Forum

With the skyrocketing price of vanilla, are you biting the bullet and paying the price or using something else?  I was thinking of switching to a clear Pandan extract, but it is almost as expensive.

So regarding extract, so far, I've been paying the price, but I made a recipe on Sunday that called for a tablespoon of vanilla and I cringed to use that much at once.

I'm kicking myself that I was in Mexico in February.  I brought home vanilla beans, but I should have brought home gallons of extract.

Have you considered buying vanilla beans in bulk and making your own vanilla essence/extract? Check e-bay .. the  pods keep for ages in a vacuum pack in the fridge .. I keep about 10 pods cut in half and stored in vodka .. great vanilla essence, wonderfully easy to extract the seeds  & much cheaper option!

I used to make my own until I read an article (maybe in Cook's Illustrated) many many years ago that said homemade would never be as potent as what you buy.  I could rethink that, but Vanilla beans have risen in price along with extract.  I've bought a lot of things on ebay but I've always been leery of buying food products. 

 I'd probably dispute the suggestion that home made is not as potent! And considering marketers have vested interests.... ;-) Try 4vanilla beans, cut in half (not lengthwise) and macerated in vodka- keep in a capped testtube in the dark for 2 months before use! Intense!

I make it myself. A dozen beans stuffed into a handle of vodka. I top off the bottle when it gets low. If you read the same Cooks Illustrated I did, they prefere homemade over commerical.

From the September 2009 issue regarding homemade over commerical vanilla:

"In each case, our extract outperformed the commercial version, boasting cleaner, more intense vanilla flavor."

Rose water was used before vanilla became available. For many recipes you could go back to rose water.