Vanilla Beans Do I cut and split them? Tested methods
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- Опубликовано: 7 янв 2024
- Tested methods of the different ways to process your vanilla beans.
This was a great test to show how vanilla beans release their flavor compounds differently by the way they are processed. The vanilla beans will only give off so much flavor compounds depending on how they are proceeds and what mechanical advantage is applied. This was a great learning experience for my self.
Here are some of my links.
Vanilla beans
www.vanillabeankings.com/?ref...
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I want a control group on the vacuum sealing method. So what would happen if you only vacuum seal them once and put them on the shelf for those 55 days? I imagine that the constant sealing and re-sealing made a difference... but how much? It would be nice to know, for the lazier people out there (asking for a friend) if the same, or similar results are achieved by sealing and leaving VS seal and release every day for 2 months. Thank you for your videos and time. I hope you know how much you make a difference. Knowledge is power!
Yeah there are 100 different ways to do testing and had to ask my shelf were do I start. All this testing cost me a lot of time and money and wish I could do them all and have a completed vanilla series with all the answers. But I am working on it for sure. But I have done this long enough to know if you just put a vacuum seal on the jars your far better off even if you just let them sit. Now releasing the vacuum and resealing them daily or even weekly will make a little difference but the key really is the shaking the jars.
Thank you for your kind words.
Wow! Thank you. You are the vanilla extract guru. ❤ I will not scrape my next batch, and you have saved me so much work!
Thank you for sharing all of your time and information. I'm excited to try this!
Thank you from a newbie! Great information.
As always an excellent informative video. Thank you so much.
Thanks Shane. Just ordered my TDS meter.
Great info...ready to start and vac seal. Thank you!
Good luck!
Thank you so much for your time to research ☺️ I have all my ingredients but wasn't sure the best way to process ❣️
GOD Bless you and your Family ❣️🙏🏻❣️
You are so welcome!
Wow, Shane another great informative video. Thank you so much!!!!
My pleasure!
This was a super helpful video. Thank you so much for all of your work to put this together!!
You are so welcome!
This is awesome.
Suggestion: in order to better see the milkiness (as you described it) - put samples in your test tube and give us a light behind. You might have to diffuse the light with white paper to make it easier to see.
If you use the blender method (weird that it isn’t the highest, by all accounts it should be) - then you’re probably going to have to filter.
I think in I put the blender method under a vacuum it would have come out ahead of the others. At the time I started this testing I had 24 different test going on and spent all my money and didn't have enough to do 15 different method testings. When I reach the one year mark on this testing I am going to put a vacuum on the test samples that did not have it done and see the results of that if there is any difference. I suspect there will be.
Very cool! Stay curious my friend.
Really good to know. I made my first batch a couple of years ago. I split and cut the beans in half (didn't scrape) but didn't use enough beans for alcohol. After a year, and going through the; still tastes like vodka stage; and adding more beans - it turned out pretty good but it was a little muddy looking. Not particularly visually appealing, although flavour was good. I just finished making my second batch using 1 oz beans to 8 oz alcohol. I took your advise from a previous video and I went to the trouble of splitting and scraping the beans and let me tell you it was tedious as hell. So, my next batch I'll just use the whole beans and save myself a lot of work and end up with a better product. Since I'm just making for my own use I am definitely not in the market for a vacuum sealer.
I dont know what alcohol you used but if you stay with 70 proof you reduce that alcohol presence even more and will extract more flavors out of the beans.
Awesome once again!!! I love your testing and videos!
Thank you!
Great extensive study. Thank you so much for sharing. Question….. I vacuum seal dry stuff but do I use by vacuum sealer the same way with liquid?
Yes, absolutely and it great for marinating meats also.
Ok great video and learn a lot more than I knew. What is best for bottling extract clear or brown bottles?
I want people to see my extract so I use clear. It really is a personal choice as there is no benefit to the amber or brown bottles.
I have already purchased my vanilla beans and I am anxious to get started with you full flow homemade extractor equipment. I was wondering if the parts of the equipment has arrived that you were waiting on and when do think that video will be online. I appreciate all the information you have provide. I believe the full flow small batch system with be a big breakthrough for individual use. Thanks.
