My parents made coffee in this type of pot in the 50’s and 60’s. Does anyone here still use one or know how to make coffee in one? I tried years ago, but didn’t know:
-coffee to water ratio
-how high the heat
-how long to perk
My mother seemed to know all of these things, and I forgot to ask her.
I did love to watch it, but that was before there was much on tv.
My mom still uses these, and I have one as well. They make the best coffee, iyam.
I fill to just below where the metal filter sits (so there is no water in the filter area), and use about three to four tablespoons of coffee. Put it on high heat so it’ll boil. Once you see it perking, let it sit for a minute or two. Remove from the burner and let sit for a few minutes. Pour cold water in the spout - just a bit - to settle the grounds. Place back on the burner at a very low heat to keep it warm.
Is that the kind with the glass funnel and tube thing inside? If so, I used those for years until I got tired of glass breaking. Makes good coffee, but kind of a hassle to clean (mostly because glass is fragile).
Not sure on the amounts though. Just run a pot for an experiment, fill it up about 1/3? and a good measure of coffee. YMMV, change the formula from there.
maybe best used with a heat diffuser, metal plate or spacer, to keep from breaking due uneven heating.
Is that what that is? My then-wife and I found one of those 15 years ago when we were cleaning out her late grandmother’s house, but just the carafe and lid, no inner workings, so we were at a bit of a loss as to what its function was. I think we used it as a pitcher for a while before we yard-sold it.
Here is the glass version I used:
http://www.mixersshop.info/wp-content/uploads/Glass%20Percolator_2.jpg
My mom used one of those for years, but hers was electric. My wife tossed it before our last move. I almost killed her. That thing made the best coffee.
I prefer a chemex myself. My mom and dad had one for decades, I can remember it being used as far back as the mid 60s, They probably got it in europe when we were stationed in Germany.
This is the one I’m talking about. Clear glass all the way through.
So… you wait til it starts to boil and the water starts showing coffee color and then let it BOIL? for a “minute or two…” Which? One minute or two minutes? Sorry, I’m very literal-minded.
The reason I’m so careful with measuring and timing is that every once in a while you make a PERFECT pot of coffee… and if you haven’t measured and timed, YOU CAN NEVER DO IT AGAIN AND YOU SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE FUTILELY ATTEMPTING TO RECREATE THE PERFECT CONDITIONS, and you go crazy and drive everyone else in your household/office crazy, and you wind up unemployed, penniless, abandoned, and living in your car on the edge of town near the railroad tracks where night after night you listen to that lonesome whistle blow. Wishing to avoid that fate, I measure/time and when I find the right formula, I can do it again.
One time at the veterinarian’s office, the office manager gave me a delicious cup of coffee. Her formula: Use one HEAPING teaspoon (not a measuring teaspoon, but a regular teaspoon-teaspoon) of ground coffee for every TWO cups as marked on the coffee carafe. The “cups” on the carafe might be 4 or 6 oz cups. No matter. If you fill the carafe with water to the “8-cup” mark, pour it in the drip reservoir, and put 4 HEAPING teaspoons of ground coffee in the filter. I still use this formula for a drip pot. Works great.
Wow, that’s not much coffee.
I make coffee with 2 tablespoons of coffee per 5-oz. cup.
I make coffee in a percolator when camping. Can’t imagine there’s a functional difference between your glass one and my aluminum one.
I use one slightly to moderately heaping coffee scoop per two cups, depending on strength desired.
I start with the highest heat available to get it percolating, then turn it down to where it continues to percolate but won’t boil over. Watch it closely – the time from starting to percolate to making a big ol’ mess is ten seconds or less. This video (I just watched the first 20 seconds) shows the typical rate to shoot for.
When the percolation slows down considerably (after several minutes), and it smells like coffee, it’s done.
I used a Corning Ware percolator like this for years.
I agree with campp #3 post. Fill with water (mine has a fill line below the basket), add a couple scoops of coffee. Put on high heat until it starts percing. Reduce heat to medium and let perc about 4 minutes. Serve
I had trouble finding filters to fit my basket. I finally started cutting my own from standard drip filters. You want a round disk that fits the basket.
You can use a digital scale to measure coffee grounds for consistent results. You need a scale that goes down to .1 gram. They are under $20. Experiment until you find the perfect amount for your tastes.
This is pretty much my recipe, too.
Do you mean “two cups” as marked on the coffee pot or carafe?
You don’t need a paper filter for Corningware percolators. You just have to buy perc grind coffee.
That’s the one we have. It’s not currently the one in use.
My mother had one of those, but sometime in the 1970s, there was a recall because of a defect in the collar that held the handle.
Yes, there are markings on the pot.
We get percolator filters at our local grocery. They’re square, folded up in the package, with a hole in the center and a hole by each corner to fit over the stem. Make clean-up quite a bit easier.
I can’t help much with the actual percolator, but -
[former barista hat]
For any hot water/coffee grounds method (excluding espresso), two tablespoons of ground coffee per 8 ounces of water is the formula you’re looking for. I use this because what’s marked on a carafe can be anywhere from 4-6 ounces as a “cup” and who drinks 4-6 ounces of coffee, much less even has a mug that size any more? Use the per 8 ounces formula because you can easily measure the size of your brewing container and measure your coffee based on that. Obviously some may still prefer slightly weaker or stronger coffee, but this is a good starting point for those who like to use measuring spoons and measuring cups!
[/former barista hat]
