Just noticed forgotten vanilla beans in my cabinet (cool, dark, dry); estimate they've been there approx. 2 years. Are they still good?

Will use them for making almond milk, which means I'll throw a whole one into the Vitamix along with the almonds and water. I read that I should watch out for mildew/mold. I can't seem to locate any. Anyone advice offered would be appreciated!

narmer
  • Posted by: narmer
  • June 27, 2013
  • 2217 views
  • 8 Comments

8 Comments

ChefOno
ChefOno June 28, 2013

Have you considered making your own vanilla extract? Same principle as above except with vodka or clear rum.

 
Greenstuff
Greenstuff June 28, 2013
I once brought a whole lot of vanilla home from Madagascar, and it was about five years later that we used it up in just the sorts of ways you're thinking. My husband liked to grate the whole dried beans onto shakes and smoothies. They weren't prime, but they were still delicious.
 
em-i-lis
em-i-lis June 28, 2013
and if they aren't as fresh as you'd like, you can still use them to make vanilla sugar. simply mix with sugar, pour into a clean jar, cap tightly and store.
 

Voted the Best Reply!

narmer
narmer June 28, 2013
hi, krusher, not entirely sure how my account factors among "'drone' dud accounts" or how my question factors among "dud questions". thanks for getting my hopes up for reading a third answer from one of the actually kind food52 community members (you, obviously, excluded) only to find out it was a time-wasting dud of an answer. cheers!
 
krusher
krusher June 27, 2013
kircon, cccasady and narmer are "drone" dud accounts. Beware wasting your time members on answering these dud questions. What is happening to Food 52?
 
paseo
paseo June 28, 2013
Why do you think this a a"dud" question asked by a "drone" account? Seems to be a perfectly reasonable question to ask. And the answers were right on.
 
boulangere
boulangere June 27, 2013
Yes, as long as there is no obvious sign of mold, they should be just fine. If they seem a bit on the dry side, you might want to hydrate however many you plan to use by rolling them in a damp paper towel and letting them sit overnight at room temp.
 
ChefOno
ChefOno June 27, 2013

For your purpose they should be fine although some flavor will have evaporated along with the moisture. Next time store them in glass in a cool dark place (but not under refrigeration). I have some enormous glass test tubes with screw tops that work perfectly for me. Smaller beans can be stored in glass cigar tubes or a clean pickle jar.

 
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