The short answer: fold describes how many beans go into a set amount of alcohol. Single-fold is the standard strength. Double-fold uses twice as many beans, so it's twice as concentrated and you use half as much.
Where "fold" comes from
Under the US standard for vanilla extract, single-fold extract contains 13.35 oz of vanilla beans per US gallon of liquid, for beans at up to 25% moisture. That works out to about 100 g of beans per litre. Double-fold uses twice that amount.
| Single-fold | Double-fold | |
|---|---|---|
| Beans per litre | About 100 g | About 200 g |
| Beans per US gallon | 13.35 oz (378 g) | 26.7 oz (757 g) |
| Strength | Standard | Twice as strong |
| Use in recipes | As written | About half the amount |
When single-fold makes sense
- Everyday home baking, where recipes assume standard extract
- Gifts, because people can use it without adjusting recipes
- Your first batch
When double-fold makes sense
- Professional kitchens and production, where a stronger extract adds more flavour with less liquid
- Recipes where extra liquid is a problem, such as macarons, frostings and chocolate
- Saving space, since one bottle does the work of two
Is double-fold better value?
Per bottle it costs about twice as much in beans, but because you use half as much, the cost per bake is roughly the same. The main benefits are a more concentrated flavour and less liquid.
Work out your batch
Use our vanilla extract calculator to get exact bean amounts for any batch size and strength. For the beans themselves, Grade B extract beans are the usual choice. For the alcohol, read which alcohol is best for vanilla extract.