![]() ![]() The flavor and aroma of vanilla are the concerted effect of some two hundred volatile molecules (a note to my fellow non-chemists out there: molecules called “volatile” aren’t wild and unpredictable they just readily evaporate under normal conditions). ![]() By the end of all this, the volatile molecules that define vanilla’s distinctive aroma and flavor have been freed within the skin, the seeds, and their molasses-like fluid, and cell damage has changed their color from green to dark brown. After this blast of heat that effectively kills the pods and kick-starts the curing process, they’re submitted to intermittent sun exposure and storage over the course of weeks or months. According to Shawn Gavin, founder of the spice company Slofoodgroup, hot water (over 140☏) is by far the most common method because it is inexpensive steaming is effective but requires costly equipment and the sun is, of course, the least controllable and therefore the least relied upon. The goal of this step is to cut short the ripening process, during which sugars and amino acids necessary for curing and flavor development would naturally be exhausted. The barely ripe pods are shocked with high heat from hot water, steam, or the sun. They started life as green pods resembling overgrown green beans and sprouting along one of three species of orchid vines in the Vanilla genus. Those slender, brown-black, wrinkled vanilla beans filled with miniscule sticky black seeds are actually cured, semi-dried fruits. In the US, vanilla’s flavor (in its various forms, which we’ll get into shortly) is mainly sought for ice cream―a lot of ice cream―and other sweet treats, with a tiny share ending up in savory dishes. Vanilla hasn’t outrun its tight association with chocolate, but it does often venture out on its own. Vanilla complemented these Mesoamericans’ chocolate drinks in pre-Columbian times, and the “beans” eventually made their way to Europe on Spanish ships in the eighteenth century. The enchanting fruit of the vanilla orchid first cast its spell on the Maya, Totonac, and Aztec peoples of its native Mexico at least several hundred years ago. With just minutes of hands-on time, you’ll have a complexly layered, industrial-quality extract-enough for 50 to 150 recipes-at less than a third of the cost.An alcoholic base means your extract will last indefinitely.Using an immersion circulator allows you to precisely heat the ingredients at the optimal temperature for coaxing maximum flavor from the vanilla beans. ![]()
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