Instant Coffee?

[vintagekitchen]

The current thread on coffee makers got me thinking, are there any other guys on the site who prefer instant coffee?

Granny always kept Folgers crystals, it was all my Grandpa would drink when I was young. Seems like a lot of housewives from her generation in this area got on the instant bandwagon, during the instant everything craze of the 60s.

It's probably because I grew up drinking instant, but instant just seems smoother to me than brewed coffee, and more consistent. I even have a vintage Pyrex carafe made just for instant coffee. My brand of choice is JFG when I can find it, but Maxwell House does fine in a pinch.

 

[philr]

There are many around me who drink instant coffee. They all add milk to it. I don't like milk and I don't like instant coffee either! I can drink one if somebody offers one to me but won't ask for a second! And maybe because they add milk, most of them like it with very hot water. My grandfather liked it with water boiled in the microwave oven. I remember when he poured the instant coffee in the mug, it made a reaction that doesn't happen when the water is boiled in the kettle, the fine bubbles made it look almost like an Expresso served in a large mug (but the taste was different!). I think that't because the mug itself becomes hot when water boils in it for a while in the microwave oven while the boiling water from the electric kettle cools down when poured in a cool mug.

Electric kettles are very popular in Canada and I can't tell you if English-speaking people use it mainly for tea or coffee but French-speaking Canadians use them a lot for instant coffee!
But I noticed that many instant coffee drinkers in my family have switched or partially switched to K cups, even those that you fill manually... They just don't want to use a percolator or a drip coffee maker!
I do collect electric kettles but I mostly use them for tea.

 

[danemodsandy]

Phil:

I wonder if you're familiar with the electric kettle pictured below? It's a North American-spec Russell Hobbs C-110B in brushed stainless.

These were very popular and plentiful here in the States during the 1980s, and very rare today. I always wanted a C-110, which is the polished finish instead of the brushed.

Do these survive in Canada?

P.S.: My parents were both big instant coffee drinkers; Taster's Choice was their favorite. When I was old enough for coffee, I tried it, and went, "Meh." THEN I got hold of a cup of Chase & Sanborn at my grandmother's. That started my lifelong love affair with coffee. Brewed coffee.

 

[philr]

Sandy, I have a similar one which has an all-plastic white handle. I got two of these at thrift stores on Montreal but never saw them around where I live. They must have been more popular with British/English-speaking people. Around here most had GE kettles. Unlike the Russel Hobbs, the GE kettles with the boil-simmer feature kept heating the water at a lower wattage like a percolator would do after boiling it. They weren't made of stainless and didn't have a removeable cover like the Russel-Hobbs.

 

[iheartmaytag]

My step-dad

Was an instant coffee drinker, Taster's Choice Decaf.
I think he drank instant because he only had one cup in the morning, and didn't want to make/waste a pot. This was before the day of the one cup makers.

He has been gone for many years now, occasionally I will have a cup of instant if someone offers it. I find it bland and weak, but passable if that is all that is available. As for K-cups--don't like them either. Reminds me of when they tried to market the coffee bags.

 

[rp2813]

The only times I've found myself drinking instant coffee over the years have been when I was on vacation in Mexico.  The average restaurant or hole-in-the-wall down there serves Nescafe exclusively.  It's not awful, but it's not satisfying either.  I chalk it up to part of the experience.

 

I have a jar of instant coffee in the cupboard here.  I had to buy it because a recipe called for it.  It has sat there ever since I made whatever baked good it was.

 

[danemodsandy]

Russell Hobbs Kettle:

Phil:

The Russell Hobbs C-110 was one of those 1980s yuppie must-haves, along with the Cuisinart DLC-7 processor, the Dualit toaster, Henckels knives and KitchenAid K-5A mixers.

Like all these other things, the Hobbs kettle was of lifetime quality, if only it was cared for, which doomed it to early extinction in the hands of the average American.

I wanted one at the time, but never got around to the purchase, and then suddenly, Hobbs dropped that model in favor of other designs I did not care for.

 

[wayupnorth]

Electric teakettles are very popular still in Canada and the UK. I remember there was one used quite often on Keeping Up Appearances. Thanks, but no thanks on instant coffee or a tea bag.

 

[circlew]

The only people I knew that had these electric kettles were my Aunt Margaret (who is originally from Scotland), and one of my now deceased neighbors. Both were GE.

 

[whirlaway]

Emergency Coffee!

I try to keep a jar of Maxwell-House around just in case,I really need a big boost and if Im in a hurry.Plenty of carnation and sugar.In case you dont want to waste whats left,it makes a dandy paint remover!

