What do vanilla beans look like

Vanilla is a labor intensive crop that is processed entirely by hand from harvest to curing, which is part of the reason that true vanilla is so expensive and that synthetic vanilla flavoring is used so abundantly. Vanilla comes from the vanilla orchid, native to Mexico, where it has been used since ancient time by the indigenous peoples. To produce vanilla, the vanilla seed pods from the orchid are fermented and then dried. The most prized is Tahitian vanilla, whereas the most commonly available worldwide has usually been Madagascan—the long, thin kind.

Bourbon vanilla comes from the island of Reunion and is so named because it began to be exported during the occupation by the French Bourbon kings. Vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world after saffron. Once vanilla is grown outside of its homeland of Mexico, it no longer has the help of the specific local bees to facilitate pollination and reproduction between male and female parts of the orchid.

Meaning, in places like Madagascar, each individual vanilla orchid must be hand pollinated by a worker on the one day a year when the plant flowers. It then takes the seed pods 9 months to ripen after which they begin the curing process wherein the beans are blanched, sweated, and dried in the sun over a period of several weeks. Unlike in Madagascar, where the traditional, harvesting method is followed, some countries, like Indonesia, mass produce vanilla beans, picking them before they are at their prime and heat cured with kerosene instead of by the sun.

This results in a cheaper product both price- and quality-wise. Additionally, since vanilla orchids grow best in very hot, humid climates, vanilla bean is generally harvested in tropical countries, many of them islands, that can be affected by extreme weather. This is true vanilla. It is usually sold in an airtight container as dried out vanilla beans lose their flavor, so purchase beans that are packaged in a vial or vacuum packed.

Keep your vanilla in a cool dark place at home. In desserts, a whole split vanilla bean, or a split and scraped vanilla bean this gets the best of both worlds and increases the potential for the seeds to infuse a liquid with their fragrance and may be used liquid-based and often heat-treated recipes like stewed fruits or vanilla pudding.

Sometimes, seeds are simply scraped and added to recipes like cookies prepped at room-temperature or whipped into things like vanilla buttercream. Keep reading. Supported by product placement. To remove the seeds from the vanilla bean, simply use a paring knife to slice the pod in half.

Then, use the back of the knife to scrape the seeds away from the pod. Vanilla is pricey, so before you throw the pod away, put that fragrant casing to use! Make homemade vanilla sugar by sticking your scraped vanilla pod into a jar or container of sugar and let it sit, sealed, for a week. You can make a quick homemade vanilla extract by simply caramelizing sugar and water and adding vanilla beans seeds and pods.

This can then be stored and used as you would the store-bought extract. If you have more time on your hands, you can also experiment with making your own vanilla extract by steeping your scraped out vanilla beans in a clear, odorless alcohol, like vodka, in an airtight glass jar or bottle for a minimum of 3 months.

The price she paid for the beans in Bali had to also include the price of the airline ticket! You know how you said it works better to mix the seeds with something warm? Yes, the vanilla will still disperse in the icing, but you will need to let it mix for a minute or so to get them evenly distributed. I made vanilla sugar 2 weeks ago by scraping the seed and then chopping the remaining bean and adding to sugar.

Thanks for your help. I use a VitaMix blender. Thanks so much for your help. The pod of the vanilla bean is very fibrous and will not break down well. But, if your VitaMix will pulverize it completely, you may be ok.

Do you have a recipe for English breakfast vanilla tea? I have seen raw organic vanilla beans advertised for sale. I thought vanilla beans had to be fermented before use.

Can you please enlighten me? The vanilla beans are set out to dry in the sun, which is in a sense baking them, but not sure this counts when you define a raw ingredient? This may be a question for Susan Powers at Rawmazing. Putting the seeds in the sun is not baking them. When you go over — degrees you kill the enzymes and up to 90 percent of the nutritional value in any food.

The sun is dehydrating them, not baking them. I hope this helps! Great article. I love seeing fellow bloggers talk about vanilla beans. Did you know you can even use the vanilla bean packaging to flavor sugar?! Hi Zoe,can you tell me how to stop vanilla seeds from settling to the bottom of the dish? Just made a lovely vanilla panna cotta and all the seeds are on the bottom of the glasses.

