Vanilla Bean/Pod - Shelf-life or Preservation?

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   My wife and I were lucky enough to get a couple of vanilla bean pods recently. These of course have many wonderful uses, but one thing we'd really like to try is using them for making Easter cheese: 

http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=50&title=slavic-easter-cheese-aka-sirets-hrudka-ciruk

Of course, we're quite a few weeks early to be making easter cheese, so the vanilla pods will need to last until then. 

Does anyone have any advice on keeping them fresh or preserved until then? will the refrigerator be fine can they be frozen? is there something else that can or should be done?

Thanks in advance -

Ron

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
TasunkaWitko Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9389	Post Options Post Reply Quote TasunkaWitko Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Vanilla Bean/Pod - Shelf-life or Preservation? Posted: 06 February 2012 at 12:50
	My wife and I were lucky enough to get a couple of vanilla bean pods recently. These of course have many wonderful uses, but one thing we'd really like to try is using them for making Easter cheese: http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=50&title=slavic-easter-cheese-aka-sirets-hrudka-ciruk Of course, we're quite a few weeks early to be making easter cheese, so the vanilla pods will need to last until then. Does anyone have any advice on keeping them fresh or preserved until then? will the refrigerator be fine can they be frozen? is there something else that can or should be done? Thanks in advance - Ron
	If you are a visitor and like what you see, please click here and join the discussions in our community!

Sponsored Links

Daikon Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Chef's Apprentice Joined: 20 October 2011 Location: San Francisco Status: Offline Points: 381	Post Options Post Reply Quote Daikon Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 06 February 2012 at 18:06
	Don't freeze them. Just put them in a small, air-tight container (preferably a small, glass jar), and toss them into the refrigerator. They'll be good for up to six months there. Once you've scraped out their guts to use in whatever you are making, don't discard the "used" pods -- there will still be a lot of goodness left in them. Just bury the "used" pods in a canister of granulated sugar, where they will slowly turn that into a canister of vanilla sugar -- for which there are lots of delicious uses....

TasunkaWitko Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9389	Post Options Post Reply Quote TasunkaWitko Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 06 February 2012 at 19:42
	awesome, daikon - will do. the vanilla sugar sounds interesting. thanks!
	If you are a visitor and like what you see, please click here and join the discussions in our community!

Daikon Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Chef's Apprentice Joined: 20 October 2011 Location: San Francisco Status: Offline Points: 381	Post Options Post Reply Quote Daikon Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 07 February 2012 at 19:37
	As with many things food-related, there is contradictory information out there. Here's a somewhat different take that I found at amadeusvaniilabeans.com -- an online emporium dedicated to vanilla beans: Q: How should I store my gourmet vanilla beans? A: Vanilla beans should be stored in a closed, but not air-tight, container in a cool, dry, relatively dark place. Do not store vanilla beans in the refrigerator or freezer! (The cold will dry them out and may promote a particular type of vanilla mold.) The important thing is that the temperature be relatively constant and that air circulate a bit (unless they are vacuum packed, in which case you can keep them that way until use). If you do store them in an air tight, sealed container, we recommend opening it every couple of weeks or so to let the air circulate a bit. Q: How long will gourmet vanilla beans remain fresh? A: Stored properly, gourmet beans should remain moist and easy to work with for at least a year, many times quite a bit longer. If the beans do dry out a bit, you can place a half of a small potato in a jar with them to soften them for use. You can also soften them a bit by placing them in some warm water or milk just before use.

TasunkaWitko Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9389	Post Options Post Reply Quote TasunkaWitko Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 08 February 2012 at 09:10
	good information - i've had them wrapped up in saran wrap and on the top shelf in our kitchen for a week. i'll put them in a small jar that will work just right for this, and then open it every week or two just to let air circulate - that should cover it. One of them only needs to last until Maundy Thursday, maybe Good Friday, and the other one maybe a month longer, so it should be good.
	If you are a visitor and like what you see, please click here and join the discussions in our community!