HomeMade Vanilla?

I decided to make holidays gifts with a Vanilla theme!
I am making vanilla sugar scrub(might mix other scents), Vanilla extract and Essential oils for a diffuser or spray.

I ordered through Amazon. The beans were a bit cheaper but I was really looking to use my credit and not out of pocket expense. I also ordered 3oz glass jars for the scrub, 2oz dropper bottles and 4oz bottle with lid.

I am in the mood for Christmas.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

I stand corrected. I watched her on the Food Network and somehow got the impression she was in the west. At any rate, it doesn't change the fact that she uses the whole bean without splitting it.

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She may not....I really don't know. She may just pack the beans in a large jar and add the vodka. I prefer to split the beans lengthwise and scrape the bean halves and then add the scrapings to my bottle of liquor along with the beans themselves.

Some people just cut the beans into thirds and plop them into the jar that way. I guess it really doesn't matter. I scrape because I like the flavor of the finished product.

You can use vodka, rum, bourbon, or even brandy, if you'd like. I think it's really up to you. I think I said that I've used bourbon in the past and I'm going to do vodka this time. But I know people who have used brandy and they really liked that, too.

Here's another bottle site and they have some nice bottles. You don't have to buy a case of them; you can purchase what you need, although the price is cheaper, the more you buy. http://www.specialtybottle.com/

You could check out Pier 1, too; they might have nice bottles, if you want to get a little fancy.

If you make it now and want to use it now for Christmas presents, make sure you tell the people you give it to that they cannot use it right away. Good vanilla takes a few months. Tell them to put it in a dark place and turn the bottle about once a week. Don't shake, just rotate the bottle a few turns. That's it.

Crazyforinfo, I'm interested in how you make your vanilla sugar scrub!

I just love the smell of vanilla.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

I stand corrected. I watched her on the Food Network and somehow got the impression she was in the west. At any rate, it doesn't change the fact that she uses the whole bean without splitting it.

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Nope it doesn't change that. Wasnt aware of her making her own vanilla because I only saw her use commercial stuff. Mind, she falls into the same category as Rachel Ray, Roger Mooking, Laura Calder and Paula Dean - annoying, so I haven't seen many of her shows. When she started bubbling over with joy about living in the Hamptons, I lost interest quickly

Actually, Ina is one of the two people on the Food Network that I can stand to watch. Alton Brown is the other one...and his show ended. I simply can't watch Rachel Ray or Paula Dean. Rachel's "EVOO" and "Yummo!" or whatever it is is just too over-the-top for me and I gave her up a long time ago. And Paula just curdles my corpuscles....that Southern accent is way, way, false. She didn't used to be that bad and it's a shame that she felt she had to become a caricature of herself just to sell books and such. (JMO....your mileage may vary, and that's fine, too. It would be a boring world if we all liked the same things! )

And Ina, too, gets on my nerves with all the Hampton stuff....I mean, I get it; she can afford to live there and that's fine. And I don't enjoy watching her friends. But I do love watching her in the kitchen, just cooking...although, I guess it's a barn kitchen now, since she built a set exactly like her house kitchen in a barn for filming purposes.

There was a recall out on Paula's cookware she had for sale; the stuff was that bad. That was listed in Consumer Reports. And when Cook's Illustrated did a review on cookware, they listed Rachel Ray's stuff as "Not Recommended" for various reasons. Just because a name is on the product doesn't automatically mean it's a good product. But I was watching QVC the other night for a few minutes and Rachel was on, hawking her cookware. And it was selling like crazy.

I do wish the Food Network would get back to cooking instead of all the contests and the Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives type of shows. I hardly ever bother to watch the channel anymore because they've lost the whole concept. (Again, JMO)

Wow I love your food threads.

