How Vanilla Beans Can Spice-up Your Party
For some reason vanilla has become synonymous with plain and boring, but in reality vanilla beans are anything but. These exciting and versatile beans are particularly useful when it comes to party season, and not just for children, but for adults also.
Spice-up a Kid’s Party
No child’s party is complete without cake, and cake is even better when vanilla beans have been used to flavor it. Whether you’re thinking sponge cake, chocolate cake, or some kind of elaborate recipe, the addition of a few drops of vanilla extract almost always adds another layer to proceedings.
It doesn’t stop with cake either. Vanilla extract can be added to other sweet treats, including cookies and pastries, as well as soft-drinks.
Looking for something a little different, why not flavor your lemonade or milk using vanilla beans or vanilla extract? How about adding some vanilla to your Jell-O before it sets? Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a bowl of vanilla ice cream at a party. If you don’t want to make it yourself, adding the seeds of vanilla beans to ice cream is a great way to enhance the taste.
Spice-up Your Dinner Party
If you’re a little old for children’s parties, fear not. Vanilla beans can also be used to spice-up a dinner party or other social gathering.
Some adventurous hosts will provide vanilla based hors d’oeuvres. This may be as simple as vanilla-flavored potato chips (try before you smirk), or a little more advanced, like vanilla pastry topped with prawns.
There are plenty of dishes that benefit from an infusion of vanilla, including curries, chicken and pork dishes, and many fish plates.
Once you’ve finished with the food, try a vanilla cocktail. Vanilla beans added to liqueurs like vodka and rum are a good basis for some exciting, and colorful adults-only drinks.
Keeping cooking fun with vanilla
A lot of the time, I tend to find that cooking can get extremely boring. Especially if I keep making the same meals again and again, it really starts to take its toll on me. However I’ve found a great way around this – instead of looking at cooking as a chore, I start to see it as a fun challenge.
I recently decided to purchase a whole load of vanilla beans. Why? Simply because they make for amazing ingredients in a huge range of different deserts – pancakes, crème caramels, cakes, you name it – and it has really helped me to get out of my cooking rut.
Simply through having got my hands on some vanilla beans and vanilla powder, I’ve now really managed to make cooking fun for myself. Every time I go to cook a meal, I reward myself with the idea of a tempting new dessert each time. I can look online for some interesting recipes to try out, and then simply slip in a few vanilla beans each time in order to make something really interesting.
The great thing is there are lots of recipes out there specifically targeted for vanilla lovers, so I can really put my vanilla powder and vanilla beans to good use. Even if it doesn’t specifically say it needs vanilla powder, I still tend to put some in anyway; I really can’t get enough of it!
Using vanilla beans in this way has really helped, simply because it keeps things new and exciting. It may not seem like this is much of an inspiration, but really – just give it a go. Especially if you don’t tend to find cooking fun, simply invest in a few vanilla beans and start to liven up your food – you really won’t regret it!
Improving home recipes with vanilla
Do you have any recipes which have been handed down to you from your ancestors? Many families have one dish which they are especially good at cooking, usually a dessert, simply because they have a secret family recipe which has been handed down for many generations. Usually these kind of recipes have a ‘secret ingredient’, something which is not always expected to be contained within the dish, but something which really adds to the overall flavor.
But have you ever considered building upon the recipe? Or, if you do not have one yourself, making one? For pretty much any dessert which you can think of, there is a way in which you can fit vanilla extract into it, in order to really augment the overall flavor. The great thing about vanilla and vanilla beans is the fact that they are so simple to use, they have their own delicious flavor, and they can also increase the overall deliciousness of a dish through making other flavors more pronounced.
Obviously vanilla beans will not work with every dessert, but simple things such as a cake, brownies or crème caramel can really benefit from the addition of vanilla beans or vanilla extract, so why not give it a go? You may be surprised at just how easily you can add something like vanilla extract to a dessert recipe, even if it is a secret one. Vanilla beans are incredibly unique in that they can add so much to a simple dish, through using only one or two vanilla beans themselves.
As such, why not make a small change to a family recipe? Or if you are looking to have your own touch on a particular recipe, consider experimenting by adding some vanilla beans the next time you make it. You never know, you may stumble on a family secret.
Tips for cutting costs when using vanilla
If you are a fan of using vanilla beans in your food, it can really pay to know how best to save money when using them.
The thing with vanilla beans and vanilla extract is that it is always tempting to use a lot of them – it makes food far tastier that way, only vanilla extract and high quality vanilla beans are not cheap, so it really does pay to make sure none of them go to waste.
