Vanilla Beans......how long do they last??

helicooze, Jun 30, 7:17am
I have a container full of vanilla beans I've had for a while, like a few years!! How long do they last?, they still look and smell great and are soft, would be a shame to throw them out but I'm just not getting threw them

jessie981, Jun 30, 10:43am

marcs, Jun 30, 11:17am
If they are still soft then they are alright. I managed to find them quite cheap and have soaked it vodka which keeps them soft for longer and gives you beautiful vanilla extract to use. Just keep topping it up with vodka as you go. I just used absolute vodka but any tasteless alcohol will do.

deus701, Jun 30, 11:20am
I give you $5 for it.

marcs, Jul 1, 2:46am
yeah right. I thought $1 each on ebay was cheap enough. Lucky that the person was in Perth. I bought both types and use it all the time.

willyow, Jul 5, 3:30am
I import them. Vanilla beans will last for years as they are cured. The problemscome when they dry otu too much andthat makes them very difficult to use ( other than throwing in the sugar jar to make vanilla sugar).

We tell customers to put a little vodka in with them if they dry out too much - vodka ( ethyl alcohol) is odourless andflavourless so doesn't change the flavour. As mentioned above -a couple of vanilla beans chopped up and put in a jar with some vodka(200 mls) - shaken every day or two - will give you an endless supply oflovely vanilla extract after 2-3 weeks. I've converted hundreds of Kiwis to this method.Hope that helps