I am working on the new video this week.
Thank you so much for sharing your scientific approach! I learned so much in this video!
I certainly will be changing my method!
Thank you for the video I found it very useful, I didn't like the idea of vacumm sealing but you have now convinced me, and yes you are right it's not about the colour it's about the flavour, so straight after this comment I am going to order a bigger mason jar for my next batch of vanilla extract. I see on your website you sell various flavours of extract, shame you are not in the UK, but do you do any other videoes for fruit extract, particularly the cherry flavour, thanks.
Just a quick question, I did the top cut,split, scraped & cut in half to fit my quart jars & I am vacuum sealing also so how often do you re-vacuum seal and how many months till full extraction?
Also can you do a video on how to save & store just the Caviar from the beans and how long are they shelf stable? What liquid do they need to be stored in? Processed vanilla, fresh alcohol or something else?
Thanks so much, Love all your videos.
Most vanilla beans will fit in the quart jars no problem but you can cut them in half to fit if needed.
I was doing daily testing so I was unsealing the jars and the once I took my readings I put a vacuum seal back on them every day. But they all still extracted about the same rate that 55 to 60 days because I shook them twice a day.
So the processing the beans helps aid on how much flavor compounds can be released from the beans.
The agitation and fluid movement helps speed up how fast those flavor compounds are released.
As far as saving the seeds once I am done extracting and remove the seeds I just put them in a small jars and just add a tiny bit of fresh alcohol to them and put the lid on it. I have seeds that have been on the shelf 2 years with no issues.
Thanks for the reply, I have been shaking once a day & re-Vacuum sealing once a week so how can I determine when my beans are fully extracted? I do have one of those testers so how will I know what number it will need to get to that will let me know the beans are fully extracted and does the alcohol make a difference? I used Madagascar beans on 2 gallons with Grey Goose on a 1/2 gallon & 1 1/2 gallons of Captain Morgan Coconut Rum 70%. Also a quart of Ocean Vodka with Hawaiian Beans & a quart of Tahitian beans with Kula Hawaiian Rum.
Thanks for the help, I just started this Project before I found you on line & I did a 360’ after watching all your recommendations.
If you have a TDS meter all you have to do is long the numbers. Once the numbers start to level out and maintain with in 20-30 ppm then you vanilla beans are spent. Example 146 ppm, 259ppm, 478ppm, 785ppm, 780ppm, 798ppm, 778ppm.
when you start a batch the numbers will increase daily showing the release of flavor compounds. When those flavor compounds are done releasing then number will flatten out. There is no target number to shoot for as every type of vanilla beans all have different concentrations and there is just not enough data on all the vanilla beans to know a target number.
Thank you so much! I’m gonna start testing. I started this in August so hopefully my Vanilla will be ready soon. Thanks for all the good information & Help!! ❤
This might be a stupid question but when you filter out with coffee filter does that take the milky cloudiness away?
Great information. I’m a newbie at this hobby. What do you use the dehydrated beans for?
I grind them up and add them to sugar. It makes a great way to use up the vanilla beans once they are spent from extracting and makes a nice vanilla sugar. I add 1 cup of ground vanilla beans to 10 cups of sugar and mix once day for about 10 days and start using it.
First I want to thank you for all your awesome videos and excited to get started. But I was wondering when you vacuum seal the jars can you use the black no spill lids for mason jars or do you use the lid and ring that comes with the mason jars?
You have to use either a marinade lid that are kinda pricey on the standard coated metal lid and ring.
Thank you for the excellent work, Vanilla Guru! 😎🤍💛🤎
Thank you for the kind words.
Another thought, the higher proof should leach the flavors out the best. (I make limoncello) Wondered if you had thought of making it with the higher proof and then cutting the alcohol at the end. Might give you the best of both worlds.
Check out my video on the alcohol proofs. I did this testing on the proofs of alcohol thinking the same thing that the higher would be better. What we found was the total opposite. The chemical proprieties of alcohol actually freezes the plant cells trapping and destroying the flavors. The higher the proof the more you damage.
Thank you for doing this test and sharing your results. My question for you is where do you get your beans? Every bean I’ve gotten are very scrawny.
