Don’t make the popular “pressure cooker” or “Instant Pot” vanilla extract using vodka and vanilla beans or follow any other recipes that recommend using liquor under pressure – these recipes could result in injury and fire. Evaporating alcohol is not only flammable but it could combust unexpectedly.
This alert debunks flawed assurances that pressure cooking with liquor is safe in electric pressure cookers or with modifications (such as using jars or natural release), includes official statements from manufacturers, the UL Standards organization; and, Dr. Marco Bella, professor of Chemistry at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
hip info: definitions and clarificationsalcohol vs. ethanol -this alert will refer to the alcohol in liquor and wine “ethanol”. That’s because, as Dr. Bella pointed out, alcohols are a class of chemical compounds and it would be confusing to call this specific compound with such a general name. liquor – when referring to liquor, this means distilled spirits (aka hard-liquor). This includes, but is not limited to, vodka, whiskey, tequila, rum, gin and brandy.1 |
But first, let’s see how this all got started.
How it all began..
Two years ago, a blogger shared her friend’s Vanilla Extract pressure cooker method which involves filling the pressure cooker with 80-proof vodka (40% ethanol) and vanilla beans, pressure cooking at high pressure. Soon after, another blogger changed the method by proposing putting the same concoction (vodka and vanilla) into a jar, screwing on the lid to “fingertip tight” and then pressure steaming the liquor-filled jars on a rack. Fast-forward to today, and a google search alone will yield over a million recipes for making vanilla extract or other concoctions using liquor in the pressure cooker – some even using 190 proof Everclear (which is 92.4% ethanol).
But the hazards don’t stop at blogs. Unfortunately, recipe websites, magazines, apps, booklets and recipe repositories and videos created, or promoted, by pressure cooker manufacturers themselves offer pressure cooker recipes with the addition of liquor.
A manufacturer’s official Facebook group, for example, yields hundreds of results when searched for “hooch”, “moonshine”, “vodka” or “everclear”- despite the fact that each post is moderated.
Manufacturers reticent to comment
Pressure cooker manufacturers appear to be reluctant to reveal their official policy on the safety of pressure cooking with liquor. I contacted three popular pressure cooker manufacturers for their policy and only one was willing to provide a statement.
At least, Instant Pot responded with the following statement:
Regarding cooking alcohol in Instant Pot, there are many factors which could generate source of ignition of the alcohol fume. These are not part of the Instant Pot product and beyond the control of Instant Pot device. We cannot officially endorse such use given the possibility of unforeseen risks. – Robert Wang, CEO, Instant Pot
Kuhn Rikon did not want to comment on the practice, and Fagor America said that they do not recommend the use of their product outside of the UL standard. A standard that, unfortunately, doesn’t address the use of liquor to build pressure in the cooker.
UL Standard’s unclear position
A blogger promoting the practice posted the following correspondence with an employee of the UL Standards as evidence that pressure cooking with liquor is safe. The UL’s answer to this blogger is as follows (emphasis added by me):
Hi Ms. [REDACTED],
I’ve been asked to answer this question for you. I did some research, and I can’t find anything definitively that says it’s unsafe. I found a couple of cooking sites that have recipes posted for pressure cookers that appear to employ some alcohol. The UL Standard for pressure Cookers, UL136 is silent on this, as it does not state any risks in the required “Important Safeguards” that forbid the addition of alcohol. So I’m inclined to think it’s ok, but I can’t say for sure. You might want to consider consulting the manufacturer of your pressure cooker to see what they say. Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Nick [REDACTED]
Staff Engineer
So, basically, since the UL guidelines do not state that it is unsafe this employee was inclined to think it is safe to use alcohol in a pressure cooker. Keeping in mind that there not a complete list of items specifically stated in the guidelines as unsafe – for example gasoline (don’t try it) – this does not appear to be an accurate conclusion.
I contacted UL Standards directly to get clarification on their research methods, their use of omission as evidence of safety, and get their official statement on the practice of pressure cooking with liquor. In addition to a personal invitation to tour their testing facilities in Illinois at their expense, they provided the following statement for me to include in this alert…
UL develops standards and tests products for safety under normal use. UL does not evaluate pressure cookers for use with flammable liquids. If a product has been third party certified, consumers can be assured the product will operate safely if used as directed by the manufacturer. Safety instructions state “Do not use pressure cooker for other than intended use”. – Barb Guthrie, VP, UL.
