# I have a lot of instant coffee... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** coffee\ **Created:** [January 7, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790 "2011-01-07T20:45:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Goblin\_Queen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Goblin\_Queen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goblin_Queen)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790/1 "2011-01-07T20:45:59Z")
…and I don’t want to use it to make instant coffee. I bought a rather large, cheap container of instant coffee because I needed a tablespoon or some other small amount in order to make a chocolate souffle. Now, if I made enough souffles to use up all that coffee, I would either be staring at this jar for decades or have to go into business selling them. So, I figured that this would be the place to go to ask people for some creative uses of instant coffee. Recipes, I assume, are only the beginning. If there’s no way to use it up in a reasonable amount of time I will sneak it into the Physics study lounge where it will become an eternal feature of college life. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790/2 "2011-01-07T20:50:29Z")
> [@Goblin\_Queen](#): > > …I will sneak it into the Physics study lounge where it will become an eternal feature of college life. Wait, what? You seriously think free coffee will last any time at all in a students’ lounge? What’s wrong with college students these days?! ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790/3 "2011-01-07T20:55:24Z")
[http://www.chefnoah.com/coffee.htm](http://www.chefnoah.com/coffee.htm) Flavor spaghetti. Add one-quarter to one-half teaspoon of instant coffee to spaghetti sauce. Coffee gives store-bought spaghetti sauce brown coloring and a less acidic flavor. Seriously?? ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790/4 "2011-01-07T20:59:51Z")
Any recipe that calls for coffee, you can use it to make the coffee instead of brewing it for only a cup needed. I can find you my yummy chocolate cake recipe that calls for coffee. Mmm… ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790/5 "2011-01-07T21:19:48Z")
Add some to a smoothie to make a yummy frappuccino? ---
**Author:** ![Goblin\_Queen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Goblin\_Queen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goblin_Queen)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790/6 "2011-01-07T21:25:38Z")
> [@emmaliminal](#): > > Wait, what? You seriously think free coffee will last any time at all in a students’ lounge? What’s wrong with college students these days?! We’re spoiled. It’s very easy to get better coffee than Value Instant on my campus. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790/7 "2011-01-07T21:25:50Z")
There’s a James Barber recipe that involves avocado, vanilla ice cream and instant coffee. Their database is down right now, but I’ll keep checking. He said it was God’s way of saying She was sorry for instant coffee… ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790/8 "2011-01-07T21:31:43Z")
[Coffee ice cream!](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/coffee-ice-cream-recipe/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790/9 "2011-01-07T21:36:36Z")
Make your own kahlua…yum. 3 cups sugar 1/3 cup instant coffee 3 cups water Bring to a boil an simmer on low for about an hour. Let cool and add: 1/4 cup vanilla one fifth vodka Makes 1/2 gallon of kahlua. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790/10 "2011-01-08T05:24:10Z")
Make a cheesecake with a chocolate graham cracker crust. Mix a couple of teaspons of instant coffee in with the crackers and butter. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790/11 "2011-01-08T05:33:40Z")
I have a cookie recipe that uses instant coffee to make chocolate crisps that you dip in chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790/12 "2011-01-08T05:39:28Z")
I read somewhere that if you use instant coffee in your coffeemaker instead of regular ground coffee, it tastes as good as any drip coffee made with ground up beans. Haven’t tried it myself. There are recipes online for making coffee flavored gelatin…Other than dying white cloth to turn it an antique-y beige, that’s all I got. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790/13 "2011-01-08T06:20:16Z")
Try a tablespoon or so in the next pot of chili you make. Adds some dark and bitter flavor. Balance with sugar or citrus, if needed. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790/14 "2011-01-08T14:34:38Z")
> [@GameHat](#): > > Try a tablespoon or so in the next pot of chili you make. Adds some dark and bitter flavor. Balance with sugar or citrus, if needed. This is a really good idea - put a little in your chili and at the next cook-off your neighbors will ask what your secret is! ---
**Author:** ![Khendrask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@Khendrask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khendrask)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-lot-of-instant-coffee/566790/15 "2011-01-10T14:31:12Z")
Along with the chili idea above, I always add 1 tablespoon of instant coffee to each quart of liquid when I make onion soup. You can’t taste coffee in the soup, but it makes it much richer, and lets me tone down the salt a great deal.