The link to Vanilla Beans Kings is in the description and there is a 10% off coupon for my viewers there also. Make sure to buy vanilla beans by the ounce and not by quantity of beans. You will save money.
His reply should say buy your beans by the OUNCE, Vanilla Beans Kings has good prices & specials all the time 😊
Thanks for the catch.
Very informative as usual! Thank you for sharing all your work to help us make the best extract we can. Is it possible to have that chart results in printable form somewhere?
I can add it to the comments on the group page.
@ClementFamilyFarms That would be super nice of you Shane. Thank you! Should bring people in here to watch the videos also!
This was such a thorough video on the different methods and a great explanation on the cloudiness vs clean. It is actually exactly what I found that happened with my first batch. My other batches are cloudyAnd I was unsure if my other batches went bad. When I looked for info about the film/scum, there isn’t much info at all about it. No one was mentioning how their extract looked on the vids that I watched. this is why I am so grateful to the information you provide. All of them are so thorough. I honestly like the look of the clean extract as I think it looks prettier. But taste comes first. I just started checking out your links to the vacuum seal tops and I think it will give me more clarity without sacrificing flavor.
Did your vacuum sealer top come with a manual vacuum pump? your first link shows that option. I think that is the one I will be getting.
I really enjoy your videos.
I have a food saver vacuum bag machine with the hose adapter and then have the adapter for the jars. Yes if your looking for a good clear extract then put whole beans in and vacuum seal the jars. I was surprised on how well it worked with whole beans and there was not that much difference in numbers vs the split beans.
@ClementFamilyFarms I could have missed it, but if you had not opened your jars each day to take TDS readings, how often would you open to vacuum seal again? Just once or multiple times over a couple months?
What is the 24 hours then total circulation process? Do you explain this method in any videos.
Great video, very informative!
Yeah go check out my 4.5 gallon update video. I will have another video coming out soon with a new improved extractor.
Another great video Shane, thank you so much for the information. Question, have you ever tried beans anyway, just put into the jar, shake a few times to start and let them sit? I’m wondering, will time at some point end up with a full extraction, ie, 1-2 years equals splitting vacuume, etc….for 90/days?
I have been making vanilla for over 30 years now and that is how I started is with putting them in a jar and letting them sit. I have never done a TDS test on it as it would take probably around a year or more to complete a true testing. I know form my experience if you just let then sit with out shaking or getting that fluid movement out the the beans it will take much longer like 9 months to 18 months or longer to get a full extraction.
Look at like this have you ever put sugar in a glass of water and the sugar crystals sink to the bottom. Some might dissolve but others will stay in crystal form until you stir the water. As the fluid gets more concentrated and the more sugar you add the longer you have to stir. Vanilla is the same way just much more condensed and harder so it takes longer and needs more stirring.
Thanks for the reply, makes sense. I have many “experiments” going. And one is as I described vs cutting up and shaking. I do believe your new constant agitation system you recently shared is the ultimate. Looking forward to you new parts list to assemble my own at home! You are really doing great work.@@ClementFamilyFarms
Thank you for all the info.. I am wondering if you can continue to add vodka with the same brand after using some?
No dont add any if you want to continue to have a extract. A extract is a concentration of flavor in a small amount of fluid. By adding more your diluting it.
@@ClementFamilyFarms Thank you... I have seen so many different videos of different ways to do vanilla
Did you do a control with just venting the jar every time to air similar to vacuum seal? Seems possible to me vac seal vs air vent could be similar if that condition was not done.
Can you explain a little more or give an example. I am not quite understanding the method.
How does one do a vacuum seal or process?
Hi Shane, Thank you for sharing the results of your experiment. I am confused. When using the vacuum sealer, you unseal the jars after 24 hours, reseal, use the vacuum sealer and continue this process until the results you receive from the meter level out. Is this correct?
I was taking daily readings for this testing so yes I had to release the vacuum seal take the readings and then put the jars back on a vacuum seal. For TDS readings you are waiting for the numbers to peak and level out. Once they are leveled out the vanilla beans are done giving off anymore flavor compounds.
Shane, if I have an extract that is a year old but has a strong alcohol taste can I add in more beans and let it sit longer or has the solution reached its saturation point?