So… what determines safety?
When I contacted Dr. Bella for his expertise on this issue, even before discussing the mechanics of liquor in the pressure cooker, he took issue with bloggers assuring the safety of this practice solely based on the fact that things went well for them.
Specifically, Dr. Bella wants to make it clear that warming up ethanol, which is a highly flammable liquid, should only be done in a controlled environment (a chemical laboratory or a distillery), and only by means of apparatus which has been specifically designed and tested for this specific purpose. A procedure that involves warming up any flammable liquids can be considered reasonably safe only if it was extensively tested.
“I definitively discourage anyone to warm up ethanol of other flammable liquids in pressure cookers, which are designed to warm up water and not other liquids,” said Bella.
Any cooking technique cannot be assumed to be safe even if someone posts a video describing it on the Internet, according to Bella. That poster might not have had problems, but might simply have been lucky. Making it unlikely that someone who had difficulty pressure cooking with liquor would post videos, photos or warnings on the internet or even report such an accident.
Ultimately, pressure cooking using liquor cannot be considered safe until it is proven to be safe by individuals qualified to make such assertions. Scientists in a laboratory are qualified; home cooks in a kitchen likely are not.
Pressure cooking with liquor
When liquor is pressure cooked it is technically being re-distilled; but, instead of redirecting, cooling and actually distilling the ethanol vapors a home pressure cooker releases a cloud of these combustible vapors in your kitchen.
Basically, in distillation, the differing boiling points between water and ethanol are used to separate them to make a stronger concentrate. Since ethanol boils at 173°F (79°C) and water at 212°F (100°C) – distillers capture the first vapors to evaporate and immediately condense them to ultimately concentrate into a liquor.2
But, if you pressure cook liquor the valve releases ignitable vapors over and around your pressure cooker. If a spark were to ignite the combustible vapors released from the valve of a pressure cooker, they could serve as a wick to combust the highly-concentrated alcoholic liquid and vapors that remain inside the pressure cooker.
I personally know of at least two accidents involving pressure cooking with liquor.
One I made myself as one day I absent-mindedly replaced white wine with Limoncello liquor in a chicken recipe. I smelled something burning in the kitchen and my pressure cooker was shooting flames from the valve. Thankfully, the ethanol was sufficiently diluted by the other ingredients inside the pressure cooker to avoid an explosion, but I didn’t yet know this while I crawled on my kitchen floor to turn off the cooker. Don’t try this.
A famous chef, who runs a free online pressure cooking school, was inspired to bring his cooker to pressure with Rum to further flavor his pressure cooker caramelized banana recipe. That didn’t end well. Don’t try this, either.
Is it possible to use liquor in your pressure cooker and not have any problem? Yes, it’s possible, but it is simply not worth the risk. Please, don’t do it.
If you’ve had an accident pressure cooking with liquor – we want to hear from you – please contact me privately to share your experience.
Frequently Asked Questions About Liquor and Pressure Cookers
Is it ever ok to pressure cook using liquor?
There are two exceptions when pressure cooking with liquor could be considered relatively safe.
The first is when the alcohol is burned-off (to dry) – such as when sauteing ingredients for a recipe or de-glazing a pan as all the liquids are evaporated before locking the lid onto the pressure cooker and bringing it to pressure.
The other is the use of a tablespoon or two of liquor in a cake-type recipe that is steamed. Since it will be blended with other ingredients the concentration of the ethanol will be reduced.
Why is it relatively safer to pressure cook wine and beer compared to liquor?
A bottle of wine contains on average 11% alcohol and beer 4% but liquor can contain 40-95% – the concentration of ethanol in liquor is much higher than in wine or beer. The lower the ethanol content, the higher the temperature of the solution needs to be for it to evaporate.3
According to Dr. Bella, when pressure cooking wine, even though ethanol vapors could still exit the valve, if they were to ignite, the fire would not travel into the pressure cooker and ignite the contents under pressure (as could happen with liquor) because of the lower overall concentration of ethanol inside the pressure cooker.
There’s a long history of wine being used in pressure cooker recipes with no reported accidents or official warnings. And, as mentioned earlier, the fact that there are no reported accidents is not enough to consider a practice completely safe.
