One of the very best inexpensive gifts that will impress even the biggest foodies is homemade vanilla extract. It's a gift that's meaningful, useful, and oh so delicious — and the process to make it ...

Vanilla extract is so easy, so cost-effective and so satisfying, you might decide you’ll never again shell out your hard-earned money for the pre-made stuff in a tiny vial. Instead, make extract in ...

Claire is Lifehacker's Senior Food Editor. She has a B.S. in chemistry, a decade of food journalism experience, and a deep love for mayonnaise and MSG. Plunking a scraped and spent vanilla bean into ...