 

[twintubdexter]

boy I sure steer these topics way off course

My mom brewed an excellent pot of perked coffee on the stove and for special occasions she'd use her Universal Coffeematic, but their daily morning brew was instant. My Swedish friends who I had known since age 3 and who's mother went to high school with my mom got me drinking coffee (black) when we started college. I never understood the connection between Swedes (who live thousands of miles from where it's grown) and coffee. They drank coffee morning and night. Mrs. Anderson worshipped two sets of idols...Joe Dimaggio and Mr. Coffee...and Mrs. Olson and Folgers.

 

Since the Andersons got me hooked on brewed coffee I decided to buy a Bunn Pour-O-Matic and make real coffee for my parents in the morning. They both appreciated it but mom did not like my dad telling her "gee, this coffee is sure much better than the stuff you make." I think they went back to instant after I graduated and moved to San Francisco.

 

Those Swedish kids I grew up with, twins named Ron & Rhonda, still live in San Jose and somewhere I have Ron's address. I really should contact him before it's too late. We've known each other for 62 years and we're sure not spring chickens anymore.

 

[sudsmaster]

I tried freeze dried coffee back in the 1980's, but got frustrated because the stuff would grow mold in the jar before I could use all of it.

 

IMHO the best instant coffee is



Medaglia D'Oro Instant Espresso

 

 

 

[wayupnorth]

There is another 240 cup Maxwell House in my pantry at all times and have 3 other coffee makers just in case. If the power goes out, I can still make 2 cups of coffee with a strainer, pot and my gas stove. Nope, no more instant for me, ever.

 

[yogitunes]

we have coffee makers of all types, seems endless......from electric to stove top...

I like the Bunn VPR because its fast....but always like a percolator with a glass top to see the coffee bubbling up as it brewed...

as for instant, Mom always had Sanka available for anyone wanting DeCaf coffee....

does anyone add chicory to their coffee anymore?....I have some, but never noticed a difference with or without...

 

[alr2903]

Kevin your pot/carafe looks a lot like the one in thread #57758. 

Yogi, coffee with chicory is very common in New Orleans, lots of Luzianne.    IIRC,  Chicory is in the blend in the green bag.

 

[petek]

Never a big instant fan. I tried it for a short period when I left home and got my first little apartment many moons ago and later bought one of the newer fangled drip machines. I think it's one of those things that if you grow up drinking it you prefer it over real coffee.. not in all cases mind you.

 

[xraytech]

A great uncle used to always have Tasters Choice instant coffee, I remember how vile it tasted, as soon as I started reading this thread I very quickly recalled that horrible taste.

I keep a small jar of maxwell house instant in the cupboard for a few baked goods that call for it

 

[circlew]

I don't drink coffee, but like the flavor in ice cream, frosting, etc. I occasionally buy a jar of Maxwell House if I need it for a recipe.

 

[polkanut]

Just the smell of instant coffee makes me want to run to the bathroom with my hand over my mouth. 

 

[twintubdexter]

Half a zillion people can't all be wrong.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...of-the-world-actually-prefers-instant-coffee/

 

[washer111]

Instant...

Having switched to ground coffee brewed in the French Press, I'm not partial to the stuff as much as I used to.

Granted, the taste is reasonable enough for the convenience and price, but unfortunately, the coffee lacks body and especially aroma in my case.

Yes, the Swedes, Norwegians and I suppose Danes and Fins all LOVE their coffee. Scandinavia officially has the highest consumption in the world. Its equivalent to the Russians/Poles and Vodka - their houses are "open," i.e. you can invite yourself around to your friends place whenever, and there is always coffee and cake ready, or Vodka - or it is shameful.
Perhaps we're just wired for the stuff. Coffee helps me relax, stay awake and even fall asleep!

 

[vacbear58]

Russell Hobbs

It always amazes me what makes it over to the other side of the pond, I had no idea the Russell Hobbs K2R kettle was sold in USA or Canada. In this country RH introduced the first kettle to automatically switch itself off in around 1956. The design was updated to the style Sandy shows above sometime in the early 1960s - I know when I changed primary school in February 1965 the staff room had one of these kettles. The design went right on into the 1980s although I do have to say the build quality was not that good - I purchased on myself in 1977 and I had replaced it by 1981. The design was updated to be in the style that PhilR shows and a cordless one was introduced. I bought one of these in around 1991 or so, and again by 1995 it had to be junked - this has always been a TOL design with a price to match so I was not impressed.

