As you can see in our “Diane Sawyer Loves Junk and Howe” post from a few days ago, they (ABC News) had a hard time finding a coffeemaker that is made in the United States. They couldn’t find one at all, actually.
Many nights, Jules and I will make coffee, and we make it the “old fashioned” way. We use a Pyrex Percolator – made in the USA. It may take a few minutes more than an electric coffeemaker, but it tastes much better, no matter what kind of coffee you like, and you never have to flush clean a coffeemaker. I saw a commercial for CLR the other day, demonstrating how to clean your coffeemaker with this toxic product. And then you’re supposed to brew coffee through that? And drink it? Multiple cups? Ack.
I’m quite fond of this classic piece of flameware by Pyrex. It’s one of my favorites, and probably the one we most often use. We have a 6-cup – they also made 4 and 9-cup versions. Since we have the 6-cup, we use 6 tablespoons of coffee for 6 servings. Here are the instructions.
1. Fill water to the line at 6.
2. Place a filter in the glass and metal basket. You will have to poke a hole in the center/bottom of the filter in order to do this.
3. Fill the filter with 6 tablespoons of your favorite coffee. We recommend Chicago favorite, Intelligentsia.
4. Place the top on the glass basket, and place the stem and basket in the middle of the pot. Put the lid on.
5. Turn the flame on high. VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT use glass percolators on electric range tops. They will shatter. Flame only!
6. It should take 8-12 minutes for it to begin percolating, causing the water to begin turning brown. After about 30 seconds or so, the entire pot of water should be brown.
7. Keep flame on high and let the coffee percolate for 4 more minutes.
8. Turn off the flame.
9. Using a kitchen towel, carefully remove the lid. Wait 2 minutes, and then carefully remove the stem and basket.
10. Replace lid and pour your coffee.
To clean, simply use a sponge with soap and water as you would with any other dish. The inner pieces – the glass stem and glass basket – are fragile, and should be handled with care. You can leave the handle and stainless steel band on for several uses, but it is ok to unscrew it and the handle to clean under the band once in a while. I would not put any pieces in a dishwasher.
We will have a few in the Junk and Howe store in the first couple weeks of May. There are a number on Ebay, but they’re often overpriced. If you can get your hands one, we’d recommend it. You’ll never want to use anything else.
