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I'm out of it here - how do you use a whole vanilla bean when baking? I feel like this is something I should know.

I've done this for about a year now and will never go back to buying vanilla extract again. I have two different bottles in my cabinets - one with vodka and a couple of beans and one with bourbon and a couple of beans. The extract with vodka is used in most of my baking but if I want something with a bit of a bourbon undertone (in apple pies, this time of year, though also in homemade vanilla ice cream and even in fancy french toast and decadent oatmeal) I'll use the bourbon-vanilla extract.

If you're worried about cost, Trader Joes sells a container with two beans for less than $4. In my experience, 2 beans and about a cup of liquor works really, really well. And, of course, you can always just top up the extract with more liquor when it's getting a bit low without any loss in flavor.

Anne (in Reno) -

Scraping the seeds from a vanilla bean; this is a very satisfying act:

Slice the bean down the middle length-wise by holding one end of the bean down on your cutting board and carefully running the knife across the bean to open it up into two pieces. Scrape out the exposed seeds (they're tiny) from the pod with the back of the tip of the knife.

A GREAT place to buy inexpensive and quality vanilla beans is The Spice House:

http://www.thespicehouse.com/

It's a family owned business and I love browsing through their store in Old Town (Chicago). The smells are incredible!

yeah - can't use any alcohool to make real good vanilla extract. In my experience you need to make the start with two real vanilla beans in a small pocket bottle of clear vodka - no flavors (I am sure bourbon works quite well). And then as u use more beans u can put the scraps from the used beans. It works well.

Sara Kate,

And then what? I've never bought or used vanilla beans either, and in this case I'd be buying it just to make the extract. Do you discard the seeds? Or can I just put a whole pod into the alcohol and let it infuse?

Eliza,

If you're buying beans just to make extract, I'd take a couple of beans and split them down the middle using a knife (so that the seeds are exposed to the liquor) and then put the entire bean in the alcohol and just let it seep. You don't need to scrape the seeds.

It takes 3-4 weeks before the vanilla is strong enough to be used as an extract, and this is only something that gets better with age.

(One of the best things about working with vanilla beans? The smell of your hands afterwords - a nice, light lingering vanilla scent for the next hour or so. Perfectly lovely.)

Has anyone tried using 100 proof vodka? In a limoncello discussion, the experts agreed that higher proof alcohol would extract the essence of the lemon zest better. I'm wondering if the same could apply here.