To date the best (as in most reliable) kettle I have ever had is my Siemens one (designed by Porsche no less) as has been the matching toaster.

That said, I do have a RH kettle in the collection along with the S/S Perc that Sandy showed in another thread as I do think they are design classics.

Al

 

[danemodsandy]

Alistair:

You're quite right, it is amazing what makes it to the U.S. That Russell Hobbs kettle had a tremendous vogue here - an '80s yuppie status symbol.

You'd be surprised how popular Midwinter and Langley (later Denby) pottery was here in the '60s and '70s, as well as Viners cutlery. In fact, cutlery was a favorite British import here for a long time, particularly Robert Welch's Alveston.

One huge lack was that we did not usually get British furniture, which would have been nice in the case of Ernest Race's designs. It's very rare to see a Race piece here (there have been Chinese copies of the Antelope chair; I almost dropped my teeth the first time I saw one, before I realized it wasn't real). For some unaccountable reason, you will see a piece of G-Plan furniture here once in a very great while.

 

[vacbear58]

Sandy

I have to hand it to you - you certainly know your stuff, in four and a half lines of text you have provided enough cues for a whole evening's enjoyable reading.

Here are a couple of links relating to a couple of the designers Sandy mentioned:

http://midcenturymagazine.com/furniture-objects/ernest-race-english-modernist-design/

Race Furniture is still in operation and still manufactures some of the old designs (at eye watering prices!) although it seems the bulk of its business is now in auditorium seating

http://www.racefurniture.com/

Also, Robert Welch
http://www.robertwelch.com/Content.aspx?id=1108293

returning to the thread topic but I mostly drink Nescafe Gold Blend coffee and as a treat for my new home (more about that coming soon) I treated myself to a retro coffee service. Not Midwinter nor Denby (still available but if I am honest I don't much care for it) but Hornsea whose products (or imitations of same) seemed to be EVERYWHERE in the 1970s

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=h...ei=lH6tVP_ZMor2UuCUhPgB&ved=0CC0QsAQ&dpr=0.95

I bought Hornsea Contrast, a design I have always liked - picture 2 - although I actually prefer drinking out of china cups or mugs. I suppose I will now have to get a shirt with a big collar, kipper tie and a jacket with wide lapels. By the way my "new" house was built in 1970 - at the rate I am going I will be living in the set of Abigail's Party!



Al

 

[lordkenmore]

Folger's instant

is good enough to be served in the finest restaurants!

Link to Folgers ad on YouTube:

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=91IlMsIJGUU

 

[lordkenmore]

Folgers' ads aside, I can't say I'm particularly taken by instant coffee.

My mother did keep it around for years, typically on the counter behind the cooktop. It was probably mostly used as a "I feel like having something to drink, but don't feel like brewing a full pot" things. IIRC, she called it "fake", not "instant" coffee...

These days, I will drink it, but it's not a routine thing. It can be handy to keep around for power failures, assuming one has a way of heating water (e.g. wood stove, or small campstove), although, of course, it can be argued that if one can do it, one could heat the water just a bit more and make French press coffee, which is better.

 

[danemodsandy]

Alistair:

And you have provided a flood of very wonderful memories - by mentioning Hornsea.

In my Atlanta house, which was nearly all midcentury, I had Hornsea Heirloom canisters, designed by John Clappison, in the green, blue and brown colors.

Again, these were something popular here; I found mine in Atlanta thrift stores, back when thrift stores were worth more time and effort than they are now.

And to bring the thread back to topic, there was an instant coffee jar in this range.

 

[lordkenmore]

when thrift stores were worth more time and effort

Nice to know my area isn't the only one with thrift shops that are increasing "not worth bothering with!"

 

[sudsmaster]

Water Kettles

I've been using a Seaco water kettle for about four years now. Costco had them at a good price ($30 or less). It's reliable and easy to operate. Four temp settings: 100, 150, 200, and 212/boiling. The three lower settings will keep the water warm for up to two hours. The boiling setting will come to a boil and then shut off. Each temp has an LED internal glow, and there's a distinctive beep when the water reaches the set temp.

 

I typically use the 200 setting to make tea, and things like instant mashed potatoes. The boiling setting of course is good for quick noodles (sou/noodle cups and bowls).

 

 

 

 

 

[joeekaitis]

Never drink it as a beverage, but . . .

. . . a heaping teaspoon of freeze-dried de-caf per cup of hot cocoa is heavenly. It doesn't taste like cocoa with coffee. It gives the cocoa a more intense chocolate flavor.