Originally Posted by Winchester

Actually, Ina is one of the two people on the Food Network that I can stand to watch. Alton Brown is the other one...and his show ended. I simply can't watch Rachel Ray or Paula Dean. Rachel's "EVOO" and "Yummo!" or whatever it is is just too over-the-top for me and I gave her up a long time ago. And Paula just curdles my corpuscles....that Southern accent is way, way, false. She didn't used to be that bad and it's a shame that she felt she had to become a caricature of herself just to sell books and such. (JMO....your mileage may vary, and that's fine, too. It would be a boring world if we all liked the same things!

)

And Ina, too, gets on my nerves with all the Hampton stuff....I mean, I get it; she can afford to live there and that's fine. And I don't enjoy watching her friends. But I do love watching her in the kitchen, just cooking...although, I guess it's a barn kitchen now, since she built a set exactly like her house kitchen in a barn for filming purposes.

There was a recall out on Paula's cookware she had for sale; the stuff was that bad. That was listed in Consumer Reports. And when Cook's Illustrated did a review on cookware, they listed Rachel Ray's stuff as "Not Recommended" for various reasons. Just because a name is on the product doesn't automatically mean it's a good product. But I was watching QVC the other night for a few minutes and Rachel was on, hawking her cookware. And it was selling like crazy.

I do wish the Food Network would get back to cooking instead of all the contests and the Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives type of shows. I hardly ever bother to watch the channel anymore because they've lost the whole concept. (Again, JMO)

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I agree - I like her better than some. I cannot tolerate even watching Rachel Ray. I used to watch the Food Network every day but haven't watched it now for about a year.

I also think it's lovely that she can afford to live in the Hamptons and enjoys it so much. We should all be so lucky.

I love Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. But only because those are the types of places we really love to eat. Its on our when we hit the big time list to get a huge rv and just travel to all those greasy spoon type places. LOL

I read reviews when Paula Deens cookware first came out and WOW they were horrible. I used to want them because I like the colors they came in but I also want them for use not just to sit around and look pretty. For the price of them youd think they would be nice but everything Ive heard is bad.

Gordon Ramsey has a cookware line out and I want to see whats said about his stuff. We watch Kitchen Nightmares all the time and most of his other shows. Master Chef and Hells Kitchen.

I think I may just have to bite the bullet one day and tell my frugal self that if Im getting new cookware Im getting the good stuff and get Calphalon. I have a frying pan and its AMAZING!!!!!

You know, one of the nicest sets of cookware is Tramontina. In a review several years ago, Cooks Illustrated rated that set second, only to All-Clad. And the only reason it wasn't rated higher was because of the skillet pan sizes and the fact that the skillet pans had no lids. Tramontina is, kind of, the generic version of All-Clad at a wee fraction of the price. When I bought my set a few years ago, I paid less than $150 for the set, which included the small and large skillets, the 1-quart saucepan, 2-quart saucepan, 3-quart saucepan, and the Dutch oven.

If you decide to look for it, look for the Tramontina in 18/10 tri-clad stainless. That's important because it's heavy, like All-clad and honestly, it's really hard to tell the difference between the two. As much as I would love to have all of my stuff All-Clad, I can't afford it. And I can't justify it either. I do have an All-Clad saucier and a large turkey roaster. But heavens, All-Clad is expensive. The Tramontina is very nice cookware and it won't cost you an arm and a leg. And it holds up!

I don't have nonstick, simply because I don't like it and nonstick pans do not hold up over time. And you can't put nonstick in ovens higher than 400 degrees, I think it is....could be wrong about that. I have one nonstick skillet that I use for omelets. That's it. The Tramontina works well. I spray it with Pam and I do everything in it. It cleans up well. And I get lots of nice, yummy fond when I'm sauting, that is wonderful for making gravy and sauces!

When my niece got married, she was determined to have all All-Clad in her kitchen. But when she started cooking with me and started using my cookware, she changed her mind and she has Tramontina now, too. And she's very happy with it. Again, All-Clad is super nice stuff, but it's really, really expensive, too.