While the vintage American pressure cooker booklets I consulted did not contain any recipes containing either liquor or wine – likely due to the fact that most cookers sold were aluminum (which is reactive) and as a repercussion from the 13-year prohibition on the sale of alcoholic beverages – the vintage booklet I collected from Italy uses wine quite liberally. In the 1967 fifth edition of Cucinare Bene a Meta’ Tempo (Cooking Well in Half the Time) distributed with Lagostina’s stainless steel pressure cookers 44 of the 77 meat recipes use wine as a liquid for the cooker to reach pressure. There are also six recipes that use liquor but it is either fully evaporated before pressure cooking or mixed-in afterward for flavor or flambè.
There is no history of liquor being used in a pressure cooker as the liquid for the cooker to reach pressure, as the main ingredient for a recipe, or in a jar (more on this later).
While you should still take basic precautions when pressure cooking with wine and beer (which I detail in this post) there is no historical precedent of pressure cooking liquor – and there is credible first-person evidence that it is not safe. Don’t do it.
Aren’t electric pressure cookers safer for pressure cooking with liquor?
It is a myth that just because electric pressure cookers don’t use an open flame that they cannot cause sparks. The components from which they are made, for example a relay switch, can cause sparks during normal operation4. Also, even a simple static discharge from the chef or even simply turning on a light switch could cause a spark which would ignite any nearby ethanol fumes.
Here’s a photo of Instant Pot’s relay switch, along with an industry photo with a transparent casing which shows the contacts that “click” when the heating element is being turned on and off (see graph in next section). The clicking of these metal contacts in the switch can cause an arc (electrical discharge).
It’s worth noting that at an additional cost, a manufacturer could use solid-state or hermetically sealed switches; however, as mentioned earlier, this component change would not solve all the possible ways a spark can be generated around the pressure cooker from outside sources.
So, no. It is not any safer to pressure cook using liquor in an electric pressure cooker than it is using a stovetop pressure cooker. Don’t do it.
Why are sparks even an issue if “the pressure cooking chamber is completely sealed” and Natural Release is used?
Although it’s true that in all pressure cooker types the pressure cooking chamber is sealed during cooking – i.e. not letting any additional air in, or steam out – this can only be true as long as a constant temperature is maintained.
Maintaining a constant temperature inside a pressure cooker is a problem that even third generation electric pressure cookers have not been able to solve – they actually maintain a range of pressure. For example, Instant Pot has a working of pressure from 10.1 to 11.6 psi.5 This means that at any given time, the cooker is either gaining or losing pressure – ever so slightly – and the seal from the valve is broken.
This also applies to the “Natural Release” opening method which is often touted as safe in these recipes for disaster. During this release, the temperature inside is not constant it lowering slowly so the valve is not sealed during the release.6 More importantly, the pressure cooking chamber isn’t even sealed while the cooker is building pressure – which is when a majority (but not entirety) of the ethanol is evaporating.
So, no. Using an electric pressure cooker – or even stovetop for that matter- does not “eliminate vapor release and reduce the risk of ignition” because the cooker’s seal is broken and the valve is releasing ignitable ethanol while the cooker is building, maintaining and releasing pressure. Don’t do it.
Isn’t it safer to pressure cook liquor in “hermetically” sealed jars?
First of all, it is practically impossible to “hermetically” seal a jar before pressure cooking or canning without industrial vacuum equipment.7 Canning lids, and most others are made with a small foam ring around the outer edge where the lid will come in contact with the glass jar. This compound or foam allows for air to escape the jar as its contents are heated so that a vacuum is formed inside the jar as it cools.89 If air can escape these jars during the pressure cooking process, vaporized ethanol can too.
And, as a matter of fact, the blogger that proposes the in-the-jar method of making vodka and vanilla extract notes that there will be a loss of volume in the jar after pressure cooking.
I’ve also seen advice to, instead, tightly close the lids of the jars before pressure cooking. Obviously, this does not work, either, because the air and vapors trapped inside will expand as the jar is heated and- with nowhere to go – will break or explode the glass jar.10
So, no. It is not safer to pressure cook the vanilla extract in a jar or bottle or any other tightly closed or “hermetically sealed”container. Don’t do it.
More questions?
If you have any more questions beyond what was addressed in this alert, please leave a comment, below.
To conclude..
Pressure cooking with liquor in equipment designed for home use to pressurize with water has not been tested for safety by any manufacturer, certifying or governmental organization or university. The practice of pressure cooking a highly-flammable liquid cannot be made any safer by using electric pressure cookers, jars or particular opening methods.
