Stove Top Coffee Makers

If you thought I was going to pull a gag on you then you had the wrong idea about this post, Sirs and Madams. Rather than tell you some weird stuff about how you can get the best ground coffee from a packed set of beans shipped fresh from the exotic lands of wherever and risk sounding cookie, I'm going to do something that will make you very happy as one of my readers. I'm going to tell you the easiest way you can grind your coffee fresh without having to buy a device that you will only use once and then throw away. The impatient ones are already guessing the big secret on this one, and here it is – speed blender. A high speed blender will make you life easy in ways that you can't even imagine. Good coffee is just the icing on the cake.

Most high speed blenders that are available in the market today are great at grinding coffee and doing everything imaginable under the sun. I've personally used my own Vita Mix 1300 TurboBlend 4500 to make some soup – just pour in some hot water, add your veggies , sprinkle in some salt, pepper and seasoning and you're good to go! You'll end up with a pretty decent soup made in less than 2 minutes – beat that Top Ramen guy!

Fresh ground coffee tastes very different from the usual packaged drinking coffee that is available in the market in sachets and the like. While you may have heard connoisseurs and higher mortal talk of the heightened aroma and the change in the acidity of the coffee (and probably dismissed it as baloney) let me tell you that the truth really is so. And with good reason. When coffee is finely ground, it releases oils into the milk and water which gives it it's string taste and flavor.

The wide selection of coffee machines out in today's market might cause you some confusion when it comes to purchasing, even if you thought you were well-educated on coffee machines. The variety of brands and designs can be mind-boggling on its own, but when you add to that decisions between a standard machine, a semi-automatic one, an automatic one, a super-automatic one, and so on, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that are you simply selecting a machine to make your life easier and brew you a cup of coffee at home.

Did you know that filter coffee machines and espresso machines are different? And do you know which would one would best suit your needs? Yes, both machines brew coffee, but there can be a significant difference between the relative taste and quality of the brews. The standard filter machine is comprised of a water reservoir, a carafe, and a filter. The more complex espresso machine boasts a special device which drives steam into the coffee pot. The espresso machine's filter is metal, and its more complex filtering system will produce a stronger and richer brew than the often diluted and weak coffee produced by a standard filter coffee machine.

The two machines are also made and used for two completely different kinds of coffee. The standard filter machine can accommodate any variety of widely available ground coffee, and as such is most often used by those who don't particularly care about the quality of their coffee. On the other hand, the automatic espresso machine brews espresso ground coffee, a much stronger coffee capable of producing a rich and potent quality brew.

There is a difference in price that you have to be aware of, but it is the typical difference in price between higher and lower quality items. Even though you can buy a comparatively expensive filter coffee machine for less than an average espresso machine, you will notice the difference in the quality of your coffee. The strong, aromatic cup of coffee that the espresso machine will brew for you just might be a welcome upgrade to your morning.

The humble kettle. Surely there's nothing interesting to discover about the thing that boils water, and nothing else?

Wrong.

1. Kettles are far from universal across the world. In the USA, stovetop kettles are far more common than electric kettle thanks to the voltage of the mains supply. In the UK, the reverse is true, and powerful 300 Watt kettles boil liters of water in a minute or so. In Asia and Israel, kettles are less popular than electric water boilers, which have started to be introduced in the West by Tefal's Quick Cup system.
2. Kettles can also be used to produce an impromptu, if possibly unsafe, steamroom. If the thermostat isn't allowed to turn the kettle off (perhaps by holding down the power switch), an electric kettle will fill a reasonable-sized room with steam in minutes. (Don't try this at home).
3. The word "Kettle" is derived from the Latin "catillus". Interestingly, that's also the name of one of the heroes of Roman legend, who drove off the Sicillians and founded the city of Tibur, presumably before a nice cup of tea. Originally "Catillus" just means "small bowl".
4. The "fish kettle" harks back to the original Roman definition, and doesn't have very much to do with boiling water. It's a very long, thin pot with a tightly-sealed lid (about a meter long, often) and a perforated grill on which fish can be placed. Generally it's used for cooking anything up to a whole salmon, which can be steamed in the device - one of the few ways in a domestic kitchen to cook a very large fish.
5. It's still possible to buy a "whistling kettle", a stovetop kettle with a built-in whistle. When the water starts to boil and the steam pressure builds up it emits a piercing whistle, signalling it's time for tea. English TV shows of the 60s - 80s will often show this device as a central part of English life.

Learn more tips about the Electric Kettle at Kamikaze Cookery.