Archive for February, 2010
When most people brew their own coffee, they usually only consider the main components, such as the quality of the beans, the features of the coffee maker and what cream, sugar, or additional products they will be adding. There is one critical aspect of the coffee that is often overlooked: the water. When drinking a cup of coffee, the vast majority of it is actually water. As such, ensuring the quality of the water should also be a top priority.
Even if you live in an area where the tap water is safe to drink, it may be hard water. Hard water has a high volume of chalk and other minerals that can affect the taste and build deposits in your coffee machine. To ensure that you brew the best tasting cup of coffee and don’t have to use a decalcifier on a regular basis, use bottled or soft water when making coffee.
For those unfamiliar with the finer points of the culinary arts it may seem that salt is simply salt, which is definitely not the case. There are a variety of different salts that you can use in your cuisine, and they all have distinct qualities and flavors. Most of us are familiar with fine table salt, which is not optimal for many cooking endeavors.
The fine grains lend themselves well to baking and for dishes where the salt needs to be dissolved, but there are other options too. Sea and kosher salt have much larger granules, which make them ideal for meats and other dishes where you need a more refined salt flavor. If you want to use a sea or kosher salt but are opposed to their large size, there are several salt mills that have a variety of settings to achieve the perfect consistency.
Seattle is the headquarters for some of the most recognizable names in the coffee industry, and we certainly live up to the coffee drinking stereotype. There is literally a coffeehouse on every corner, not to mention an abundance of drive-thru barista stands. Even though I have become desensitized to the litany of coffee establishments, I was still taken aback when I visited the U Village a few weeks ago.
The U Village is a shopping center near the University of Washington that experiences an unusually high amount of foot traffic. It is not uncommon to see two Starbucks within a stone’s throw of one another, but the number at U Village is excessive: there are four Starbucks in less than a ten mile radius! When I expressed my confusion with this excess, my friend informed me that one of the shops had the highest volume of sales of any Starbucks in the world. Four Starbucks and still there are huge lines? No thanks, I’ll stick with my Solis espresso machine.
Like all caffeine addicts, a morning cup of coffee is a must for me—but that is not the only thing that I need to get me going. I also like to enjoy a hearty breakfast before heading off to work. So in addition to my coffee maker, I also whip out my cookware and pepper mills every morning.
Time is always at a premium, so I like to multitask in the kitchen. As soon as I get in there I start heating a skillet for my eggs and a pot of water for my oatmeal (the coffee maker is preset to have my brew ready for me when I hit the kitchen). Many people claim that they don’t have enough time for breakfast in the morning, but with my streamlined process, I am able to cook my food and eat in less than 20 minutes—who doesn’t have time for that?
People who live in areas with soft water are in for a rude awakening when they travel to another city that has hard water. Hard water is caused when the surrounding land has a high concentration of chalk, so that the underground water supply that flows through it picks up a lot of chalk.
This chalk-tainted water eventually becomes drinking water. Hard water is a nuisance; it clogs up pipes, kettles and other appliances. In order to stop this from happening in your coffee maker or other appliances, you will need to use a descaler. Not only does hard water cause damage to your appliances, but the taste can also be difficult to stomach, especially for a person unused to it.
Here’s a delicious recipe for banana bread that is sure to make an impression on your family and friends; it’s also a
great snack with a cup of coffee!
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ cups flour
Dash of salt from a salt mill
Directions:
Preheat you oven to 350 F. Mix the butter and the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl, then add the additional ingredients mixing in the flour last. Pour the mixture into a buttered 6 inch mini loaf pan. Bake for about 60 minutes, or until the bread begins to rise, then cool on a wire rack.
One of the main reasons that people are reluctant to give up their $4 coffeehouse beverages is that they feel that they will not be able to recreate that same flavor and decadence in their own concoctions. When I was debating making the switch to home brewing, I have to admit, I had similar reservations. Instead of throwing in the towel, I decided to research some of the premium cappuccino makers that were available.
While Starbucks or The Coffee Bean may seem like they have proprietary information that sets them apart, the truth is that their products are created with the same ingredients as everyone else. Just like with any craft, the key to perfection is practice. It also doesn’t hurt to invest in a cappuccino machine that has programmed settings for creating a variety of specialty beverages.
After moving to Seattle, I have found that coffee is turning into an essential part of my life. I had never really been a coffee drinker before—I was more of a coffee smeller; I loved the smell of coffee. But in a sunny climate, coffee is more of a treat than a necessity. So when I began to think about it everyday when I woke up, I instantly thought that I should be drinking good coffee.
So I did my research and began experimenting with different coffee beans to find out what were my favorites. I want to find some Italian stuff that suits my palate, but at this point I’m sticking with a gourmet Peruvian blend in my automatic espresso machines. Now when it is raining and grey, I don’t feel like crawling back into bed as much.
Often times when you go to an upscale restaurant, your waiter or waitress will offer you fresh-cracked pepper for your salad. When I first began being offered this luxury, I always accepted, as it was something fun and out of the ordinary. As I have gotten older and learned more about fine cuisine, I have learned that the extravagance of a pepper mill actually serves a person.
Typical pepper that sits in a shaker has usually been ground months in advance and has lost much of it flavor. Utilizing a pepper mill allows you to freshly crack the pepper each time you use it, and you can even experiment with a variety of different types of peppercorns. Now I have even started using a pepper mill in my own home and noticed a palpable difference in the quality of my cooking.
In my opinion, chocolate, coffee and peanut butter is a match made in heaven. Here is a recipe for decadent cookies that you can enjoy with your after-dinner cup of coffee.
2 ¼ cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt from your Cilio salt mill
¾ cup softened butter
¼ cup peanut butter
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set it aside. Beat the butter, sugars, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add the eggs and beat well. Stir in the flour mixture and chocolate chips. Drop rounded spoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet, and then cook for 11-13 minutes. Let cool, and enjoy!