Percolator fun!

[danemodsandy]

Christopher:

You want sort of a medium-high setting to get the water boiling and the perk action started. Then you want to lower the heat to a point just high enough to maintain the perking action, and perk for about eight minutes for average-strength coffee. On a smooth-top, you'll probably have to fiddle around a bit to find out what works best to get the heat down low enough to maintain the perc. Just turning the heat down may work well, or you might have to switch to a burner already set at a lower setting. One caution: If your perc has a recessed bottom (many do), it's a poor candidate for use on a smooth-top, since the bottom does not contact the burner.

P.S.: With a stove-top perk, you have to pay attention. It seems for the longest time that it will never begin perking, then perking begins quite unexpectedly. The trick is not to let your attention wander, so when the perking begins, you can adjust the heat and set the timer for eight minutes. Otherwise, you get distracted, go off into another room, and pretty soon, your coffee is overperked and really pretty undrinkable.

 

[danemodsandy]

OH! P.S.:

Christopher:

With a stove-top perk, DO NOT centre the perk on the burner. Put it over to the side, where the handle will be more away from the heat. It's easy to damage a handle if you don't do this.

 

[washmeup]

Thank You

You are the best!! Thank you for all of your information!

Christopher

 

[gadgetgary]

Corning Perks

These are pretty neat

 

[gadgetgary]

Another

In blue

 

[gadgetgary]

And

That fabulous retro 'orange'

 

[scott55405]

Gary I have that last one. Stopped working though. :-( Until I came across it though, I never knew Corning had made percs in other than the traditional "Corningware" style.

The first time I saw a GE on Ebay with that greenish finish, I thought someone was trying to pass of junk on Ebay as people are sadly sometimes wont to do. I thought "what on EARTH did somebody do to this poor thing?!" It's cool and unique now that I know it's supposed to be that way! LOL

 

[petek]

West Bend colored aluminum. Not sure what other colors these came in.. I would imagine blue and yellow and maybe green?

 

[petek]

The infamous Jet-O-matic

 

[tlee618]

Gary, I love those colors on those Corning pots!!!
Pete, I know those West Bends also came in a copper color and I am betting others as well. I don't have a Jet O Matic but man I do love the sound they make when they are brewing. Thanks everyone for sharing.

 

[petek]

Does anyone use those little paper filter discs for their percolator baskets? I had a small supply and luckily found some more in a hardware store the other day, not that I perk much coffee. I prefer drip coffee.

 

[scott55405]

Pete, I have had the round discs (the best I ever had were some Mr. Coffee branded ones I found at an estate sale that were made out of better than usual paper), but normally I use a wraparound type filter. It's basically a square of filter paper with a hole punched in the center and the four corners. The center goes over the stem, you add the coffee and fold the corners around by pushing the corner holes through the stem. When you throw it away it just flips out of there with the coffee all in one piece.

The grocery stores here don't seem to carry them so I stock up when I visit Arizona, where they do for whatever reason, even though the grocery store is owned by the same company. I have quite a few on hand, but am going to check the hardware store in the neighborhood as well, who I'm hoping will also carry powdered Dip-It.

 

[polkanut]

I usually just take a drip filter and fold it into 1/4's, snip off the tip, slide it over the stem, and down into the basket. Works just fine for me.

 

[veg-o-matic]

Baked Potato Soup

For Sandy:
4 Large baked potatoes
1 Stick butter
3/4 Cup flour
1.5 Quarts milk
4 Green onions, chopped
1 Cup sour cream
3/4 Cup crisp, crumbled bacon
8 Oz. shredded cheddar cheese
Melt butter in large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add milk, then add flour slowly, whisking constantly.
Whisk in salt and pepper to taste and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly. Cut potatoes in half, scoop out meat and set aside. Chop half of the skins and discard the rest. When milk is very hot, whisk in potatoes. Add onion and potato skins. Whisk well and add remaining ingredients. Reserve a small amount of onion and bacon to garnish top of soup when ready to serve.
From cooks.com

Couple of changes I made: I make a blonde roux with the flour and butter before stirring in the milk. As far as the bacon and cheese go, the more the merrier!

veg

 

[danemodsandy]

Thanks, Veg!

That sounds as yummalicious as the photo made it look. I intend to try it out very soon!

 

[mixfinder]

Cleaning Kitchenaid Burr Grinders

Rice is used for cleaning the smaller grinders with the single spinning blade and removable top. Some cooks keep a coffee grinder for grinding spices or even rice or grains into flour. Burr grinder using clean themselves as they go unless the coffee is particularly oily or the grinder is unused long enough for coffee oil to rancidity You can use a small brush to remove what you see and dry old nasty beans to remove oils discarding the grind. Full on disassembly is possible, but seldom warranted.

 

[tlee618]

Scott, I have found that Cascade Complete with Bleach works even better than Dip-It, you might want to give it a try.

 

[scott55405]

Thanks Terry, I'll look into that. I've been out of the dishwasher loop for a while, but it seems to me and I know you know that Cascade Complete with Bleach is probably a good thing all around!

 

[jasonl]

Purex Perk-u-lator

Pyrex's have a curve bottom but are just fine with a smooth top (cue: Togs)

 

[perc-o-prince]

One of my favs!

I have been looking for this Chase Chrome "Coronet" set for quite a while and was thrilled to have recently found it with its matching tray!! Just love the Deco sculptural lines. It was designed by Walter von Nessen.

Rich