how can vanilla beans be preserved to last longer?

Question

the vanilla beans i brought says an expiry of 2yrs.but is thr a way i can preserve the taste for a longer period.also please suggest a website that gives good desert recipes of vanilla .

Answer 1

I put mine in the fridge, well-sealed from air and moisture. It's been my experience that refrigeration will double the shelf life, but only if they are *very well-sealed* from air with a ziploc or vacuum sealed bag such as FoodSaver brand. Otherwise, they will gather off-flavors from the fridge or freezer! They will also get water in them, which damages them.

It isn't true that putting vanilla beans in the fridge or freezer always gets water into them. If properly sealed in an airtight container such as a vaccuum-sealed plastic bag, and then refrigerated or frozen, they cannot possibly get moisture in them. The airtight seal is also watertight!

Many chefs & vanilla vendors say "never refrigerate" vanilla beans since this can cause them to harden and crystallize. But so what if they harden! They are still perfectly usable even if they harden! :)

Don't throw out dry, hardened, or withered beans. They will rehydrate if soaked in a warm liquid and still contain just as much flavor, and then once they are rehydrated they may be used as fresh ones are used. If you prefer, grind them up and use them in a recipe that calls for ground beans, such as vanilla sugar or vanilla ice cream.

Vanilla beans may "crystallize" ...develop a powdery looking white frosting of natural vanillin crystals... if you keep them refrigerated for a while. Some people mistake this frosting for mold.

This is normal and is not a sign of spoilage! Called givre in French (which means light frost), these crystals indicate that the beans are high in natural vanillin and are of very good quality. These crystals are quite edible and very flavorful.

If you are uncertain whether the beans are covered with white crystals or mildewed, take them into the sunlight. The crystals will reflect the sun's rays, sparkling & creating rainbow colors. Mildew, on the other hand, will be dull and flat in the light, and may also smell bad. If the bean is mildewed, throw it away as the mildew will spread to uninfected beans.

You could also make the beans into vanilla extract, which if kept tightly sealed in a bottle, has a shelf life of 5 or more years. If you live in a hot humid climate like I do, keeping vanilla beans unrefrigerated & wrapped in plastic in a pantry isn't a good idea. The beans can mildew easily from the heat & humidity, especially if additional moisture from the humid air collects in the plastic.

In the humid tropics where beans are grown, they are wrapped in oiled or waxed paper and stored in airtight tin boxes, refrigerated, or made immediately into vanilla extract for longer storage.

If you don't have the room for them in a fridge or freezer, and you live in a cool, dry climate, then try this:

Wrap beans tightly in clingfilm AKA self-sticking plastic wrap, and then place the wrapped beans into a ziploc bag with all air removed, and store the ziploc in a glass jar or rubbermaid container in the darkest part (rear) of the spice cabinet or pantry. Or in a dark, cool, dry closet.

Also, the drink the Aztecs made with cacao, chile pepper, and sometimes also a bit of vanilla was called Xo-co-la-tl, not 'Xocolall'. See this link:

http://www.xocolatldedavid.com/xocolatl.html

The Spanish heard xo-co-la-tl and called it cho-co-la-te which is the closest you can pronounce it in Spanish. I did archeology related volunteer work in Mexico one summer with modern Aztecs, so I know how it is pronounced, LOL!

Here's a few websites with dessert recipes, information on vanilla, and extract recipes too:

http://www.grouprecipes.com/s/vanilla-bean/recipe/1/relevancy
http://recipes.epicurean.com/type_results.jsp?ingredients=Vanilla+Bean
http://www.spicebarn.com/vanilla_bean_recipes.htm
http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blmisc57.htm
http://www.vanilla.com/html/facts-beans.html
http://www.thevanillashop.com/

Answer 2

Vacuum locked bag and stored in the freezer, for the bean.
If you want a way to get the most from the vanilla bean, put it in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Fill 1/2 - 2/3 of the jar with fine sugar. Put it in the cubbord and shake it up once a day until all of the sugar has taken on the color from the vanilla bean.
If kept in a cook dark place it should last a long time. It's great to use in place or regular sugar in many recipes.

Answer 3

"Never" put vanilla beans in the Freezer or Refrigerator, if You do it will introduce water into the bean.

I wrapped my "bulk" vanilla beans in bundles of 5 using that Press 'n Seal plastic wrap.

I cut a long sheet, placed each bean separately on half, then folded the wrap over and pressed down around each bean forming a pocket then I roll them up and place them into a zip lock bag with all air removed and stored in bundles in a glass jar in the back of the pantry.

~*~

Fun things to know about vanilla beans

Origins:
Vanilla originated in Mexico, but today the United States buys vanilla beans from Madagascar, Indonesia, Uganda and Tonga. Most of the world's high-quality beans come from Madagascar, an island off the east coast of Africa.

Folklore:
Vanilla was enjoyed by the Aztecs in a drink called Xoco-lall, which was made from cocoa and vanilla beans. Cortéz sampled this drink and returned to Spain with reports it contained magical powers. Europeans mixed vanilla beans with their tobacco for smoking and chewing, and considered it a miracle drug.

This and more found at the web sites below + Lots of Recipes!

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Vanilla/Detail.aspx


http://www.vanilla.com/html/facts-beans.html

http://www.spicebarn.com/vanilla_bean_recipes.htm

http://www.grouprecipes.com/s/vanilla-bean/recipe/1/relevancy

http://www.thevanillashop.com/

http://recipes.epicurean.com/type_results.jsp?ingredients=Vanilla+Bean

http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blmisc57.htm




""ENJOY""

Answer 4

Just place the whole vanilla bean in the bottle of vodka. The alcohol will permeate the bean and the flavor will be extracted. When you have soaked the bean as long as you wish the bean can be removed, dried and placed in a jar of sugar for a nice vanilla sugar to be used in tea or baking.