Has anyone used fresh vanilla beans?

[tinkerbelle2030]

Ok, so I bought 1 pound of madagascar vanilla beans and there is a reddish brown slime inside some of the beans. Any ideas what this substance may be??

[scubadoo97]

I too bought Gourmet grade A Madagascar Bourbon beans from ebay and I get the usual black tar looking beans when scraped. I would not describe it as slimy nor reddish brown.

[jessi20]

i have bought vanilla beans many times and i have never seen a reddish brown slime...the inside should be a very dark paste. vanilla beans are never really "fresh" as vanilla is cured or dried first so i would be concerned that some of your beans are rotting as i know this can be a common problem in the processing of the beans. since not all the beans have the slime i think you might have to consider disgarding the slimers....or take them back to where you bought them as they can be a super-expensive purchase.

[amyzan]

Wow, a pound! I bet that cost a pretty penny, eh? I've not seen the seeds and inside be reddish brown before, but maybe it can be that color. Mine are usually flexible but the seeds inside are a slightly sticky very dark brown, and not what I'd describe as slimy, exactly.

[QueenB]

You can find great vanilla beans on eBay, believe it or not, at reasonable prices. We're talking around 30 bucks for grade A. You can find both Tahitian and Madagascar beans. A pound gets you over 100 beans. Works out to 30 cents or less per bean.
I've been buying my vanilla beans from two companies on eBay for a year now and I've never been disappointed. The quality is outstanding.

[tinkerbelle2030]

QueenB, I actually bought them from Ebay. Unfortunately I left feedback for the seller before I actually cut one open. I guess I just got a bad batch.

[QueenB]

Have you emailed your seller and let them know? I would do so, if you haven't already. They may be willing to help you out and get you some replacements.

[tinkerbelle2030]

I was expecting to see a black or dark brown paste, not a sticky dark red goo. Thanks for the info othervoice and LNG212! :)

[LNG212]

I use real vanilla beans when I'm making custard, puddings, creme brulee, etc. I stick the entire bean in the heated mixture (usually milk) and that softens everything up nicely as well as adding extra flavor. To me it's then easier to scrape out the beans on the inside of it. But as othervoice posted, I think you can just slice it open and scrape out the seeds if you like.

[othervoice]

The "paste" inside the bean is the vanilla. You scrape it out and use it.