("Dio ѐ Zingaro" by La Municipale Balcanica)
- Hi, I'm Jerry James Stone
and in today's video, I'm gonna talk to you about
how to store vanilla extract.
I know it seems pretty basic, but just stick with me,
it is really important.
So let's get to it.
("Dio ѐ Zingaro" by La Municipale Balcanica)
The thing about vanilla is it's often used
to describe the most boring, basic level
of anything, right?
But, it's actually pretty, pretty unique.
So, vanilla beans are the fruit from a really unique orchid
that only grows in Mexico and Central America.
It's the only orchid that produces that fruit.
And, the word vanilla itself, guess what?
It's derived from the Latin word for vagina.
So hey, not too boring, right?
It's actually pretty interesting.
But, vanilla itself, you know next to saffron,
is the most expensive spice and flavoring
that we produce in the world.
Though it is everywhere, it might seem quite basic,
but it's actually not.
So, storing it is important.
So, when you have your vanilla extract,
we're talking like pure vanilla extract.
'Cause there is imitation vanilla, also.
But when you have your vanilla extract,
you want to store it in a dark, cool place.
So, in the pantry, in the cupboard,
that seems pretty obvious, right? Maybe not.
But the important part is you don't want to store it
anywhere near a heat source.
So, you don't want to put it in a cupboard
that's above the oven, or next to the oven.
You want to put it somewhere that's far away from that,
'cause it really likes to be cold.
And pure vanilla extract, the thing that's great about it,
is if you store it that way, if you store it correctly,
it actually will last for a very long time, indefinitely.
In the proper conditions, vanilla extract
is pretty much not going to spoil.
That said, if you know, to get the most out of
your vanilla extract, you probably want to use it
within five years.
You might think, okay I need to put my extract
somewhere that's in like a cool, cool place.
But, you do not want to put it in the refrigerator,
or the freezer.
That's definitely a no-no when it comes to vanilla extract.
The reason is, those like flavanoids,
the vanilla flavanoids, the thing that they're stored in
within the extract,
if you put them in the fridge or the refrigerator
actually will cause it to separate.
It will get cloudy, the product will just start to degrade.
And that's the last thing you want to do.
Now imitation vanilla is a lot like regular vanilla,
or pure vanilla extract in that same sense.
It also wants to be stored in like a nice,
cool dark place, also not near a heat source.
Now with imitation vanilla, the thing is though,
it's not gonna last as long.
You're probably only gonna get like two,
maybe three years out of a bottle of imitation
compared to pure vanilla extract which you actually can get
close to like I said, forever.
Like it's pretty much gonna last forever
if you store it properly.
Once again, try to use it within five years.
So why does vanilla extract, pure vanilla extract,
last so much longer than the imitation stuff?
Well, here's the thing.
By law, pure vanilla extract has to be 35% alcohol.
So, that's what's keeping that preservation there.
Imitation vanilla extract does not have
those same requirements,
which is why it does not last as long.
So now you know, that's how you store your vanilla extract.
So the next time you go to Costco,
you can buy that big bottle, if it's pure,
because you know it's gonna last a long, long time.
If you like this video, hey, give me a thumbs up.
And if there's something that you want to see,
drop a comment below.
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I release new videos every single week.
See you guys next time.
("Dio ѐ Zingaro" by La Municipale Balcanica)