Vanilla 101 · No. 01

Vanilla Bean Pods

The whole cured fruit of a climbing orchid — the purest, most flavourful form of vanilla you can buy.

Whole Madagascar bourbon vanilla bean pods
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What It Is

The whole cured fruit of a climbing orchid, hand-pollinated and slow-cured for months. Packed with thousands of tiny aromatic seeds — the purest, most flavourful form of vanilla you can buy.

How to Use

Split lengthwise, scrape the seeds into your mix, then drop the pod in too to infuse milk, cream or syrup. Rinse and reuse the spent pod for vanilla sugar.

How to Store

Wrap airtight and keep somewhere cool and dark — never the fridge, which dries pods out. Well stored, they stay supple and fragrant for up to two years.

At a Glance

How Much to Use

Custard / crème anglaise
500 ml
½ pod
Ice cream base
1 L
1 pod
Cake / sponge batter
1 cake
½ pod
Whipped cream
250 ml
¼ pod
Poached fruit / syrup
4 servings
1 pod
Hot drinks (per cup)
1 cup
scrape
Tip for Home Cooks

A supple, oily pod is a fresh pod. If a pod dries out, don’t bin it — soften it in warm milk, or blitz it into sugar for instant vanilla sugar.