Hip Pressure Cooking recommends not following pressure cooker recipes from any source that require the use of un-evaporated liquor during the pressure cooking process either directly in the cooker or enclosed in some other container.
See also
Images in this article are duplicated from their source under the fair use. Per the United States copyright law, limited use of copyrighted material may be used without permission from the rights holders, for use such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching or scholarship.
My Instant Pot came with a recipe booklet with a recipe for Lemoncello Ricotta Cheese-cake in a Jar. The recipe calls for Lemoncello which of course is made w/Vodka. Is it safe to make this recipe in the Instant Pot?
Hi Norma, you’ll see that’s a recipe contributed by this website. As mentioned above, when liquor is added to something like a batter the concentration is immediately diluted so there is no risk of combustion by adding a spoon or two of liquor to cake or cheesecake batter.
Ciao,
L
But that particular recipe you mention calls for 1/4 cup of limoncello, not just a spoon or two. Is the batter enough to dilute a 1/4 cup significantly to eliminate the risk of fire or explosion?
Yes, it is enough. 1/4 of a cup is equivalent to four tablespoons.
Ciao,
L
Great information, Laura, thank you.
Vital information, beautifully written, comprehensively and clearly explained.
Thank you, Laura!
Well, now you tell me after I now have 4 mason jars of Instant Pot vanilla extract sitting in my cupboard!
Fortune favours the bold! :)
I’ve only made one batch myself…
Emily, consider yourself lucky, enjoy your extract, and don’t do it again. I’m an electrical engineer who’s had a peek into a Duo 60’s “guts”, and” can tell you that the relays are NOT spark-proof. They could be hermetically sealed, or replaced with solid-state, but that would add significant cost, and it isn’t necessary so long as you don’t cook with flammable materials. And doing either of those would do nothing to ameliorate the risk from an external spark or flame.
I don’t know if this applies with the limoncello, but do you think the water in the pot with the jars could help dilute the alcohol vapor?
Layla, I’m not qualified to speculate on the safety of dilution of ethanol vapors with steam. Keep in mind that ethanol and water evaporate at different temperatures, so they won’t be perfectly diluted in the same ratio as they are in the cooker and jars. So the water and ethanol vapors will exit the valve at different times and concentrations depending on the temperature inside the pressure cooker.
Ciao,
L
Thank you for your response. That makes sense. By the way, I’ve followed the IP FB community for a few years now and I believe it was the Tidbits blog that first published a vanilla extract recipe. Just FYI
Yes, there is a link to her blog post at the historical part of this alert, near the top. She was not the first, but she came up with putting it in a jar.
Ciao,
L
I double checked it and the tidbits blog posted theirs several months before. Not that it matters much for your article, just thought you’d like to know
Dates on blogs can easily be changed – I do this too to prioritize the content on the website. I did a historical google and web archive search to determine who first published the technique.
You can see here, that a copy was available for caching from the Frieda Loves Bread blog December 1, 2016. You can see from the URL of the article that it was likely published in November 2016:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160715000000*/http://www.friedalovesbread.com/2016/11/one-pot-pressure-cooker-vanilla-extract.html
While the Tidbits blog’s vanilla technique was first cached in August 27, 2017:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170827045733/https://tidbits-marci.com/pressure-cooker-vanilla-extract-and-faq/
The first image in that article supports that date, as you can see it written in the image path name:
https://web.archive.org/save/_embed/https://i1.wp.com/tidbits-marci.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Homemade-Vanillla-40.jpg?resize=683%2C1024
I’m pretty thorough with my fact-checking and giving credit where its due.
Ciao,
L
Well first off no. Alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature so … BUT I do think this is a bit of an overrated warning. It’s fueled a bit by the specter of stills blowing up wich, while posible and it has happened, is actually quite rare. There is a real danger with alcohol fumes, which are VERY flammable, but there are not a lot and unlike a still there is no easy access to high proof alcohol which would feed the fire. I probably wouldn’t use a lot of over proof alcohol in a PC but 80 proof?
Can it catch fire? Absolutely. Will it, really unlikely.
If you are just using alcohol IN a recipe, there really is no issue. You just don’t have enough flammable liquid to worry about.
Actually you have an interesting point. Since the vent is not going to vent till you are at pressure the steam will be a mixture of water and alcohol. With distilling you regulate the temp to try and stay under the water boiling temp, but here the point where you would be getting pure alcohol fumes is well past before any venting occurs.
