Using a Grater: For whole nutmeg you will need to use a nutmeg or Microplane grater.  Simply drag the whole nutmeg nut across the surface of the grater repeatedly, taking care not to catch your fingers.  Microplane graters also work well with long pepper.

Note: Some standard box graters include a grating side suitable for nutmeg.  Its teeth should look like the ones on the nutmeg grater in this picture.

Using a Mortar and Pestle: 

These are great when you want to carefully grind up spices like star anise (pictured) and juniper berries to a very specific size.  They can also be used to just crack open whole cardamom or Tellicherry peppercorns for making infusions.  We highly recommend that you choose a mortar and pestle with a rough texture in the bowl, as the friction will speed up your grinding considerably.

Using a Bladed Electric Coffee Grinder: 

Truth be told these don’t do a great job of grinding coffee (for that you want a burr grinder) but they’re very affordable and great for grinding spices in the home.  Just be sure to clean them out after each use (grinding and then discarding some dry white rice is a good way to do this) so that you’re not accidentally mixing spice residues into your coffee.  While you don’t have as much control as when using a mortar and pestle, coffee grinders are a fast way to grind spices like annatto seed, long pepper, grains of paradise, and lavender buds. They’re also a great way to make chile powders. 

We do not recommend using coffee grinders to grind whole cloves or whole allspice, which can damage the plastic.  If you want to grind these using this technique, you’ll want an actual motorized spice grinder with a metal compartment.

Using a Pepper Grinder: For Tellicherry pepper, the best grinding method is to use an actual pepper grinder.  Grinders that incorporate different settings that control how fine the resulting grind is are becoming more common and are great for gourmet cooking.  Depending on your grinder’s design and construction, it may be possible to also use it to grind peppercorn-sized spices such as Szechuan pepper, and allspice, though it will depend on your actual grinder and whether you want to add different flavor notes to your peppermill.  If your pepper grinder cannot handle other spices, simply use an electric coffee grinder or mortar and pestle as normal.

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To toast saffron, simply briefly heat the threads in a dry skillet on the stove over medium high heat.  Keep them moving, and keep a very close eye on them, you don’t want them to scorch.

Pre-Steeping:  In general, saffron threads should be steeped in a hot, acidic, or alcoholic liquid for at least 20 minutes prior to being added to your dish.  Once steeped, both the threads and the liquid are added to the dish.

Converting Saffron Powder Recipes to Threads: A good rule is to use roughly 20 threads for each pinch (~1/16th tsp) of powder called for. However, high quality threads are more potent, so you may not need as much. Remember to add a pre-steeping step to the recipe (perhaps in 1-2tsp of hot water) if it doesn’t already include one.  Alternatively, you can crush saffron threads into your own powder (toast the saffron first if you normally would when using whole) and follow the original recipe measurements.

 
How to Use Saffron Powder:
Saffron powder can usually be added to recipes without any prior preparation.

Converting Saffron Thread Recipes to Powder: substitute one pinch of powder (~1/16th tsp) for every 20 threads called for.  Many saffron powders are less potent than saffron threads (they’re often made with less pure saffron), so you may have to use more.  Our powdered Iranian saffron is made with the same threads we sell whole, so they’re the same strength by weight.

What Flavors Work Well With Saffron?

Saffron can be used in stews, risottos, puddings, ice creams, baked goods, soups, seafood dishes, sauces, and rice dishes (basmati, paella, or risotto).  Saffron pairs well with flavors such as apples, almonds, cardamom, honey, poultry (particularly heritage chickens and squab), bone marrow (often from veal marrow bones), milk or cream (try it in ice cream!), cinnamon, lamb, seafood, garlic, white wine, vinegar, rose water, and citrus fruits.

Fresh herbs frequently paired with saffron include: basil, cilantro, rosemary and thyme.

Other Saffron Tips to Keep in Mind:

1.  Saffron’s released pigment is so potent it stains (at least temporarily) very easily.  Avoid using wooden or porous plastic utensils or containers.

