the 941

For the first time in years, I dragged out my ice cream maker with plans to introduce my son to the glories of homemade frozen treats. But as soon as we hit the supermarket for the necessary supplies, I was confronted with something that made me put the kibosh on our epic gourmet dessert: Vanilla beans are $5! Each!

Here’s your guide to why vanilla is so expensive, and some tips on how to trim costs without sacrificing quality.

* Vanilla is the seed pod from an orchid (the only orchid that bears edible fruit). Orchids are fragile, demanding plants — this one needs to be hand-pollinated on the one day a year the blossoms open. Pods are hand-picked and take a year to mature and cure before they’re ready for market. You can see why it’s pricey.

* The main varieties are Madagascar, Tahitian and Mexican — although Madagascar beans are what you’ll see most of the time, and are usually the most reliable in terms of classic vanilla flavor.

* Vanilla extract is made by macerating beans in alcohol and water to extract the flavor; the resulting solution is aged.

* Imitation vanilla extract is a nasty blend of chemicals that — honestly — isn’t worth the cost savings, although average folk won’t be able to tell the difference when used in small amounts in flavorful dishes.

* Store beans in a cool, dry space and they’ll keep for a year or more. If the beans dry out, just soak them in liquid (preferably the custard you’re using them in) and they’ll rehydrate. Don’t store beans in the refrigerator, because the sugars will crystallize.

* Since properly stored vanilla lasts a long time, buy in bulk from mail-order services (penzeys.com sells three beans for $7.25, or 15 for $28.50). All that vanilla staring at you every day is good incentive to get cooking.

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