baker what their favorite spice/flavoring is and you’ll probably get Vanilla, with the odd Cinnamon. Why all the questions? Well, during the month of August (every Thursday to be exact) Cooking with Books will be focusing on that one essential flavor: Vanilla. We’ll touch on everything from history to varieties, as well as preservation methods and recipes. Today we’ll start small, with a few facts and tips. Vanilla will be the focus of every Thursday, showcasing ways to use it in sweet applications as well as savory dishes.
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| Photo Property of Beanilla Trading Company |
What are Vanilla Beans?
Only the second most expensive spice in the world, after Saffron and before Cardamom, Vanilla beans are the fruit of the Vanilla planifolia (main species). Each flower produces one fruit, a slender and aromatic bean. The flower is an hermafrodite, meaning it has both male and female parts, separate as to not cause auto-pollination. Who pollinated them? Bees! A specific bee, called the Melipone found in Mexico would land on the flower and do a little dance, pollinating the flower. As with everything, us humans now imitate that pollination by hand, which is why the beans are so expensive.
Are there different types of Vanilla Beans?
Yes! Vanilla is produced in Madagascar, India, Tahiti, Mexico, and a few other countries and just like a good wine, terroir affects its flavor, size and potency. The trees that are planted nearby, the shade/sunlight they get, the method of pollination, the air they breathe! Anything and everything can infuse the beans with a slightly different nuance. The Vanilla Beans we’ll be focusing on this month are from: Madagascar, Tahiti, India and Mexico.We’ll also test out some extract, ground vanilla and vanilla powder.
How to Store Vanilla Beans
Imagine where YOU’D like to be stored. Would you enjoy a humid, hot room? How about a shivering, cold fridge? No, you would NOT. Be the bean and you will learn to store it. A cool, airtight container will do the trick. No, do NOT place the beans in the fridge because this will only dry them out. Leave them in the vacuum sealed bag if it comes in one and if it doesn’t, wrap in plastic wrap tightly. Unless you buy a thousand beans, you’ll use them up before you have to air them out. BUT if you are lucky enough to have a thousand beans in your possession, remember to air them out every few months. Normally, it’s recommended you buy the beans you’re estimating on using in the next 6 months. Don’t be greedy.
What to do with your Vanilla Beans NOW?
While I test out some recipes, you can start prepping your vanilla beans into some basic, but aromatic items that will need very few ingredients, a little love and a week or two of sitting time.
- Vanilla Salt: Cut a slit through the bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds off with a spoon. Using a knife will also remove the tiny hairs inside the pod, which you don’t want. A spoon is softer and glides into the curve of the bean. Chop the rest of the bean into smaller pieces. In a small bowl, mix 1 cup of your favorite salt with the vanilla scrapings and pieces. Place in an airtight container for a week or more to infuse the salt. Not only can this be used as the salt in your desserts, but we’ll be cooking with it as well later on!
- Vanilla Extract: Cut a slit through the bean and scrape seeds with spoon. I’ve seen a few methods where the seeds are not scraped, but doing this will infuse the flavor a little faster. You will need 3 beans for every cup of distilled alcohol. Vodka is regularly used, as it is a flavorless liquid that can be infused well. I have some beans infusing in brandy and it’s taken them about a month and a half to fight the brandy flavor, but it’s well worth it. Smooth brandy undertones, with the vanilla as the star. Pour into bottle and store in a cool dark place for a few weeks.
- Vanilla Sugar: Did you make flan and steeped the bean in the milk? No worries, rinse it off with a little water, dry it out in your oven and pop into your sugar! Never, ever throw away a bean out. Ever. Not even if your Mother tells you to.
Now I hand it over to you. Are there any nagging questions about Vanilla that you have? Any recipes you’d like me to try out, focusing on Vanilla? Had a dream with Vanilla beans hanging from the ceiling? Leave it in the comments and we’ll decipher it!
Disclaimer: Vanilla samples were sent by Beanilla, free of charge. All opinions are 100% honest, because what would be the point of this then? I was not monetarily compensated for a positive review.