2.  Saffron will continue to release flavor into the steeping liquid for up to twelve hours (at a slower and slower rate) if you let it, so if you don’t mind waiting you can get even more bang for your saffron buck.

The classic bouquet garni consists of a bay leaf, some fresh thyme, a few sprigs of parsley (parsley stems are traditionally used, as the leaves can leach color into your dish) and a few peppercorns tied up in a leek leaf.  You can also use cheesecloth to wrap things up, in which case it would be called a sachet. However, it doesn’t really matter what you put in the bouquet garni…you are basically just adding flavor and aroma, so you can add whatever spices and herbs that you want to flavor your dish.

Here’s the basic process:

1. Combine 2 teaspoons black peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, ½ stalk celery, several sprigs of fresh thyme, a handful of parsley stems and 3 cloves.

2. In this case, we are wrapping our ingredients in cheesecloth to make a sachet.

3. Tie off with butcher’s twine…or, if you don’t have butcher’s twine (like us in this photo), you can improvise by making a little satchel.

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Real vanilla beans are a fantasic ingredient (particularly for baking) that should not be overlooked.  They bring tremendous flavor to all sorts of desserts, from custards and mousses to ice cream & cakes.  Some chefs even use them in savory applications like sauces for lobster and veal.

Using Vanilla Beans:

1. Place the bean down on a cutting board.  Draw the point of a paring knife’s blade down its length until the pod is split into two pieces.

2. Take each vanilla bean half, turn it so the shiny inside is facing up, and scrape out the tiny vanilla seeds.  Add the seeds to your recipe.  Don’t throw the vanilla pod away.  It still contains a great deal of flavor. 

Note: You don’t have to use a whole vanilla bean in every recipe.  To use part of a bean, simply use kitchen shears to snip the bean into halves or quarters, then split & scrape these pieces using the method above.  Store any left over pieces with your other beans, but be sure to use them soon, as they will likely dry out faster.

Uses for Vanilla Seeds:
Though the pods have some flavor (see uses below), the primary flavor in a vanilla bean comes from those tiny seeds.  They offer a more subtle, complex flavor than extract, and are great for custards, ice creams, mousses, panna cotta, tart fillings, flavoring simple syrups (for cakes, cocktails & drinks or sorbets), and a million other applications.  In addition to their flavor benefits, they add visual appeal to light-colored dishes where vanilla extract would tint your dessert.  People who love vanilla are always excited to see those telltale little specks in desserts.  Desserts made with real vanilla beans will develop more complex flavor over time, so vanilla ice cream bases are best “aged” in the fridge for a few hours (ideally overnight) and vanilla flavored custards will be even better the next day.

Using Leftover Vanilla Pods:

For custards, hot chocolates, and other recipes where liquid is warmed: you can add the pod halves to the liquid along with the seeds during the heating process, just remember to extract the pods later.  Flavor from the pod will be steeped into the liquid along with the remaining vanilla seeds clinging to the inside of the pods.

Make homemade vanilla extract or vanilla vodka: While you’ll probably want to throw some fresh vanilla beans in as well, leftover pods can be added to alcohol to make vanilla extract at home (homemade vanilla extract recipe).  If you pull the pods from the alcohol before the mixture has reached extract strength, you’ll be left with vanilla vodka which is perfect for mixed drinks.

Make vanilla sugar:  Making vanilla scented sugar at home is extremely easy, and another good way to make use of your leftover pods.  Though often called simply “vanilla sugar” by home chefs, this sugar’s flavor & scent are much more mild than the vanilla sugar often used by professional chefs, which is mixed with lots of ground vanilla beans.  If you want to make stronger vanilla flavored sugar by actually grinding up your beans, you’ll find instructions in our Flavored Sugar Recipes post.

Remember, though vanilla beans can be expensive in grocery stores (and often dried up), fresh vanilla beans can be very affordable if purchased by the pound.  Buying either bulk bourbon vanilla beans and bulk tahitian vanilla beans will allow you to freely enjoy & experiment with one of the world’s most coveted flavors without breaking the bank.  Homemade vanilla extract & vanilla sugar make great gifts!

