I get mine (though I don't use a lot) from Vanilla Saffron Imports, who also have the best saffron, which I use more of.

I think you paid more for the jar than the pods.

I suspect that the siz of the vanilla beans has more to do with the variety than anything else. The vanilla beans I bought in Madagasgar were only about 4 or 5 inches long, but some I havew seen in stores here are longer

I will probably order vanilla beans on line when I use up what I have, but the question is how many inches of vanilla should I use in this recipe?

French Vanilla Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 large egg yolks (or 4 egg yolks plus
1 whole egg)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine
the milk, sugar, and one cup of the cream in a medium saucepan. Scrape
the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pan and drop in the vanilla pod.
Heat over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is warmed
through. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let the mixture steep
for 30 minutes.

Pour
the remaining cup of cream into a bowl and set a fine mesh sieve over the top.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the
bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return the entire mixture
to the saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly and
scraping the bottom of the pan, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats
the back of a spoon (about 170˚-175˚ F). Pour the custard through the
mesh strainer into the bowl with the cream, removing the vanilla bean.
Stir in the vanilla. Let cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate
until completely chilled.

Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the
manufacturer's instructions.

I think I should probably use 5", especially since Linda says that hers were 5".

I made the Vanilla Bean ice cream recipe in the Cuisinart book this past summer. It was too rich with all the eggs and a whole bean (it specified 6").

Last time I bought beans was from Penzey's. Madagascar vanilla beans 3 for $8.99

I am of the school that I have never had anything that is "too vanillia-ey"....not too chocolat-ey nor too garlic-ey....but I sure have had things that were blah from not enough vanilla, or chocolate or garlic.

Is this the recipe you used, Cindy? It does look a bit too eggy, but I think 6" of vanilla should be about right for that amount of cream and milk:

2-1/3 cups whole milk
2-1/3 cups heavy cream
1 whole vanilla bean (about 6 inches in length)
3 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1-1/8 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Combine the milk and cream in a
medium saucepan. Use a sharp knife to split the vanilla bean in half
lengthwise. Use the blunt edge to scrape out the "seeds." Stir the
seeds and bean pod into the milk/cream mixture. Bring the mixture to a slow
boil over medium heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes,
stirring occasionally.

Combine eggs, egg yolks, and
sugar in a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer on medium speed to beat until the
mixture is thick, smooth, and pale yellow in color (similar to mayonnaise),
about 2 minutes.

Remove the vanilla bean pod
from the milk/cream mixture and discard.
Measure out 1 cup of the hot liquid. With the mixer on low speed, add the cup
of hot milk/cream to the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream. When thoroughly
combined, pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the
milk/cream mixture and stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, over
medium-low heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Transfer to a bowl, stir in vanilla, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap placed directly
on the custard, and chill completely.

Pour the chilled custard into the freezer bowl, turn
the machine on and let mix until thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. The ice
cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired,
transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about
2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

I only have 5 eggs at the moment, and so I guess I will make the recipe I posted before and use 5" of vanilla bean, unless I go to the store before I decide to make it. I do think that all recipes calling for vanilla bean should specify inches, since the ones I got in the store were very short.

Lars, I looked for it online and found half a dozen different Cuisinart versions. This is the one I tried. scroll down to page 8

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 whole vanilla bean (about 6 inches in length)

2 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

Like I said, it was too rich for my taste. I don't mind a custard-based ice cream, but don't care for all those yolks.

Sorry, Lars, I thought it was the price you were really questioning, not the length. Vanilla Saffron Imports sells by the pound, down to 1/8 pound (around 14 beans?) for around $12, and there are many varieties to choose from. No jar to pay for. My last came in a zip bag. :)

If you're still wondering, I agree with you that a normal American recipe would consider 5-6" to be one bean.

Buy your beans on E-bay, not at a store. Packaging is everything. Fresh beans can be kept cool for years and years. Vanillaproducts is a verified plus plus seller there. I make vanilla extract and they have the freshest most flavorful beans. I don't work for them, just have purchased from the for 5 years.

I don't know if you've opened the jar yet,. But you might be surprised to find that there are only two long ones folded in half. BTDT

Kate, you are right! There are only two beans in the jar, folded in half. But when I was checking the price in the market, the tag said qty (4) and listed the price per bean for comparison, leading me to believe that the beans were $2.00 apiece instead of $4.00 apiece.

The paste looks like something worth trying! I often use pastes to substitute for more expensive (or perishable) spices - especially ginger. I keep ginger in the freezer, but I also keep a jar of ginger paste that I use when making Chinese or Japanese soups, which I make frequently. I do not use garlic paste, as garlic keeps better than ginger.

Anyway, I will use one whole bean for my ice cream recipe. I think the cream cost less than $4.00, which is what makes me think the vanilla is expensive.

If you buy only one or two beans at a time, you will likely pay at least $3 per bean. They get chea per in quantity. I saw vanilla beans at Costco -- don;t know of they are seasonsal there, but the price seemed good,.

I've ordered from ebay in the past, but when I decided to try Beanilla, the beans were so much bigger and more plump that I have stayed with them for my last couple of orders.

Well, I went to Beanilla and order their Tahitian vanilla bean paste, not realizing how much more expensive it was than the paste that Cindy linked to. Anyway, I wanted to try Tahitian vanilla, and I think the 4 oz. jar will go a long way. I expect that one or two teaspoons should equal one bean. I still start with one teaspoon, as I think I will get 24 teaspoons from 4 oz, which would make it cost just over $1 per teaspoon. If I do not like it, I will order the whole beans.