Extract will always have an alcohol smell, and the higher proof alcohol will have a stronger smell. That's why some users prefer 70 proof over the higher proofs in the acceptable 70 to 100 proof range. If you used the correct ratio of beans to alcohol, your extract is ready.
Fantastic video, I love data done well, thank you! Now my question is… at the end you say vacuum seal for only 24 hours then continue with the shaking. But for the test you vacuum seal daily. So I’m confused. LoL. Can you clarify for this old lady? Thanks.
When I do a normal batch with vacuum sealing I put the jar on a vacuum and shake them twice a day. The first week I break the seal shake the jars and then put a vacuum seal back on them daily. After the first week then I only break the seal on them once a week and put the vacuum back on the jars. This helps the vanilla beans expand and contract. I don't feel it necessary to release the seal after the 2 weeks and just leave on the vacuum. I still shake them twice daily.
For the testing and collecting data I had to break the seal daily to take readings. After taking readings the vacuum seal was applied again.
@@ClementFamilyFarms Perfect explanation! That helps a lot. Time to open my jar and re-seal. That gadget is helpful in so many ways. Thank you!
I want to make this but what do we do with that much extract? just baking?
Do you wash the beans with the same spirit that will be used to extract prior to slitting and scraping?
I do not wash my beans but hand inspect them all before processing them.
Do you wash your beans before extracting
I have been following your progress for a while and I’m curious as to how a chopped bean (ninja blender) would work when combined with vacuum sealing and shaking twice a day.
Good question! After I hit the 1 year mark on this study I am going to put a vacuum on the blended jar and see what happens. But I wanted to get a full year on this test to have the data proving the methods. I would suspect it will pull more TDS PPM out but I dont think it will be that much more but we will see.
Thank You so much for all of your information. My question is: I have beans that have been extracting for a year, being shaken twice every day. If the beans are considered extracted with this method after 55 to 60 days, can the beans be removed from the jar and will the extract continue to 'age' and mellow out? There is still some strong alcohol smell coming from some of the jars that had a higher proof (80 to 86 proof), Will this mellow out after more time? Will the extract continue to age when decanted into smaller bottles? Please, any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
At this point your extract is done. All the shaking helped big time. I don't like using anything over 70 proof just for the fact of the alcohol presents. Even at 70 proof depending on the alcohol it will still be there if your tasting it straight. That is not recommended it is best to taste it in sugar, cream, yogurt or whipped cream. Will it mellow out over time not really at this point. If your not dividing the extract up in to smaller jars just leave the vanilla beans in the jars. It will not hurt anything.
@@ClementFamilyFarms
Thank you! I really appreciate your time and attention as I am an avid follower of your videos. I have a Foodsaver with the jar attachment that was sitting forgotten in a kitchen cupboard. I took your advise and started to vacuum seal my current jars (and shaking them), you are right on. What a huge difference it has made. Compared to my year old jars of extract, my vacuum sealed jars are extracting so much more quickly. It is amazing, and you are also right about the 70 proof alcohol. Your hard work, research and video demonstrations are so helpful and inspiring. You have made a world of difference.
155 ppm differential is utterly insignificant.
A difference of 0.0155%.
The variance in the beans themselves will be much more significant. Thus, WHOLE, UNTOUCHED BEANS is the most efficient method with the least handling, processing, and contamination.
155 ppm is still a change no matter how you look at it and when it is repeatable it matters. I have team of consultants in the industry and the one thing I have learned from them is when it comes to that classic vanilla taste we all know, it is the little things that matter.
Have you tried a instapot pressure cooker vs natural soak
What is your experience I'm using liquor store dumpster liquor proof to 78 to make 12 bottles
Thankyou
Instapot is dangerous to use with alcohol and is not recommended. The people that have used it have not had good results with it. The high heat kills some flavor compounds also.
Choosing the right liquor is important. I tend to stick with clean clear rums or certain brands of vodka. I also proof all my alcohols to 35% or 70 proof as it is the min and makes better extract then the higher proof alcohols.
@@ClementFamilyFarmsthank-you for your response!
Have you blended the tips?