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If you’ve already learned the technique, you can skip right to the flash-infused liquor recipes.

How to Flash Infuse Liquors

(see the original Cooking Issues blog post for genius, more nuance, & theories as to how & why this works)

1. Get your hands on a cream whipper.

We use iSi’s .5L (1 pint) Gourmet Whip Plus.  The Cooking Issues crew used the full liter (quart) model of the same product with great results.  We don’t know how well the .25L (1/2 pint) model will work.  Presumably iSi’s other whippers or similar products by other manufacturers will also work.

2. Load the whipper with the room temperature liquor of your choice.

We get reliably good results infusing 120ml of liquor with 1 charger.  The Cooking Issues crew used the larger (1 liter) Gourmet Whip and were able to infuse 120ml with one charger or 360ml with two chargers.

3. Add the flavoring ingredients of your choice. 

We’ve used fresh herbs, citrus fruit zest, vegetables and whole spices either as individual flavorings or in blends.

4. Charge the whipper with N2O gas.

5. Gently swirl the bottom of the whipper for 30 seconds.

6. Let the whipper stand for an additional 30 seconds.

7. Release the gas.

8. Pour out the alcohol through a fine mesh strainer.

Rinse out the whipper’s canister completely before infusing another flavor.

9. Drink on the rocks or use in cocktails & other recipes.

Flash Infused Alcohol Recipes

Vodka-Based

Chocolate (Cacao) Vodka
120ml Vodka (we used Luksusowa)
2 tbsp Cacao Nibs
1 Charger

This infusion still tastes like vodka, with a slight brown tint and an additional mild, smooth chocolate flavor.

The Cooking Issues team made a much darker (and likely more potent) chocolate vodka from cacao nibs, but they don’t specify how much they used.  Presumably you can amp up the flavor considerably by increasing the amount of nibs used.

Dulce Button Vodka
120ml Vodka (we used Smirnoff)
5 Dulce Buttons, lightly chopped
1 Charger

This infusion creates a sweeter, smoother vodka without making it too sweet.  Let it sit for 1 minute after the 30 second-swirl rather than the usual 30 seconds.

Grapefruit Vodka
120ml Vodka (we used Luksusowa)
Zest of 1 Grapefruit or Pink Grapefruit in large strips
1 Charger

This infusion still tastes like vodka, but with a grapefruit finish similar to lightly flavored, no sugar added sparkling waters (Talking Rain brand, for example).  The grapefruit doesn’t really impart sweetness, but rather a citrus zing that almost feels (perhaps because it evokes citrus mineral water so much) effervescent.

Szechuan Button Vodka
120ml Vodka (we used Smirnoff)
6 Szechuan Buttons, finely chopped
1 Charger

Let sit for 5-10 minutes rather than 30 seconds after the swirl for best results.  This infusion tastes like vodka, but has a good amount of szechuan buttons’ tingle.  A great way to add electric zing to your cocktails!

Lime Vodka
120ml vodka (we used Smirnoff)
Zest of 3 Limes, finely zested/sliced
1 Charger

This infusion has a beautiful, deep green color with a bit of lime up front and a distinct lime finish.

Vanilla Bean Vodka
2 Vanilla Beans, split & quartered (we used Bourbon Vanilla Beans)
1/2 cup Vodka (we used Smirnoff)
1 Charger

This delicate vodka has the aroma and a little bit of the flavor of vanilla, plus some tiny vanilla seeds.  The vanilla’s potency is enough to round-out the vodka’s flavor without overpowering it.

Huckleberry Vodka
1/2 cup Frozen Huckleberries, roughly halved
1/2 cup Vodka (we used Smirnoff)
2 Chargers

A beautiful pink-tinged vodka with a bit of fruitiness and huckleberry flavor.  Not nearly as strong as huckleberry puree or huckleberry simple syrup.  A great way to bring natural color to straight-up martinis without modifying their flavor overmuch.

