Affordable Vanilla Beans and Saffron

Saturday, September 30, 2006

I'm not sure how many people are near a Cost Plus World's Market, but if you haven't been there are two good reasons to go. Vanilla Beans and saffron.

While normally these go for about oh, $16, you can find them for about $4 there. Why? Honestly, I have no clue. The vanilla beans are a tad bit drier than usual, but they are still perfectly fine, and honestly I have had no issues with them. Just make sure to check that the beans you get are still pliable, and then once you get them home, put them in an airtight jar in a dark cool place. The saffron seems pretty top notch too. A tad bit of grit seems to accompany the bountiful stands, but nothing to complain about when you save yourself about $9.

Another item or two you might want to invest in is the pink Himalayan salt for decoration and presentaion, and the steak/meat seasoning. Rob and I swear by this seasoning, as it makes for amazing stir-frys and astounding steaks! We always make sure to keep a jar full of it.

Do yourself a favor and drop on by and pick this stuff up if you can!

5 comments:

  1. PepperSeptember 30, 2006 at 10:17 PM

    Ebay is a source of good quality, cheap vanilla beans. Though I generally like to examine anything I am going to be eating before buying it, it is the best source I have found yet.

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  2. UnknownSeptember 30, 2006 at 11:02 PM

    I agree, Pepper. I really prefer to get my hands on produce before I purchase.

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  3. Amy ShermanOctober 1, 2006 at 10:05 AM

    I gotta check next time I'm at Trader Joe's but I think they are even cheaper there...

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  4. JenniferOctober 2, 2006 at 12:44 PM

    We don't have a Cost Plus World Market here but I know they have one in Monterey...next time I'm down there I'll stock up! Thanks for the tip!

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  5. AnonymousOctober 3, 2006 at 3:11 AM

    I don't know why everyone is stuck on vanilla beans from eBay. If you get your vanilla beans from eBay then you don't know what vanilla beans are. The vanilla on eBay is from Papua New Guiena and is basically junk. Thats why they are so cheap on eBay. PNG Beans look nice but have no real flavor. So I disagree with pepper. DON't Get your beans from eBay, they are junk! Try an online source and spend a bit more $$ You'll notice a major difference. For instance: Beanilla Vanilla Beans

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~Garrett

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