apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Put a vanilla bean in a canister full of sugar and let it sit for 4-6 weeks. The sugar will then be infused with a yummy vanilla flavor that is great in coffee or really anything!

So if your recipe calls for a teaspoon of vanilla extract, do you substitute X amount of vanilla bean? I've used vanilla beans but only for things like poached pears, tossing half a bean in the wine. But for baking? How is this done?

cmcinnyc, I like to use both vanilla bean and extract when baking. It ads a greater vanilla punch.

I just got my ebay vanilla beans, a 1/4 pound for 12.95 including shipping. They are organic and beautiful! I am in love.

Zora, what do you do with the bean? Chop it fine? Scrape out the gooey center? I've got a lot of baking to do in the next few days, and I have a vanilla bean that should get used before it gets any older. I'm making oatmeal cookies with dried cranberries (freezing dough, rather), pumpkin-walnut bread, and a couple other things that don't lend themselves to vanilla.

I have this very la image of the v bean because it is so damn pricey! Though thanks to this post I'm thinking hmmm...could I perhaps use more vanilla? I'm afraid of stocking up and then having no practical use for it.

OK, so if I buy this pound of vanilla beans, how long will they last? How do I store them? Can they be frozen? Or should I just share with all my friends?

Vanilla beans should be stored in a closed, but not air-tight container in a cool, dry relatively dark place. Do not store them in the refrigerator or the freezer. The cold will dry them out and may promote a particular type of vanilla mold. The important thing is that the temperature be relatively constant and that air circulate a bit (unless they are vacuum packed in which case you can keep them that way until use). If you do store them in an air tight, sealed container, open it every couple of weeks or so to let the air circulate a bit.

Stored properly, gourmet beans should remain moist and easy to work with for at least a year, many times quite a bit longer. If the beans do dry out a bit, you can place half of a small potato in a jar with them to soften them for use. You can also soften them a bit by placing them in some warm water or milk just before use.

www.bostonvanillabeans.com is another good resource and they stock all different varieties like Tahitian, Mexican and Ugandan beans.

A while back, when I wanted to buy some new orchids I learned that this was the source for vanilla and had the wild idea that I would grow vanilla orchids in my own apartment (!).

But it was only after reading 'Vanilla: The Cultural History of the World's Favorite Flavor and Fragrance' by Patricia Rain that I realized how complicated it would be to do so, especially here in the Northeast. Reading about how growers do it for real makes one realize that it is no easy process. Being able to grow the orchids, pollenating them correctly and protecting the seed pods as they mature, then the long drying process is all an incredible undertaking. I was amazed at how cheaply the beans could be bought on eBay, definitely a much cheaper and easier solution than the years to grow a plant yourself and then the many months it takes to dry the seed pods...

Oh, forgot to mention -

Patricia Rain also has a website on vanilla - the URL is vanilla.com. It has a lot of information on her (she has been called the Queen of Vanilla), the history of vanilla, and areas of the world related to vanilla production. She also sells products similar to the other sites mentioned above.

i KNEW that $7 for ONE vanilla bean at the grocery store was WAY too much. HA good thing I didn't buy it, I would have been upset after seeing this.

Thanks for the tip.