Cocktails:
Huckleberry Martini Recipe

Gin-Based

Cucumber Gin
120ml Gin (we used Bombay Sapphire)
3oz of Cucumber (approximately 2-2.5 inches of a large cucumber), thinly sliced
1 Charger

This infusion doesn’t impart much identifiable cucumber flavor, but does soften the edges on the gin, giving the liquor a “rounded out” range of flavors.

Cocktails:
Great with club soda on the rocks!

Bourbon-Based

Autumn Bourbon
120ml Bourbon (we used Maker’s Mark)
15 Pink Peppercorns
6 whole Star Anise pieces
Zest of 1 & 3/4ths Oranges, finely zested/sliced
1 Charger

This bourbon infusion tastes like autumn in a shot glass.  The peppercorns provide some heat, the anise body and the orange zest the final piece of the puzzle.  We love it.

Cocktails:
Elderflower Fall-Hattan Recipe

Tequila-Based

Ghost Chile Tequila Recipe

Note: when we specify specific thicknesses, piece-sizes, types/brands of liquor, etc, we do so to help you replicate our results.  We have not tested these well enough to discover what is “the best” form of ingredients to use.  You may be able to get good or even better results by changing things up.

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Vanilla beans are wonderful items to have in your pantry simply because they are relatively inexpensive when bought in bulk and each of the 175-200 beans in a pound are incredibtly potent. For example, you can slice the bean open and use the tiny seeds in your favorite baked treat or ice cream, but don’t discard the leftover shells! You can use those to make vanilla extract, vanilla vodka, or any other vanilla flavoring you can think of.

For further proof of the potency of vanilla beans: One bean can be used to flavor two cups of vanilla sugar, and then that same bean can be used to make vanilla flavored vodka, and then used again to flavor your favorite holiday beverage such as mulled wine. Just rinse with each use and start again. Over time a bean will start to lose its vanilla goodness depending on how vigorously it’s been used, but their uses can defiantly be stretched if you just get a little creative.

How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract

1 pint size jar (any food grade glass will work)
4-5 Tahitian Vanilla Beans or Bourbon Vanilla Beans
1 cup of good quality vodka or bourbon

Step 1) Leave all the beans intact except for one. Slice that one in half exposing the seeds. (Don’t scrape the seeds out, this step is just to create more surface area for the bean to the alcohol.)

Step 2) Place all vanilla beans into the jar

Step 3) Pour in the alcohol.

Step 4) Leave the mixture to sit in the pantry for 4-6 weeks, swirling it around maybe once a week to check its progress. Give it a whiff. After a couple weeks, you should have some very nice vanilla vodka (if that was your alcohol of choice.) But if you let it sit for the full 4-6 weeks you will have a lovely amber liquid (i.e. vanilla extract) ready for baking, or whatever you use extract for.

As the vanilla is used, the jar can be replenished with more alcohol. Or if you need a vanilla bean for a recipe, you can pluck an intact one out and use its seeds. Just rinse it off and you’re ready to go! Keep adding more alcohol and beans as they are used, and there will be extract for years. And if you have extra beans, you can make other things with them too, like vanilla sugar.

Note: Do not store vanilla beans in the refrigerator, they will dry out prematurely. Instead store them in a plastic bag or container in the pantry.

See also: How to Make Vanilla Sugar

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If you come across some vanilla beans in your pantry that are hard as a rock, don’t despair!  Here are some great ways to either coax them back to life or still get some use out of them:

Grind them into vanilla flavored sugar:  This is my favorite way to deal with dry vanilla beans.  As comforting as the subtle aroma of vanilla scented sugar is, it doesn’t impart much vanilla flavor.  Completely dry vanilla beans are perfect for grinding with sugar for a blend that tastes as good as it smells!

Make Vanilla Simple Syrup: To rehydrate beans for use in desserts, try rehydrating them in simple syrup.  Throw your dry vanilla beans into a pot with water and sugar, and simmer until the beans have softened and imparted flavor to the syrup.

