Vanilla Question

[ubewty]

Hi guys.

I've almost run out of Strawberry Ribena wine and it went down so well that i'm going to be starting some more as soon as i can free up a DJ. I was thinking i'd like to try adding a vanilla pod to the mix but i'm not sure whether to add it whole or slice it open and bung it all in.

Does anyone have experience about how much flavour you get out of a 'sealed' vanilla pod?

 

[calumscott]

Cooking-wise not a lot. I expect it'll be the same for wine... most of the flavour is inside the pod.

 

[alanywiseman.]

I would use a whole pod in 5G post fermentation so you can taste weekly till you have the right flavour profile. Then just take it out (if added in a muslin bag) or rack.

 

[iceo]

what about putting a pod in some vodka for a few weeks to draw the flavour out or blitz pod down in coffee grinder then add once you have racked to keep the flavour as clean as possible

 

[Gayle]

I sliced one open to add to a blueberry cider - the grainy stuff inside it came out, and there must have been some kind of oil as there was floaty rainbow stuff on top if the cider, like when fuel is spilt om the ground! It seemed fine once bottled anyway, the grainy stuff mostly settle to the bottom of the FV and what did get in the bottles settled to the bottom of them.

So I didn't slice it when I added it to the wine, just hung it in on sterilised fishing line. I can't really compare taste as I only left in in the cider for a few days and there isn't much vanilla flavour off it, whereas the wine had the vanilla pod in for a few weeks and the flavour is there... dare I say it though, it smells rather Buckfasty :shock: :sick:

 

[Tim_Crowhurst]

The "grainy stuff" is vanilla seeds. Orchid seeds are almost always like dust.

 

[Antony]

Could it be easier to Use Vanilla essence?

 

[Aleman]

You can get vanilla paste from Lakeland which does give enough flavour. . . But you will still get bits.

 

[alanywiseman.]

You can get vanilla paste from Lakeland which does give enough flavour. . . But you will still get bits.

SWMBO uses this when baking and I have to say it is much better than the extract or essence.

If you do want to use pods though they are pretty cheap on eBay.

 

[Wasabi]

I sliced one open to add to a blueberry cider - the grainy stuff inside it came out, and there must have been some kind of oil as there was floaty rainbow stuff on top if the cider

I think the oily stuff is the vanillin, it's a phenolic substance which surrounds the seeds and amounts to 2-3% of the vanilla pod by weight. Sometimes it takes the form of white powdery crystals on the pods which is easily mistaken for mould. It's normally extracted using 35% alcohol solution, e.g. vodka, so I suspect the best way to add it would be to make vanilla extract first using vodka, then experiment with adding it to individual drinks first to see how much you need.
Tescos & Sainsburys used to sell the natural extract in 35% alcohol, I'm not sure if they still do it, it was in bottles of ~100ml and not much more than the synthetic stuff, about £3 or £4 a bottle IIRC. If you want to make your own at the standard commercial strength, you need about 3 chopped up pods (10g) per 100ml of vodka, soak for 6-8 weeks until everything worthwhile has been dissolved.

Incidentally, apparently vanillin is one of the things created when you age wine in oak barrels.

 

[ubewty]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm going to stick with vanilla essence this time (1 teaspoon). I'll let you know how it goes/tastes . Maybe once i'm a bit more comfortable i might shove a vanilla bean into a bag and compare!