Make Vanilla Extract

Step 2 Cut beans

Cut beans in half. I cut in half so that the beans stay submerged even if they are long or the vodka level drops. You may even consider cutting them into fourths so that they're sure to stay completely submerged, but only do so after scraping the beans (Step 3) to save yourself added work.

Cut beans lengthwise. If you like you can leave one end attached (because it looks nice), but I find that it's easier to clean the beans, get them in the bottle, and make them sit in the bottle properly if you just split them completely.