Prime Cuts

Too often people become enamored with fancy machines that promise to make great coffee but are usually left empty with an only slightly better tasting coffee. Many times people abandon greater coffee for fancy features on machines that don’t provide better tasting coffee.

The french press is a simple way to make great coffee without the fuss and the expensive hardware. At first the process may seem rather intimidating but after a few tries you’ll be making perfect french pressed coffee without the anxious anticipation.

Drinking french pressed coffee is becoming quite fashionable at local eateries and coffee shops, many attribute this new trend as a way for proprietors to charge more for a simple cup of coffee. But it’s not all about fashion or an evil plan to raise prices on patrons, it’s about great tasting coffee and an effective way to ensure the patron has fresh coffee every visit.

French pressed coffee will have a more robust body, full flavor and aroma; something that is not so apparent from an auto drip machine. Many even prefer pressed coffee over espresso, mostly because it makes more coffee and doesn’t need to be soften with water to weaken the punch like with espresso. So how do you make the perfect cup of french pressed coffee?

It’s easy, here’s how.

Directions:

1. Use 2-4 tablespoons of coffee for every 8 oz. of filtered water (Actually measure it, don’t eyeball or assume; filtered water is key to great coffee).
2. Put double the amount of water you need in your kettle (You’ll use this extra water for warming your press and cups).
3. While your water is heating, grind your coffee coarsely, make sure it is an even grind.
4. Bring your water to 198 degrees Fahrenheit, ensuring it doesn’t fully boil the difference can be mere seconds.
5. Now pour water into your empty press to warm it up, after a few seconds transfer that water into your cups to warm them.
6. Add your ground coffee and evenly pour your water over the grounds.
7. Gently stir the coffee with a small wooden spoon, and place the stem on with the filter about a 1/2 inch from the top of the grounds.
8. Wait for three minutes to allow the coffee to steep, time it, don’t guesstimate.
9. After three minutes remove the stem, stir gently and replace the stem.
10. Push the stem down forcing the grounds to the bottom of the pot, if there’s no resistance then your grind is too coarse, too much resistance then your grind is too fine (This should take about fifteen to twenty seconds to push the stem to the bottom).
11. When the plunger is down as far as it will go, service the entire coffee immediately (It’s important not to let your coffee sit in the press, drink now).

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Photo by: pokpok313

Brewing coffee is as much of an art as it is a science. One of the widely used methods is the auto drip machine. Since Mr. Coffee came on the scene we’ve been addicted to convenience and good coffee. But there is more to an auto drip machine than you might think. There are many things to consider when buying an auto drip machine.

One of the most important aspects to a great auto drip machine is the temperature that the machine brews your coffee at, it should brew somewhere around 195-205°F. This is very crucial, many machines will brew your coffee at a lower temperature and then heat the coffee on the warmer.  When this happens you’ll experience less flavor and usually an abnormal bitter tone to it. One of the reasons many machines will brew at a lower temperature is due to the amount of wattage that the machine has. Remember, larger wattage, hotter coffee.

Another aspect of your auto drip machine that needs to be considered is the shower head, no, I’m not talking about your bathroom. The shower head is the part of the machine that drips the water onto the grounds. Some machines just have a singular point of entry for the water to hit your grounds. This method doesn’t fully soak your grounds effectively which usually leads to weak, under-brewed coffee. But if you have a coffee maker that is like a shower head that can soak the grounds evenly you’ll experience great, fully brewed coffee.

When brewing coffee through an auto drip machine you have to consider the container or carafe that the coffee will reside in once fully brewed. There are two main kinds of carafes: glass and thermal. Obviously, glass is the most common and easily most misunderstood, this is why you should go to a store to at least check out a coffee maker before buying. There are many companies that will give you a fancy, full featured machine but then go cheap on some really thin glass. If you’re an avid coffee drinker consider getting a machine with good, thick glass because you’ll be using it for purpose not looks. This part, in my opinion, is similar to buying drinking glasses. You want something good looking, light but not cheap, you know what cheap glass feels like. If you don’t, go to Walmart and pick up a set of drinking glasses that are a starter/college set and then go to Macy’s or Crate & Barrel and pick up some nice drinking glasses for people who want to have them for a period longer than a Bachelors degree.

