How to use a vanilla pod effectively


How to use a vanilla pod effectively
Vanilla pods are used in many recipes, but they need to treated in a particular way to be effective, detailed here.
408 K 3.6/5 (80 reviews)
Grade this recipe:
Keywords:
Last modified on: February 21th 2011
For this recipe: Comment Send to a friend Ask me a question Follow Printable Diaporama
For 1 pod, you will need:

Change these quantities to make:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 9 min.
Resting: 15 min.
Cooking: 10 min.
All in all: 35 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - ⌛ 2 min.
How to use a vanilla pod effectively : Stage 1
Cut vanilla pod in two, then split each part in two lengthways.

Stage 2 - ⌛ 2 min.
How to use a vanilla pod effectively : Stage 2
With the back, not the sharp edge, of a knife blade, scrape out all the small black seeds which contain the essence of the vanilla flavour.

Stage 3 - ⌛ 2 min.
How to use a vanilla pod effectively : Stage 3
Add these small black seeds to the liquid of your recipe, here milk for custard sauce (crème anglaise).

Stage 4 - ⌛ 10 min.
How to use a vanilla pod effectively : Stage 4
Add pod too, to get the whole flavour.

Bring to the boil, then remove from heat, cover and leave to stand for about 15 minutes, so that the milk absorbes the taste.

Stage 5 - ⌛ 15 min.
How to use a vanilla pod effectively : Stage 5
It's important to strain the milk afterwards to remove all the bits, especially the small brown fibres of vanilla pod.

To do this, pour the milk throught a strainer...

Stage 6 - ⌛ 3 min.
How to use a vanilla pod effectively : Stage 6
... to remove them, but use a strainer that is not too fine to allow the small black seeds to pass through.

See in this photo what's left after filtering: skins and brown fibres which would spoil your dish.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe0001 RDI=0 %7 RDI: 0 %
Per 100 g010 RDI=1 %050 RDI=3 %220 RDI: 3 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman
How much will it cost?
  • For 1 pod : 2.65 €

Change currency:

Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Other recipes you may also like
Candied grapefruit peel
Candied grapefruit peel
Not really a dessert, more a kind of sweet. After soakiing, strips of grapefruit skin are cooked very slowly to conservethem in sugar. It's a real treat with coffee at the end of a meal.
December 20th 2018398 K 14 1 day 1 hour 25 min.
Tomato sauce (for pizzas)
Tomato sauce (for pizzas)
This is the sauce to put on pizza bases before the toppings.
October 19th 2010545 K4.3 1 hour 15 min.
Chantilly cream
Chantilly cream
Chantilly cream, it's simply whipped liquid cream with sugar. It is use in many desserts, but already delicious simply with strawberries or other fruits.
September 17th 2013693 K5 20 min.
How to prepare tomatoes
How to prepare tomatoes
Yes, I know you will say to me: why peel tomatoes? The answer is very simple: it's much better, gives a better texture, softer in the mouth. The skin is tough, adds nothing to the taste (and you will have noticed that commercial tomatoes have practically no taste), and finally it's there (on/under the skin) that the awful chemical products that the fruit receive during growth, are concentrated (treatments, pesticides, etc...).
June 6th 2012351 K 24 40 min.
How to prepare spinach
How to prepare spinach
For most people (and me most of all), spinach brings back bad memories of canteens... But, well prepared, it's a fine and delicate vegetable which goes remarkably well with scrambled eggs, fish, and many another things. Here are two ways of preparing it.
June 5th 20153.42 M3.5 1 hour 9 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com

Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2026-03-29)

*Your e-mail Your first name or nickname
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Posted by:
I am not a leaving thing

Follow this recipe (as 3 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.

Back to top of page