I recently did vanilla, vanilla salt, vanilla sugar, vanilla brown sugar and vanilla oats. I had a ball. Who knew vanilla beans were so much fun. I look forward to seeing what you come up with. I love playing with these things so will pop by for inspiration. Thanks for sharing this info with us. I am now going to take my extras out of the fridge. Lol!
I am not much of a baker but whenever i bake something sweet .. i need to add a lil of venilla extract .. just love the smell!
I love vanilla extract!! I’ve never actually made anything from vanilla beans so super excited to read all about it
Love vanilla and add it to every dessert I make. Someone gave me a jar of vanilla salt : can you tell me how to use it? In savory or sweet?
My Mum gave me a few beans that I placed in a tight container in my fridge. I am glad to learn that vanilla beans should not be stored in fridge. Thanks for this very informative post.:) love reading your tweets and love your blog!
It’s hard not to love vanilla! Have you had any success using vanilla in savory dishes? I find it tough to pull off successfully.
I am paying close attention and getting to know vanilla!
You just can’t have too much vanilla in your kitchen! Wonderful post!
You are so cute! This post was wonderful, and I had no idea that it is the second most expensive spice in the world. We do learn something new everyday! My favorite spice is cinnamon and cardamom. For vanilla….hmmmm…I think you should make something with some banana love, maybe a panna cotta or flan, with vanilla and bananas….
Hugs, Terra
Vanilla is definatly my favourite flavouring!! (I also like cinnamon but vanilla is just special…) I like this post a lot!
Thanks for sharing
I smelled vanilla while reading the post LOL! But thanks for all the info about vanilla. I love vanilla looking forward to the next vanilla series.
Great idea for a post series. Quality vanilla can make such a difference in a finished product. Well worth the cost!
Costco actually carried for a little while there a tube of was it madagascar or tahitian?! vanilla beans. Love it! Love this series Nelly!! Nice intorduction.
Baking and vanilla goes hand in hand….and being my favorite flavor I could not ask for more out of this series. Beautiful initiative, Nella. Let there be more Vanilla!
Be the bean! Love it Nelly! Although I’m pretty sure I don’t want to be stored in an airtight container-lol! I got to tour a vanilla/spice farm last summer in Costa Rica-very cool! Fun post, and I’m looking forward to more vanilla Thursdays and some yummy vanilla infused creations!
Fun series! I’ve never thought of doing vanilla salt…sounds like a good idea. I can imagine the flavor would be fantastic. And I also didn’t know about ground vanilla. Look how much we learn from you!
I’m sad to say that I am a true vanilla bean virgin. It is a little embarrassing to say that out loud. What kind of half-hearted baker am I? Sigh. I need to take my shamefull self over to the store and get some pods. Oh the humanity.
Vanilla!! A big favorite!! I like the vanilla salt idea, I have done extract, and sugar but the salt, I didn’t know about that! great post Nelly
I love vanilla sugar and I love it in my coffee in the morning! Nice article on something we might take just a bit too much for granted.
Love food facts! Great post. All summer I have been planning to make my own vanilla extract so that it would be ready for Christmas baking. I think I will get to it this weekend! Looking forward to next week’s post.
Been eyeing the vanilla pods at the supermarket for weeks, wondering when/how to use them! Thanks for the lesson, as well as the fun ideas!
Great post!! I ADORE fresh vanilla. SO yummy.
WOW!! Loved all the info on vanilla. Going get down to baking something with vanilla for sure.
Love vanilla. I use the used pods to make vanilla vodka too. Yum! Can’t wait to see what next Thursday’s vanilla post is.
i actually have never bought my own vanilla beans before. they are super expensive here. lol. i have never heard of vanilla sugar or salt, but i am already sure that the flavors must take amazing. for some reason, i am craving good old plain vanilla ice cream with vanilla bean speckles. you know, the real thing, not the imitation vanilla ice cream! 😛