Vanilla bean question?

[Ama]

Most of my recipes call for vanilla extract, not the actual bean. Does anyone know how much of a 5"-6" vanilla bean I would use instead of the extract? I have never used the actual bean and just ordered a bunch.... also, do I use the whole bean or just the seeds inside?

[crawmommy]

rawglow.com gives good info about the use of vanilla beans. where did you order/buy yours from?

[Ama]

Thanks... will check them out. I got mine on eBay from The Organic Vanilla Bean Company.

Quote:
from rawglow... "One vanilla bean equals about one teaspoon vanilla extract".

http://www.rawglow.com/vanillabeanhowto.htm

[Linda1970]

Wow, thanks for the link to rawglow.com.

Has anyone bought the vanilla beans there? So cheap!

[Ama]

The ones on eBay are waaaaaaay cheaper. Go to eBay, do a search for "organic vanilla bean" and the ones that say FREE shipping are the ones I bought. The sellers name is "The Organic Vanilla Bean Company" and they have 100% feedback!

[Linda1970]

The ones on eBay are waaaaaaay cheaper. Go to eBay, do a search for "organic vanilla bean" and the ones that say FREE shipping are the ones I bought. The sellers name is "The Organic Vanilla Bean Company" and they have 100% feedback!

Thanks Ama. Are they raw?

[Ama]

Thanks Ama. Are they raw?

Linda... from their listing...

Species: Vanilla tahitensis (Common Name: TAHITIAN)

Black or very, very dark brown color

Government certified organically grown and processed. See details below

A natural sun-dried curing process that takes from 6 to 9 months to reach perfection

Our freshly cured inventory arrives regularly by airfreight

Spectacular prices by eliminating the endless chain of middlemen – this is truly a farm direct operation!!

Ultra-fast worldwide shipping to you – usually dispatched on the same or next business day after receipt of payment.

We fully guaranteed our product. See details below.

[Linda1970]

Thanks Ama. :) I think I was reading that on e-bay while your were posting it for me. :p

Wow, it looks great and the price is unbelievable!!!!!! I'm going to buy 1 pound right now.

[Ama]

I did the same thing... I went right for the pound... can't beat the price. I just bought mine yesterday and got a shipping confirmation and an email confirming purchase and shipping right away. So far they seem like a great company with super communications.

[Linda1970]

I did the same thing... I went right for the pound... can't beat the price. I just bought mine yesterday and got a shipping confirmation and an email confirming purchase and shipping right away. So far they seem like a great company with super communications.

Hi Ama,

Unfortunately, I don't think they are raw. I e-mailed the company and just got their reply:



Hi

Thanks for your email.

The highest temperature during steeping is between 60 and 65deg C or
140 -
150degF. This is held for about 2 minutes so that the long curing
process
can take place without fear of the bean rotting or inhaling fungus.

I hope that this answers your question.

Regards

Vicki - Organic Vanilla

[Ama]

Oh no.... That is very deceptive to say that they are just sun-dried... Thanks for checking Linda.

ETA: they will still be much better than the vanilla extract that I was using!

[maraw]

Also, you guys may already know this, but one way to use vanilla beans is to soak them first in warm (not hot, warm) water until they are soft or rehydrated. Then gently split them open on one side and scrape all the seeds out to add your your recipe. The seeds are what contain much of the flavor. If they heat to 140 for only two minutes, the seeds may still be intact with all their enzymes.

And to answer your question, usually you should allow about 1-2" of bean per teaspoon depending on the size of the bean. The more seeds it contains, the shorter the piece you have to use.

Anna

[Ama]

Thanks Anna... .do you tend to use just the seeds instead of the Whole bean - skin and all? (I have never even used a vanilla bean only the extract from Frontier... )