Can I use these vanilla beans?

[pdswife]

I have a few that have gone past their prime but I hate to throw them away.
They've been stored in a baggie that has been stored inside a tightly close glass jar. Sadly they are very hard now. Can I still break them open and use the seeds? Do they lose a lot of their flavor as they age? Should I use more than the recipe calls for??

Thanks in advance.
I reallllly don't want to have to go buy another one. They are
so dang expensive.

smiles, Trish

 

[kadesma]

I have a few that have gone past their prime but I hate to throw them away.
They've been stored in a baggie that has been stored inside a tightly close glass jar. Sadly they are very hard now. Can I still break them open and use the seeds? Do they lose a lot of their flavor as they age? Should I use more than the recipe calls for??

Thanks in advance.
I reallllly don't want to have to go buy another one. They are
so dang expensive.

smiles, Trish

Trish,
since I slice mine to extract the seeds, I'd imagine you'd have to find a way to soften the outer shell first. I save that outer shell, let it dry then put it in a sealed cannister with sugar to cover it. It makes the most lovely vanilla flavored sugar. My grandkids love the sugar on their french toast.

Sorry I can't be of more help.
kadesma

 

[pdswife]

You always help! Have a great day and say HI to the kids!!!

 

[GB]

Trish you might want to try letting then sit in some hot water for a little while to soften. Maybe then you will be able to slice them open.

 

[pdswife]

Thanks GB I'll give that a shot before going and buying a new one.
I've promised our friend that we'd bring vanilla bean ice cream for dinner tomorrow night and I don't want to disappoint him.

 

[Toots]

I also have a couple of pods which have been in a small glass jar for over two years. I will not throw them out, jeez they are too expensive to replace!

 

[pdswife]

yeah... I'm going to use them... no matter what!

I need to get to Greece to buy some more. They are way cheaper there about three dollars each compared to the 7 or 8 that Safeway charges. OUCH it hurts!

 

[Zhlake]

So vanilla beans are expensive everywhere huh? I always see chefs on TV using them, but I had never seen them in real life here in small town USA. I happened to see some the other day in the spice area, but it was like $8 for 3 of them. I couldn't imagine spending that much unless the recipe would be a lot worse without using the bean. I figured there must be some way to get them cheaper.

 

[pdswife]

LOL... Zhlake if I found them here 3 for 8 dollars I'd think I'd found a great deal. I saw them 1 for 8 dollars at Safeway the other day. They are almost worth it though. YUMMMY!

 

[TATTRAT]

if all else fails, put them in a bottle of vodka, or rum or kaluaha. I would hate to heat of them going to waste. If the shell is hard, it would be difficult to extract the seeds, and by poaching them to soften the you run the risk of extracting the flavor anyways. So why not let them infuse an adult beverage?

 

[Gretchen]

Buy excellent vanilla beans and vanilla on eBay. A fraction of the price.

 

[Zhlake]

LOL... Zhlake if I found them here 3 for 8 dollars I'd think I'd found a great deal. I saw them 1 for 8 dollars at Safeway the other day. They are almost worth it though. YUMMMY!

Well I would highly question the quality of this product. I just don't think it would be worth it.

 

[ChefJune]

Thanks GB I'll give that a shot before going and buying a new one.
I've promised our friend that we'd bring vanilla bean ice cream for dinner tomorrow night and I don't want to disappoint him.

I've had that happen, too, Trish. Put the whole bean into the milk while you scald it, and THEN take it out and scrape the beans back into the milk. It will work just fine. And then, when you have rinsed and dried what is left of that little sucker, tuck it into your sugar canister to make yummy vanilla sugar!

 

[pdswife]

Thanks!!!!!
I love this place! Everyone is so helpful!!!!

 

[cjs]

I was going to suggest what Tattrat did - maybe if they 'rehydrated' in vodka, you could then split them and retrieve the seeds. And then if you have some extra brown sugar, reg. sugar, dry espresso laying around...you have Kaluaha!!

 

[pdswife]

and.. one can never ever have too much Kaluaha!

smiles, T

 

[ironchef]

I agree with what was said above...rehydrate it, but only in a liquid that you're going to cook with or flavor with be it cream, coconut milk, etc. You could also add it to olive oil and do a vanilla and olive oil poached lobster, halibut, etc.

Or vodka. Vodka is always good.

 

[pdswife]

I used it with the milk that I used in the ice cream and it's WONDERFUL!!!
I can't wait until tomorrow when I get a whole scoop.

Thank you for all your help!

 

[ChefJune]

Good Job, PDS!

 

[VeraBlue]

The same thing has happened to me. I wrap the bean in a wet paper towel and then nuke it for a few seconds. I've been known to drop the emptied pod into the liquid (for flan, or custard) for a while, just to be certain all the seeds get out.