You do not need to pay a fortune for cookware and you will still get great results! Tramontina can be found at Target and at WalMart. The only thing is that, while I think All-Clad is made in the US, Tramontina is made in Italy. I think it's Italy....some of it could be China.

Oh and, a lot of people will tell you not to invest in a bunch of nonstick cookware. The reason is because, no matter how careful you are, the nonstick will eventually go bad. They'll tell you to buy a good, but cheap nonstick skillet for omelets and such, use it for a couple of years and then replace it when the surface gets scratchy.

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

Wow I love your food threads.

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Bless you! I'm always afraid that I'm boring people to death when I start talking about food!

Originally Posted by Winchester

Bless you!

I'm always afraid that I'm boring people to death when I start talking about food!

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Never ever boring. Im addicted to your food threads.



Im gonna have to look for that cookware. It is going to take me forever to bite the bullet and replace mine. Poor df got some weirdo walmart line that was like 20 bucks for a box of stuff and its horrible. But I have serious issues with spending that kinda money on myself..yet if he said heres a thousand bucks buy what you want Id spend it all on the animals and my first purchase would be a giant cat tree.

Here is Chef Michael Smith's view on homemade vanilla extract

Really? I disagree with that 100%. I love my vanilla.

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Here is Chef Michael Smith's view on homemade vanilla extract

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Doesn't that guy make dog food? I don't know if id trust his opinion on people food.

Originally Posted by 3CatsN1Dog

Doesn't that guy make dog food? I don't know if id trust his opinion on people food.

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I don't think so, Tyler. I think Chef Michael is simply a make-believe person that Purina created for their dog food. Like Betty Crocker and Gold Medal Flour; she doesn't really exist.

Originally Posted by 3CatsN1Dog

Doesn't that guy make dog food? I don't know if id trust his opinion on people food.

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Ummm. No! LOL I don't even think he owns a dog.

He's a very well known Canadian Chef and has a very popular cooking show on The Food Network.

Originally Posted by Winchester

Oh and, a lot of people will tell you not to invest in a bunch of nonstick cookware. The reason is because, no matter how careful you are, the nonstick will eventually go bad. They'll tell you to buy a good, but cheap nonstick skillet for omelets and such, use it for a couple of years and then replace it when the surface gets scratchy.

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I was told this same thing by a chef - get good cast iron in a couple of sizes for real cooking and a couple of super cheap non-stick for light duty things like eggs, grilled sandwiches, etc.

Originally Posted by Winchester

I don't think so, Tyler. I think Chef Michael is simply a make-believe person that Purina created for their dog food. Like Betty Crocker and Gold Medal Flour; she doesn't really exist.

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LOL I dont know why I instantly thought of that commercial with that chef guy and his dog. I always thought it was an actual chef who started making dog food. Im gonna have to figure that out cuz its gonna drive me nuts not knowing for sure that odd little tidbit of info that will stick in my head forever and never be of any use. LOL

Got my bottles of Grey Goose and Wild Turkey (I don't know a good bourbon, so I always go with Wild Turkey, sometimes the WT Russell's Reserve ). When I get home from work tonight, I have to braise a chuck roast and make a pan of sticky buns. While the dough is rising and the beef is in the oven, I'll split and scrape my vanilla beans. The kitchen is going to smell wonderful!!

Color me jealous!!!!!

Originally Posted by Winchester

Got my bottles of Grey Goose and Wild Turkey (I don't know a good bourbon, so I always go with Wild Turkey, sometimes the WT Russell's Reserve ). When I get home from work tonight, I have to braise a chuck roast and make a pan of sticky buns. While the dough is rising and the beef is in the oven, I'll split and scrape my vanilla beans. The kitchen is going to smell wonderful!!

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Here are DH's recommendations for Bourbon:
knob creek, bulleit, maker's mark

I know Knob Creek is popular with him and his brother. I have two bottles to prove it. It makes a nice decorative bottle too.