Thermal is the other type of carafe. I recommend a vacuumed thermal carafe. There are many varieties of thermal so do your homework. Since your coffee should be enjoyed immediately after brewing I hardly see a point in having a thermal carafe, at least that’s the way I see it because your warmer should keep your coffee hot while you enjoy your first cup.

Filtration is important when brewing coffee regardless of brewing method. Most coffeehouses will triple filter their water. The best I recommend is to use a Brita filter carafe and then ensure that your coffee maker has a water filter on it, as most do now. This will provide you with at least double filtered water. Great water is just as important as good, fresh coffee. Many will argue this aspect but I will tell you from many years of searching for great coffee that water is absolutely key and is worth the extra steps. You can get away with having a cheap machine and make better coffee by using filtered water. Similarly, you can have a very expensive machine and if you’re pouring in tap water I can guarantee you that your coffee will taste off or just plain bad. Many people who don’t like coffee never realize that what they really didn’t like was the taste of tap water that barely tastes like coffee. Cardinal rule with coffee: use filtered water, no exceptions!

Coffee filters are a thing of debate for most coffee drinkers, I’m not even going to attempt to explain or begin a debate here but let me lay it out for you. There are paper and metal; one is disposable and the other is reusable. Paper; you have new and recycled, bleached and natural. Metal; you have cheap metal mesh (claiming it’s gold) and then you have a real gold mesh filter (this will run you around $50). I buy bleached paper. Brands matter, why, because many will debate tasting the filter in the coffee, the right brand can eliminate that taste.

There are many choices when considering buying an auto drip machine but in the end if you really want to have a good cup of coffee and you drink coffee semi-regularly you should be spending at least $50. If you’re the person who drinks daily and multiple times throughout the day then you should consider getting a maker that is $100. If you’re the person who goes through a coffee maker every year like my parents then you should consider buying a really nice coffee machine that can withstand the abuse of coffee addicts. Those machines are somewhere around $199. As the price increases you’ll find many companies will try to amuse you by having crazy features telling you that it will make your coffee better, those companies are just ripping you off. Remember, coffee has three parts; the coffee itself, the water, the brewing method. There is no need for crazy features, some of the better machines that are expensive are very simple and at first makes you wonder why it is so expensive. That is because the quality is much higher, remember, more metal, less plastic is always a good thing.

Let me break it down quickly for you as I know you’re wondering what should you buy, so here’s my recommendations:

• Saving money: buy what fits your budget and use filtered water and good coffee and good filters.
• Willing to spend a little bit more: buy something like a DeLonghi around $80, it’s good, not great, watch out for how the carafe sets on the warmer, if it’s not just right it will spill all over your counter.
• Want great coffee and willing to put some money down: get a KitchenAid ProLine Series, this retails for $199 but you can find them on eBay for around $140.

What do I use? KitchenAid ProLine Series. Yes, it was expensive but it the best machine I’ve ever used, I brew coffee from 1-4 times a day.

Not to further mess with your possible confusion, remember, convenience is the key with an auto drip machine. A good $20 french press can make equal or sometimes better coffee than an auto drip machine if the right techniques are used but it makes less coffee and requires more attention than an auto drip machine.

Tell me what you use and why you decided to buy what you did.

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Photo by: Neubie

Recently we received a question in the comments section from Melissa Leon, a faithful Prime Cuts reader, asking for a list of the essential kitchen tools/gadgets for the home chef.  I think this is a great idea for a post and am happy to give the chefs perspective on what a home cook should have.  By tools and gadgets, I mean things other than the basic set of pots, pans, table cutlery, and working stove top and oven.

Joe’s List of 10 Mandatory Kitchen Tools

Many of these are common items that most people will already have, but I want to offer my opinion on the best type, for durability, performance, and functionality. I suggest that when shopping for these items you browse the web for restaurant supply sources and order from there. Home cook supply shops tend to be stocked with overpriced and over complicated versions of what chefs have been using professionally for years.

1. KNIVES -  You really don’t need many, but the few you own, or better yet, use on a day to day basis, should be durable, sharp, and suited to your hand/body size. Avoid buying all purpose knifes that are completely serrated; you will never be able to make precision cuts, or sharpen them. The only serrated knife you really need is a long thin bread knife. Other than that, you should have an all purpose chefs (butcher knife), filet knife, boning knife, and paring knife. Buy quality and you will most likely never have to buy them again.