No manufacturer is going to say this is OK because of liability. And potentially you could have a fire. It’s not going to blow up but you could have a situation where there was enough alcohol vapor to be flammable so you have to assess the risk. It’s really good that this was brought up, but personally I think the risk is very small.
I completely agree!
I came across this discussion when I searched for the Tidbits vanilla extract recipe (which I’ve made twice before with great results) for cooking time and amount of water to apply the technique to cocoa nibs being steeped in Everclear I had already mixed up (198 proof grain alcohol; for vanilla extract, I use 80 proof vodka).
Since I was past the point of no return, I went ahead, but even before seeing your comment, I found this posting to be unduly alarmist and agree with the comment that, while mfrs won’t comment upon the practice, the risk has to be viewed as remote and in line with risks we all find acceptable in our kitchens and our lives every day.
Finally, without wishing to impugn Dr. Marco Bella’s reputation in any way, reliance on his analysis for what must be a largely US/Canadian readership of this blog smells of forum shopping. I am not some jingoistic flag waving MAGA shouting freak (anything but), but relying on a professor none of your readers will be familiar with from a University an infinitesimal proportion of your readers will have heard of hurts rather than helps this alarmist and overly argumentative “consumer alert”.
Paul, Dr. Bella was chosen because I live in Italy and La Sapienza University is the top university here. So, not a lot of shopping going on here. He has also just published a book debunking false science.
If you have evidence contradicting the research presented here, it would be useful for you to share it with all of us. I am certainly interested.
BTW, there is no requirement for you to “believe” the safety information posted here but glad you came for a visit to share your opinion.
Ciao,
L
Hi Laura:
Thank you for keeping on top of this. As a PhD scientist and engineer, I share your grave concerns about using pressure cookers for anything other than water-based materials. I happen to be a member of two Facebook groups dedicated to the Instant Pot and I have posted your blog above. I might take heck for it because the blogger you specifically mentioned is a valued contributor. But safety comes first from this industrial physical chemist and chemical engineer.
And thank you for writing such a great book for me to learn how to pressure cook properly. I encourage any beginner to buy your book.
Keep up the great work!
Carolyn
This article is clear, well-researched, non-alarmist, non-judgmental, and to the point. Excellent article. I hope people pay attention, follow Laura’s warnings and use their Instant Pots or other electric pressure cookers safely.
I think a key paragraph in this article is this one quoting Dr. Bella, “Any cooking technique cannot be assumed to be safe even if someone posts a video describing it on the Internet, according to Bella. That poster might not have had problems, but might simply have been lucky. Making it unlikely that someone who had difficulty pressure cooking with liquor would post videos, photos or warnings on the internet or even report such an accident.”
People who say, it worked for me or I didn’t have any problem is like someone who says, I’ve driven my car while texting and never had an accident, so it’s safe to do.” We know that’s a ridiculous statement.
I’m hopeful that Marci Buttars, Tidbits blogger, will post an update to her blog post and stop recommending that people make vanilla extract in their Instant Pots using vodka. I find her to be a responsible, knowledgeable blogger, but in this case I believe she’s wrong. She may have made vanilla extract successfully but perhaps was just lucky. If there’s any chance at all that a recommended procedure might be dangerous, it shouldn’t be recommended or done.
Sigrid, I share your thoughts. I reached out to her privately when she first published it because she seemed like a reasonable person to me. But I’ve received private mails saying that I “have it out” for her or that I “attacked” her. No, I only wish to inform her. Safety is not a popularity contest, in my opinion.
I think her proposed glycerin extract method is a great idea. She would not loose any “clout” in promoting that, instead of the liquor extract.
Ciao,
L
I poured a bottle of vodka into my mouth and swallowed. Is it safe for me to then use pressure cooker to make bean soup?
pym,
I recommend the “Drunken Cowboy Chili” from my cookbook – it’s a lot more fun than bean soup. Don’t forget to wear the hat – it adds flavor.
Ciao,
L
Thank you for this article and information. I have read how people have made vanilla extract, etc but it did not make sense to me because where do the vapors go? How can this be possible with flammable liquids? It also answered questions about using wine as the liquid to cook in (without added water, etc). Thank you again.
Unfortunately, the oxygen (air) from when you closed the pot, and the fuel (fumes from boiling the alcohol) are inside the pot, heated and confined under pressure. Can you spell b-o-m-b?