One of the most interesting ways of saving money in the long run is to invest in something high quality, I find. Instead of simply going for the cheaper vanilla extract, find one which is of really good caliber, as this will go a lot further than you might think. If you only need to use one of your vanilla beans instead of several, then it may be worth the extra original cost to you, simply because you can save on their overall usage.
This way you can still get really tasty dishes – you can use your vanilla beans as and when you want, but it will take less to get the same taste within the dish, helping you to save money. If you can cut down on waste as whole this will also mean that you lose less in food in general, and things will tend to go further.
But as well as saving money, it is also about enjoying what you make. There is no point buying a lot of poor quality vanilla beans only to find that they don’t make your food taste nice, as even if you have managed to save a lot of money it is ultimately pointless. As such, buying better quality ingredients for your good is always the best way to go, saving you time and money in the long run.
The sweet taste of vanilla
If you enjoy cooking every so often, you may have considered using vanilla beans at some point. If not vanilla beans per se, perhaps you have at least thought about using authentic vanilla extract – the flavor of vanilla itself is really something delectable, and should be used as much as possible in your food if you are a fan.
Obviously there are differences between vanilla beans and authentic vanilla extract of course – although authentic vanilla extract is usually fairly high quality, if you really need to impress with any dish that you make, you cannot beat using vanilla beans. This is simply because they are of far higher quality than extract – you can choose exactly how to use them, using as much or as little as you want, instead of just the extract.
For some people the taste of simply vanilla beans may be a bit too strong however – in this situation you may still want to use vanilla beans, but simply cut down on the amount. The sweet and wonderful taste will still be given to your dish by the vanilla beans, but it should not be overly strong, meaning that absolutely anyone should be able to enjoy the dish that you make.
Overall it is up to you how you go about using them however. If the dish is solely for yourself then obviously you can do it however you want – if you like a stronger flavor then use as many vanilla beans as you want, it is up to you to simply follow any recipe so that you can create the perfect dish for you to enjoy, using the beans to enhance the overall taste and experience of the dish you are preparing. Simply use them as you will, and your food should turn out to be just how you want it.
The benefits of vanilla beans
If you are a fan of cooking at home, it can pay to realize just how important different flavorings are in your food, both savory and sweet. Even if your dish is as rich and delicious as possible, the right flavorings can really emphasize the best qualities to the dish, providing a huge overall benefit in taste to any dish that you add the right flavorings to.
But have you thought about using vanilla as a flavoring? In many different dishes vanilla is key, and is an absolutely essential and central ingredient in many famous desserts. But to really achieve the best possible in vanilla flavor, you should consider using vanilla beans, simply because they can give a far fuller taste of vanilla than simply using vanilla extract or the like. Although it is really up to you which you use - vanilla beans or vanilla extract – in general vanilla beans are of higher quality, if you find the right ones.
But you should really take time to figure out which is best for you. Not everyone is a fan of vanilla extract, but instead love vanilla beans, or vice versa. As such, if you are thinking of using vanilla at some point soon in your cooking, you really will benefit from doing some research online to begin with, in order to see different reviews of different products.
As you can really get a good idea of different vanilla products on offer simply through looking online, as well as getting an idea of the different prices of vanilla beans. Finding out the costs of vanilla beans will really help you in the future if you do ever decide to invest in them as a flavoring for your food, simply because it will put you ahead overall, making the whole process smoother for all.
The benefits of home cooking
A lot of people rely on going to the local shops or supermarket for the majority of their food. And while this can be far easier to do than to do most of the cooking yourself, there are also many downsides to this. Buying pre-prepared meals will generally cost a huge amount more than if you prepare it yourself, and can be really unhealthy.
Obviously a lot of people want to save time in today’s busy climate, but it may not be worth the time saved through buying ready meals. Instead, you can take some time out to cook at home, creating some marvelous dishes simply through the addition of vanilla beans and vanilla extract, in order to add a really great taste to any dish that you prepare.
In general you will be far more pleased with dishes you yourself make – you know exactly what flavorings are going into them, so you do not need to worry about the food being unhealthy. If you use genuine vanilla beans or vanilla extract as the sole flavoring within your food then you know that there is nothing unhealthy - vanilla beans do not contain things like preservatives or E numbers, so there really is nothing unhealthy about using them.
Vanilla extract can sometimes contain additives though, so you need to be careful when using shop bought extract instead of vanilla beans. In general it should not be too much of a problem to source vanilla beans though, and they do not cost much more. Even if the price is more, you know that you are getting a lot more for your money - vanilla beans are generally a far better product than simply using extract, so consider purchasing vanilla beans the next time you are out shopping, in order to start cooking at home.