Any tips on that? There is nothing you can do to prevent this, just what the little seeds want to do. The flavor is still dispersed in the custard. Thank you very much for this post! I have always wanted to bake with vanilla beans, and have just used three in a homemade cheesecake!

Wow, what an amazing website…nicely done. I am new in the cooking world and thought you could help me out. I use a whole vanilla bean for one serving. So long story short, can I cut the vanilla bean in half and the unused portion still be good if I use it within a week after cutting?

If the vanilla bean is wrapped tight in plastic and stored in a cool, dark spot, it will last for way longer than a week. Hi Zoe, I have been a great cook for many years.

I have just starting baking and ordered many vanilla beans. I have greek non fat yogurt and want to add a vanilla bean. My question is do I have to cook the seeds to get the true flavor? I am not using any cream. Hello, My husband and I own a winery. I am going to make a warm apple mulled wine today and want to use a vanilla bean in it.

I have an emtpy tea bag to infuse my ingredients into the wine in a crock pot. Also, could I use the pod part of it or would I just use the seeds?

Thanks for the input! I should have added that when the mulled wine is packaged to sell, the dry ingredients including the vanilla are packaged to sell, they are put into the tea bag and sold with the bottle of wine. The consumer then warms the wine with the spice bag in it. So, the vanilla needs to stay fresh until added to the wine. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks for this post Zoe. About 8 or 10 years ago it became my role to make the family Xmas pudding. But I have never heard of anyone else doing this. I usually infuse the bean in the flour for a month before making the pudding. The outer pod is very leathery and will give your recipe a gritty texture. The reason alcohol is used is so that it can be stored without any fear of the beans spoiling. Thank u so much Zoe for your immediate reply. Hi, I am wondering whether after using the seeds, drying the pod as indicated… whether I can grind the pod very fine and mix it into the coffee powder for my Espresso?

Giving me a strong dark coffee with a fresh vanilla flavour? I love this idea and think it will work beautifully. If you try it, please let me know what you think. I live in Costa Rica. I have not looked for the whole bean here, but I will browse the Central Market tomorrow. Without the explanation on your site, I would be at a loss. I am making espresso cocoa mix for Christmas gifts. I am thinking of adding some vanilla.

If I cut a pod into pieces and put it in the container will the moisture from the bean affect the powder? Yes, I am afrait that the vanilla pod will affect the powder. You are better to rub the pod in the sugar, which will scent the sugar and then add that to the mix.

I was wondering, when making an extract, would it be okay to put the vanilla beans into a food processor and then add that to the vodka? Not sure that would save you any time in the end. My beans are five years old but were well packaged. Are they bad? I am curious if I the powder I made by pulverizing pods in a Vitamix is the same thing; it looks pretty similar. How does your powder taste? Hi Zoe, Could you tell me how to make vanilla powder. Do I grind the whole pod with the seeds?

I also have a stupid question. I have a recipe that calls for adding a vanilla bean, with no mention of scraping the seeds. Other recipes in this book specifically say to scrape the seeds and use them. If you cut the bean down the length, to expose the seeds, then it can be used whole.

The recipe probably calls for you to strain it, so the bean is removed and you are just left with the tiny seeds. What is it that you are making? Thank you so much for the quick response. Your answer makes perfect sense! Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Here is an overview of a few different types of vanilla beans: Mexican beans are the original and most highly prized beans. How to use a vanilla bean To maximize the vanilla bean you want to cut the pod in half, lengthwise with a paring knife. You might also like:. Hi Kathy, Thank you for your question, it was very helpful and I rewrote the post as a result.

Hi Deeba, Thank you for visiting my site. Hi Ann, Yes, you can add the vanilla bean to the uncooked ice cream base. It will be delicious. Let me know how it goes! Hi Ann, Thanks for stopping back to let me know. How to make puff pastry. How to decorate borders with royal icing. How to ice a square cake. How to make garlic bread. How to make chocolate ganache. How to make French meringue. How to ice a Christmas cake. How to make mince pies.

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