These beans lack the white, crystalline exudate responsible for vanilla's flavor.
Despite the ubiquity of vanilla-flavored products, vanilla beans remain an exotic luxury. Because of the labor-intensive process required to cultivate and harvest the beans of the vanilla orchid, they remain the second-most expensive spice after saffron. Commercial vanilla extracts are made using specialized equipment not available to the home chef. Making a high quality vanilla extract at home requires high-quality ingredients and considerable patience to be able to trap vanilla's complex flavor and bouquet.
Bean Quality
When spending the time and energy to create your own vanilla extract, it is important to find high quality vanilla beans. The vast majority of vanilla beans sold to consumers are of low quality. One of the easiest ways of determining the quality of a commercially available whole vanilla bean is to see if its source is listed. Beans of unknown provenance are rarely of good quality and generally result in a homemade vanilla extract of inferior flavor. Bourbon vanilla beans from Madagascar are among the most fragrant and flavorful of vanilla beans.
Dilution
Producing a high-quality vanilla extract requires a large amount of vanilla beans. Vanilla beans are extremely expensive, making it tempting to attempt to use smaller amounts. A vanilla bean extract needs at least two parts vanilla bean to every five parts extraction liquor. Using less will assuredly result in an extract of little flavor.
Liquor Quality
A significant portion of the flavor of a vanilla extract comes from the selection of the liquor to be used for its extraction. While largely flavorless alcohols, like vodka, can be used to make a vanilla extract, superior extracts are made using complementary liquors, such as rum, bourbon or Scotch whisky. High-quality bourbons and dark rums that are rich in notes of caramel, toffee, and butterscotch should be selected for their ability to enhance the flavor of the vanilla. Smoky, peppery and poor quality blends should be avoided.
Extraction and Storage
The process of extraction takes time. While commercial producers use large Soxhelet extractors to quickly extract vanilla essence from the bean at low temperatures, homemade extractions take time. While it is possible for the extraction to be complete after two weeks, it is preferable to allow the vanilla bean to steep in the liquor for four weeks. Extraction times of less than two weeks are insufficient for adequately infusing the liquor, resulting in poor-quality extracts. During extraction and storage, it is critical that the extract be stored in an airtight, opaque bottle to prevent the escape of the volatile oils responsible for its flavor, or their degradation because of exposure to ultraviolet light and oxygen.
Tags: vanilla beans, vanilla bean, vanilla extract, extracts made, extracts made using, flavor vanilla