Many Uses for Vanilla Powder
There are so many ways to get the flavor from vanilla beans into your food. The majority of us know about using whole vanilla beans, pure vanilla extract and vanilla paste. The lesser known vanilla powder is also a good way to use the flavor. Vanilla powder is nothing less than finely ground vanilla beans. Most folks do not have the essential tools to make it, as the vanilla beans must be ground untill they have the consistency of confectioner's sugar. Many fine specialty stores stock this special item, so you should not have trouble finding it. The key advantage to utilizing the powder is that unlike vanilla extract, you are able to add the powder to hot liquids without losing flavor due to evaporation. But you can use vanilla powder as more than just an alternative to vanilla extract.
When you have a flavorsome spice with the consistency of confectioner's sugar, the dessert uses should be apparent. Rather than dusting your finished dessert dishes with plain sugar, use vanilla powder to add the beautiful flavor of vanilla beans. It also goes great on French toast as an addition to the sugar already on the bread. The flavor of vanilla beans also goes well inside dough and the ground form is an excellent way to get it there. Add a few teaspoons to your dough recipe to make a fresh, fruity tasting bread for day to day use. Naturally, any dessert recipe that calls for pastry can also benefit from utilizing the powder. Now that you know some alternative uses of vanilla powder, do not forget to use it in hot liquids. It adds a special flavor to ordinary hot chocolate. You can also use an old vanilla bean as garnish for a nice looking and tasting drink.
A Variety of Products from Vanilla Bean
Vanilla comes in a few different forms and it’s best to purchase them from specialty stores rather than your typical grocery store. This is not only because most general stores do not carry these products, and if they do they are most likely not the freshest or best products available. The numerous types of vanilla bean products available have different uses in the kitchen, but all of them have the great flavor that only comes from vanilla beans. Before selecting which form to buy, you must know what they are and the way to employ them.
Whole vanilla beans are the dried pod of the vanilla plant. This is vanilla in its most refined form and may be used to make great recipes of all sorts. To make use of the vanilla bean, you have got to make a slit in the skin to get to the flavorsome seeds within. Some recipes need you to scratch out the seeds. Be cautious not to lose any of them.
If you happen to have a recipe that calls for extract, always use pure vanilla extract. The synthetic stuff doesn't taste the same. Pure vanilla extract is vanilla bean-infused alcohol which has been aged for months. It's excellent for baking. Vanilla powder and vanilla paste are two other sorts of vanilla you can purchase. The paste is ground vanilla beans blended with a sweet liquid. The powder is a vanilla bean ground to the consistency of confectioner's sugar. Both are utilized as a substitute for pure vanilla extract, as the extract has a tendency to disperse in hot liquids.
You can also buy vanilla sugar. This is just standard sugar infused with the flavor and aroma of a vanilla bean. Use it as an alternative for sugar anytime you would like to add some more flavor. Always purchase the right kind of vanilla for the dish you would like to create and always get quality vanilla products. Synthetic vanilla products should never be utilized in the kitchen if you aim to make wonderful meals.
Using Vanilla Beans in Entrees
A main dish should feature three elements on the plate. For example, a protein, a starch and a vegetable. Even home cooks should try to tie all the elements on the plate together in some form. One way you can do this is by utilizing a little hint of the same flavor in all the main course’s elements. Vanilla beans actually shine when you use them to tie your course together. Bourbon Madagascar vanilla beans have a pleasant, fresh flavor you can use to gracefully tie your three elements together.
With a marinade you can infuse delicate or bold tastes into your protein. It will also aid in keeping the protein from drying out in the cooking process. You do not have to purchase a marinade at the store. Create your very own with a cup or so of soy sauce and your favorite spices. To use vanilla beans, cut one Bourbon Madagascar vanilla bean open and put it in the marinade bag. A spoon of vanilla extract will work as a replacement, if you do not have entire vanilla beans available. The vanilla flavor is especially good with pork and beef.
Mashed sweet potatoes are a great starch for a good meal. One Bourbon Madagascar vanilla bean or a few drops of pure vanilla extract will tie the taste of your sweet potatoes to your protein. Add the vanilla to the pot just before mashing. Ultimately, give your veggies some vanilla flavor by adding a drop or 2 of vanilla extract to the oil in which you saute the veggies. The vegetables will have a slight vanilla bean taste that will not overshadow their natural taste.
If you'd like to tie the entire meal together, try utilizing vanilla beans in an appetizer and dessert. Vanilla is a highly flexible ingredient and its extremely hard to ruin a dish in which you’ve used vanilla beans.