Joe, thankfully over 90% of the air is vented out of the cooker before it reaches pressure. But, you are right, there will be SOME oxygen in there – especially if you trap it inside a jar by “hermetically” sealing it.
Ciao,
L
Laura: Excellent article and advice.
Technically, as pressure varies in the pressure cooker some vapor may escape at the higher pressure as this is a safety feature. At pressures below the designated limit there may be some vapor escape because of worn seals. Instant pot, by regulating the temperature regulates the pressure. The curved bottom flattens as the pressure rises causing the heating element to cycle off. As the pressure lowers with lower heat, the heating element is re-energized and the process continues. By precisely calibrating the unit, vapors are contained once the unit seals itself. This is different from stove-top units that place a weight or calibrated spring on the steam release mechanism to set the internal pressure which makes regulating the heat the user’s job unlike IP.
Peter, where did you get the information that the rounded bottom flattens cycles the heating element on and off? I’d like to know more about this – because to my knowledge that is not how Instant Pot (or any electric pressure cooker) operates.
The little spring-loaded thing in the middle of the heating element is a thermometer. The spring is there to make sure that the thermometer in contact with the base – it does not actually turn the heating element on/off. The “microprocessor” decides based on the program chosen, the temperature reached, time at the temperature and other factors, decides with fuzzy logic to whether to turn the heating element on or off.
Feel free to research this further on your own to get a clearer picture of how Instant Pot works.
Ciao,
L
Here’s information from Instant Pot’s safety features page:
“The stove-top pressure cookers use the weight of pressure regulator on the lid to limit the cooking pressure. Instant Pot’s patented pressure senor technology regulates the pressure in the inner pot in a much more precise and automatic fashion. When pressure builds up in the inner pot, the Flat Flexible Board (see diagram on right) shifts downwards to trigger the pressure sensor. Conversely, when the pressure is lightened, the Flat Flexible Board moves upwards and again triggers the pressure sensor.” http://instantpot.us/benefits/safety-features/
Looking at the diagram I don’t think it’s the inner pot that flattens, but instead it’s the disc the pot sits on. I think. The inner pot is stainless steel so I’m doubtful that it’s very flexible, even under pressure.
I’ve been wondering about alcohol in the pressure cooker (particularly mulling wine or rum), but I’ve been reluctant to simply “give it a whirl.” The lack of recipes involving alcohol is a red flag as well. Instant Pot’s app does have a Hot Buttered Rum recipe, but the rum is added After the pressure cooking has been completed. Your article has persuaded me to table the idea for now and to wait until someone comes out with definitive answers.
Is pressure cooking with cider safe? Also in many recipes like for pork i see no water mentioned, but the manual said to always use a min. Amt of water, does this not apply with pork dishes?
I am planning to cook coq au vin in my pressure cooker (a duromatic) and the recipe requires about 500 ml of red wine and no other liquid other than two tablespoon of cognac to be cooked off or lit off before the wine is added (although the cognac is optional and I might omit it completely). Is it safe?
Coq au vin isn’t difficlt to prepare on a stovetop using half wine and half chicken broth to keep the chicken from turning an unattractive purple color. I’ve been doing it since 1968. I once followed directions for microwave version from a well-known cookbook. Awful.
Who would want to put liquor in an insta pot, I would rather Drink it
Great article and much needed for the industry. Still cannot believe this nonsense became as common as it has become. There’s a myriad of horror stories about people trying this at home on Reddit.
Good work!
Well written and important. I was shocked to even see this being suggested! Highly flammable vapors under pressure . Sous vide offers a “fast” alternative method that is inherently safe (cooking in a water bath), but frankly, steeping rinds for a few weeks instead requires even less hands-on time!
Your use of 1/4 cup of liquor in a batter… why would this dilute the liquor if the liquor vapors off before the water in the batter, like it does for the pot in pot extract method (forget the jars, which seem unsafe due to trapping O2). Surely the water to ethanol ratio is lower in a batter than with enough water in the bottom of an alcohol pan? Or are you banking on some of the alcohol getting trapped by other ingredients, etc? I followed you up to that point… :)
I’ve made vanilla extract 3 times in my Instant Pot. No mason jars, just liquor and vanilla beans. I know that technically you shouldn’t use home appliances outside, but I’ve always make extract on my patio because of the fumes that escape as the pot comes to pressure. What would be the safety concerns with this method. Not that I’m likely to repeat any time soon since I probably have a lifetime supply of vanilla extract now. :)