Do you sell your vanilla extract? If so, where can I purchase it?
I dont sell out side of my area and don't ship either. Sorry maybe in the future.
what facebook groups are you in? i want to join. people have told me you are really active and sharing great info in them. i wanna' learn!
Baking and Extract making with Vanilla Bean Kings is were I am most active in. There is a lot of good people on there and it is less censored then the others. The only draw back from that you get some snarky people. But you get that in all the groups and the heavily censored groups you loose some good information or it is catered just to that groups beliefs and keeps it in a bubble.
Shane, your TDS meter has two options. One is a 3 in 1. The other is a 5 in one. Which do you prefer?
3 in 1 dont need the other stuff.
Are you still using coconut rum?
Yes I am still using the coconut rum 70 proof. I have not found anything better yet that makes a great vanilla extract. I am testing some other spirits but I don't have high hopes for it.
What about using glycerin?
Yes glycerin can be used for the non alcoholic extracts. I don't use it so I could not tell you a recipe for it.
What is the reason for your room background??????
I like being different! I make stage props and sculptures more on the Halloween side of things.
@@ClementFamilyFarms Thank you, for your answer!
I'm very confused. Which is the best way
If your not using vacuum sealing then the tips cut off and split down the center no scrapping of the seeds. If your using a vacuum sealer split and scrap the seeds out. The over all winner was under a vacuum seal with the split and scraped seeds.
Wow Shane!
Very Very impressive, clear & solid information. Thank You!!!!!!
Shane, in taking TDS readings daily aren't you vacuum sealing daily instead of vacuum sealing at 12 and 24 hrs? I would think that vacuum sealing at any point would yield an extract that incorporates the vanilla compounds much earlier. I am not quite sure you could compare vacuum sealing daily to just shaking daily. That is actually more of a question than a statement! I always love your videos! Thank you for taking the time to make them and provide them to us! God bless and Happy Extracting!
Here is what I have learned through the testings I have done. There are 2 different factors in making extracts - Time and flavor compounds.
The shaking of the jars or fluid movement translates to the time frame on how fast the extraction is completed. Less shaking more time - more shaking less time.
The processing of the vanilla bean pods translates to how much TDS Total Dissolve solids or flavor compounds are released into the fluids.
Example - If a vanilla bean had a total of 800 ppm trapped inside of it, how do we achieve getting that 800 ppm out.
Whole beans may only release 450ppm
Whole bean under a vacuum seal 725ppm
A split bean under a vacuum seal 800ppm
The better the processing the more PPM you will get out of the vanilla bean.
For the testing and to collect daily readings and data all the jars had to be opened daily as it was a controlled setting. The question is the vacuum sealed jars were sealed and resealed once a day daily during that time. Did that play a factor on how much the vanilla compounds were released? After 12 to 24 hours I don't think it did comparing it to other data I have.
Well crap. Now I need a vacuum sealer. 🤪
@@homemadevanillaextract
Yep!!
I wish you would do a test using a pressure canning pot and a Instant pot. I know the pressure pot would seal it.
All the manufactures do not recommend putting alcohol in a pressure pot. Super heated pressurized alcohol is a ticking time bomb. The testing have been done by others and has not worked well. The color changes but the flavors are not there. This is why most vanilla manufactures use the cold process.
Thank you so much for all your help, research and data sharing!! Question - do you leave the beans in until you decant or can you remove them after 55 - 60 days since they are spent? What would be the benefit/detriment of doing either?
I just leave the vanilla beans inside the jars until I am ready to bottle. I make several batches a year but only bottle twice a year. When I bottle is when I decant that way I am only bringing out the equipment and making a mess twice a year. That is how I am currently do it. My last batch of vanilla with the 4.5 gallon total circulation process the beans were done after 20 days and I removed the beans after 35 days to bottle and get ready for the holiday rush. Still my best extract to date.
Shane, if I have an extract that is a year old but has a strong alcohol taste can I add in more beans and let it sit longer or has the solution reached its saturation point?
How much beans in relation to alcohol did you add?
12oz of Alcohol to 1 1/2 ounces of beans. Can’t I just add in new beans? And let it sit longer? Will it extract from the new beans?