For faster hydration (and stronger syrup), split the beans first.  You’ll get more potent vanilla syrup and milder but more tender beans to use in your recipes.

Make Vanilla Extract: Simply steep the vanilla beans in vodka or bourbon, which will rehydrate the bean as it draws out its flavor.  Not only can you still get good extract from the dry bean, but you may be able to wash it off later and use it as you would a fresh bean (assuming your recipe can tolerate a little alcohol…remember it effects freezing).

Boil Them: You can briefly boil/blanch vanilla beans to rehydrate them, however some of their flavor will leach into the water and effectively be wasted, which is why we recommend simple syrup instead.

Related Posts:
Vanilla Storage Instructions
How to Use Vanilla Beans
Vanilla Recipes

Ingredients:
2 Vanilla Beans (either tahitian vanilla beans or madascar vanilla beans will do)
2 cups of sugar

Step 1) Take 2 vanilla beans and 2 cups of sugar and place together in a pint-sized, airtight jar.

Step 2) Let sit for 3-4 weeks.

Step 3) Open the jar to check the progress. If its vanilla-y enough for you, remove bean and use it for something else. What you are left with is vanilla scented sugar.

For More Potent Vanilla Scented Sugar:
Scrape the seeds out of each vanilla bean (read how to use a vanilla bean for instructions) and mix them into your sugar.  Put the sugar and outer vanilla pods in a pint-sized airtight jar for 3-4 weeks.

To Make Vanilla Flavored Sugar (similar to our professionally made vanilla sugar):
Grind dried-out vanilla beans with granulated sugar…you’ll be able to use this sugar immediately, no waiting required!  See How to Make Flavored Sugars for the recipe & technique tips.

Note: Do not store vanilla beans in the refrigerator, they will dry out prematurely. Instead store them in a plastic bag or container in the pantry.

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Ingredients:       (Makes 1 Drink)
2 oz Flash-Infused Autumn Bourbon (Recipe & Technique at How to Flash Infuse Alcohols)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Elderflower Syrup
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Orange Twist
1 piece Star Anise

Directions:
1. Shake together all ingredients with ice.

2. Pour off ice into a martini glass.

3. Garnish with an orange twist and star anise.

Vanilla contains a lot of alcohol-soluble flavors that are commonly drawn out to make vanilla extract.  Making homemade vanilla vodka is easy and a great way to bring the calming and flavor-enhancing properties of vanilla to your mixed drinks.

Ingredients:
1 pint sized jar or resealable bottle
4-5 Tahitian vanilla beans or bourbon vanilla beans
1 cup of good quality vodka

2-3+ weeks of steeping time

A note on which beans to use: though either variety of vanilla bean can be used, the one you choose can affect the flavor of your finished alcohol.  Tahitians tend to be fruitier and more aromatic, while bourbons have a richer, deeper flavor.

Directions:

1.  Pour the vodka into your container.

2.  Add vanilla beans.  Using whole beans will infuse flavor into your alcohol while leaving the beans intact for later use.  Splitting one or more beans down the middle (we like to split at least one) will speed the flavoring process, but likely keep you from reusing that bean (how to scrape a vanilla bean).

3.  Close the jar or bottle and let it sit in a cool, dry place for 2-3 weeks (we recommend writing the date you made it on the outside, so you’ll remember when to test).

4.  Taste your vodka periodically to see if it’s to your liking.  Once your desired strength has been reached, remove the vanilla beans and either use them in something else, or put them in another container of vodka to make more (though the second batch may take longer or end up weaker).

Variations:
• Try using a different alcohol: bourbon is a common choice because of the vanilla-like compounds it already naturally contains. 
• Make vanilla simple syrup instead:  Steep scraped vanilla pods in simple syrup for another way to bring vanilla into your mixed drinks.  This method has the added benefit of being useful in non-alcoholic applications (how to make simple syrup).

Related Posts:
Chili Vodka Recipe

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