If you’re familiar with Rodelle, you’ll know that we produce fine vanilla extracts and other baking essentials. We also sell high-quality, gourmet vanilla beans. Vanilla beans are what give our extracts their flavor; they provide bakers with another option to enhance their recipes with the rich flavors of vanilla.
You’ve probably noticed that some recipes call for vanilla extract, and others call for vanilla beans. Often times, you can use the two interchangeably: brownies, cookies, pies. Other times, you’ll probably want to use vanilla beans if your recipe calls for it. Ice cream and creme brulee are two examples where vanilla beans will not only add a visually appealing effect to your recipe (those lovely black flecks) but also add a creamy, vanilla element that extracts are not able to achieve in these recipes.
We encourage you to try out baking with vanilla beans, especially if you haven’t tried it before! Don’t be intimidated! Look for Rodelle vanilla beans in stores. Once you’ve selected your recipe (we’ve got a few ideas here), follow these easy steps to incorporate your vanilla bean:
- Take the vanilla bean “pod” and lay it flat on a cutting surface.
- Use a sharp knife (we recommend a paring knife) and slice the vanilla bean down the middle, lengthwise, creating two long halves.
- Next, take the BACK side of the knife and run it down the length of each split “pod” to collect “the seeds.”
- You can use one “split and scraped” vanilla bean in place of one teaspoon of vanilla extract in any recipe.
Want some more instruction? Check out this helpful video tutorial:
That’s it! We hope that you’ll try to use whole vanilla beans in some of your recipes this year!