In the present day, Visitor Editor Dorie Greenspan is sharing 5 methods to seize each final drop of taste from vanilla bean pods.
Vanilla is earthy. It is ethereal. It is unique. It is indispensable in some recipes and, when added to others on a whim, appears important. And it is costly. At the very least the good things is, and it is the good things that you have to be utilizing. At all times. When you’re utilizing vanilla extract, be certain that it is pure. An excellent whiff ought to both make your head spin or compel you to dab slightly behind your ears. And the beans…ah, the beans. Vanilla beans are the queens of the vanilla household. The ne plus extremely of flavoring.
An excellent vanilla bean ought to be plump and bendable. Dry beans will not provide the taste you yearn for (and paid for). The beans ought to really feel moist, possibly even slightly sticky, and if they have a form of silvery sheen, that is superb.
Essentially the most coveted a part of the bean is the internal pulp, however the pod packs taste too and, even after you have scraped out the internal seeds or poached each pod and pulp, the pod’s bought extra to provide.
Listed here are 5 methods to repurpose leftover vanilla bean pods.
1. Vanilla Sugar & Salt
The most typical use for spent beans is to dry them and bury them in a jar of sugar. Or, higher but, dry the pods and whirr them in a blender or meals processor with sugar. The identical approach will provide you with one thing extra uncommon: Vanilla Salt, a flavoring that you should use in cookies—use it in or on prime of chocolate chip, butterscotch, or all-chocolate cookies—caramels, puddings, and extra. Tuck the spent pods right into a salt cellar or jar full of kosher salt and let ‘em hang around for a number of weeks. After all, the salt can be good on the savory facet: strive it on roasted carrots, lobster, shrimp, or candy potatoes. If you wish to go all out, whirr the dried pods with some sea salt after which combine that salt with fleur de sel or flake salt. As a rule of thumb, use vanilla sugar or salt instead of the common model in any recipe. Use it to salt the rim of a margarita glass for an surprising candy taste that may contact your lips. Stir vanilla sugar into your espresso or roll balls of sugar cookie dough in it earlier than baking.
Each few days, give the jar of sugar or salt a shake to make sure that the vanilla taste is evenly dispersed via the combination. Oh, and don’t suppose that you’ll want to use white sugar. Coconut sugar, palm sugar, and even brown sugar will all profit from the additional oomph.
2. Pierced & Poached Fruit
Pods—dried, or nonetheless recent—are nice for poaching fruit. To get essentially the most taste out of the pods and into the fruit, run the pods via the fruit—suppose skewer—and poach away. Vanilla is great with nearly each stone fruit in addition to with apples, pears, and prunes. Oh, and remember to avoid wasting the syrup. Relying on what spices you added, it is likely to be good to sweeten tea, serve over ice cream, or to poach extra fruit.
3. Home made Extract
The standard method to make vanilla extract is to begin with recent beans, slice them lengthwise, and steep them in vodka, counting 3 to 4 beans to about 1 cup of booze. Put the substances in a glass jar, shake, then retailer in a cool, darkish place for a few months (or longer), shaking everytime you keep in mind. However you are able to do the identical factor with spent beans or pods. You won’t have the requisite variety of beans at the start, however begin with what you have bought and hold including to the jar, utilizing an additional bean or two (to make up for his or her spentness). And for a special, considerably richer taste, strive making the extract with Cognac.
4. Flavored Espresso & Tea
When you like vanilla espresso, save your pods to stir your joe. Or add a pod to your espresso beans and grind them collectively. My very own choice is to steep the spent pod in tea. One of the best? Chai tea with vanilla; honey, too.
5. Bathtub Salts
This nice thought comes from my assistant, Mary Dodd. She chops outdated vanilla beans, mixes them with epsom salts, provides a splash of vanilla extract, and has bathtub salts which are wildly fragrant, calming, and good for all that may ail you.
6. Vanilla Oil
This concept comes from our buddies at Past Good. To make vanilla oil, warmth a light-weight, impartial oil similar to vegetable, olive oil, and even coconut oil in a saucepan. You don’t need it to sizzle, simply have it get heat sufficient that it’s going to assist the infusion. Place a spent, cut up vanilla pod right into a heat-resistant glass mason jar. As soon as the oil is heat, pour it slowly and punctiliously into the jar over the pod—wait till the oil has reached room temperature earlier than placing the lid on. Let it steep for not less than a number of days after which use it anytime a recipe requires oil, similar to dressings and marinades, and even brownies.
What’s your favourite method to repurpose spent vanilla beans? Tell us within the feedback beneath!
This put up was up to date in February 2022 by our editors with extra suggestions.