FOOD NEWS
How To Replenish Homemade Vanilla Extract For A Bottomless Reserve
BY KYLE GRACE MILLS
You can create a cost-effective, homemade vanilla extract by immersing vanilla beans in your choice of alcohol, resulting in a simple and easy-to-replenish baking staple.
Select from a variety of alcohols like vodka, bourbon, brandy, mezcal, or rum to create unique flavor profiles; ensure you use a scrupulously clean glass container.
For a robust and flavorful extract, adhere to a ratio of one vanilla bean per two or three ounces of alcohol.
Utilize three to four beans for an eight-ounce bottle, letting the concoction sit undisturbed for a month, shaking daily to guarantee an even distribution of infusion.
To replenish, add equal portions of alcohol and one additional bean per two ounces whenever the extract is depleted by a fourth of a cup or more.
If replenishing less than half of the extract, it can be used right away — however, if adding more than half, allow a week for the flavors to develop fully.