Why aren't my vanilla beans imparting vanilla flavor?
Has anyone noticed the lack of vanilla flavor in vanilla beans?
I have tried several varieties, from different countries and suppliers. While there is a hint of vanilla, I am using triple the beans plus extract and gain some but not much effect. I have taken all the beans, (new ones) and made vanilla paste, which should be omg this kitchen reeks with vanilla! But it does not.
Best Answer
The aroma of vanilla beans is not easy to release. You have to extract it somehow. The most popular way is a prolonged extraction with alcohol, but you can also boil the seeds in milk or other dairy (that method is especially popular for custards).
If you simply throw seeds into whatever you are making, you are not going to get much aroma.
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How do you get more flavor of vanilla beans?
Place the pods in a tall, thin glass jar and pour enough alcohol (grain alcohol, vodka or dark rhum) to just cover the top of the vanilla beans. Close the jar and keep it refrigerated. Within a few weeks, the pods will plump and at the same time infuse the alcohol with a great vanilla flavor.Do vanilla beans add flavor?
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Vanilla Beans have a sweet, perfumed aroma with a woody or smoky flavor. Pure Vanilla Extract has a similar aroma. Vanilla originated in Mexico, where the Aztecs used it to accent the flavor of chocolate drinks.How do I know if my vanilla beans are bad?
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Answer 2
I recently made vanilla gelato with vanilla bean. It soaked in my "sauce" overnight. There was an amazing aroma. Maybe vanilla bean flavor needs "released," i.e., in liquid, etc. I am fairly new to cooking, so I'm no expert, but again, mine was heavenly.
Answer 3
- If you are using the whole bean, there is a significant dilution of flavour caused by the actual 'pod' of the bean. While using the whole bean makes most economic sense, for the most concentrated flavour use only the seeds scraped out of the inside of the pod. I also find the seeds have less of the slightly herbal bitterness that the whole pod imparts into food.
- @iDoVooDoo makes a good point that flavour will only continue to be released over time, so try preparing things ahead when possible.
- I don't know how you are making your bean paste, but you should try simmering the whole or chopped up beans in water before adding sugar and reducing to make a syrup that will turn into a satisfyingly rich and thick paste after blending everything. The inital simmering will make sure the flavour compounds in the bean are released into the 'substrate' of the paste. This will not happen as effectively if you only simmer them in sugar syrup, as the syrup is not a good solvent.
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