2. CUTTING BOARD, SHARPENING STONE, AND STEEL -  I include these as one category because they are essentially secondary requirements for using knives, it doesn’t make sense to have knives without them. The best cutting boards are the simplest ones, the white, synthetic, plain board type. They are dishwasher safe, will never warp, can be bleached clean of any stain, and are ruggedly durable. For the sharpening stone and steel, you need not spend a fortune, but buy a stone that has at least two coarseness, and steel that feels smooth but not slippery, and learn how to use them well.

3. TONGS – Simply put, buy yourself some basic metal, restaurant style tongs in both short and long lengths. The tongs that come in home grill sets, are clumsy and weak, and they make you want to reach for the turning fork, which you should never, ever use.

4. VEGETABLE PEELER – A strong wide peeler with a good grippy handle, and replaceable blade, is very important. You will thank yourself when you are doing the thanksgiving mashed potatoes, or worse yet, trying to work your way into a butternut squash.

5. MIXING BOWLS – A good set of three, large, different sized, metal mixing bowls, is a huge personal favor. From breading stations, to salads, to multi phased dessert prep, if you want the ability to make impressive restaurant quality food at home, you will need more than your soup and cereal bowls.

6. BOX GRATER – You may have a grater, but do you have a real box grater? It should a four sided mechanism with four different shredder types, at least two of which are the standard grater style, just varying in size. The other two shredder types are less important, but it should also have a strong sturdy, and comfortable handle, and good strong welds holding it together.

7. RUBBER SPATULA – These are at times the only things to truly fit into oddly shaped surfaces. Many rubber spatulas are also heat proof and perfectly suited to working right in a hot pan loosening a sticky omelet, or scraping the last bit of melted chocolate out of the bowl and onto your brownies.

8. WISK – The wisk is like the box grater, you probably have one, but is it a good one? Strong and sturdy with a large handle, the wisk is the ultimate mixing tool. For making fresh whipped crème, mixing a simple batter, or marinade, anything that needs to be mixed can be done better with a wisk, so why not have a good one.

9. STRAINER – There is most likely a colander in the house for making spaghetti, but this is not the same as a good strainer. Your strainer should be metal and moderately sized, with a long handle, and a clasp, or bend opposite the handle side for resting on the edge of a pot or bowl. In the restaurant there are countless sauces, stocks, and purees that are finished or made better by passing through a specifically sized strainer, at home you can probably get away with just having one.

10. BRUSHES – You should have two types of brushes, one for meats, and one for everything else. Basting your ribs with barbeque sauce is best done with a synthetic, dishwasher safe brush with heavy large bristles, while glazing the tops of your sticky buns requires a brush that is much more delicate, with shorter, softer bristles.

With these tools you should be able to accomplish more than 90% of all home cooks ever will, and you will be able to do it well! You will not have to spend a ton to get them, but, buy simple, durable equipment and maintain it well. You should have it forever because most chefs’ tools are meant for a lifetime of abuse!

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Photo by: fah-lo-sue

One of the biggest mistakes people make in the kitchen is not selecting the proper tools.  We’ve already discussed the importance of choosing quality knives and now bring you this video from the FoodGear team on selecting the proper type of kitchen knife:

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Do you have a favorite knife in your block?  If so, leave a comment below letting us know what type of knife it is and why it’s your favorite.

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One of the biggest requests we get is about how to cook like a professional chef at home.  While we will continue to do posts which will help you learn how to actually cook better, one of the biggest mistakes people make is not investing in their kitchen tools.  Most households have a nice stove or refrigerator, a nice set of plates or dinnerware yet they have a $29.95 knife set from your local discount retailer.  In order to cook like a professional, you need to invest in professional tools.

As you can imagine from our knock at cheap knife sets, we think one of the most important items in your kitchen is the knives which you own.  Any professional chef will tell you that they are attached to their knives.  In fact, a lot of chefs won’t let anyone else use their knives.  While they can be expensive, they are worth every dollar you spend.  

Today, we’d like to feature our favorite knife company, Shun.  Shun knives are the nicest knives either one of us have ever owned.  Shun knives are among the strongest, sharpest and most well balanced knives that you can buy.  They are reasonably priced, when considering the quality of knife you are purchasing, between roughly $100-350 per open-stock (read: individual) knife depending on the type of knife you purchase as well as which Shun series it’s from.  You can also buy these knives in different size sets and series.  They can be purchased from Amazon, Williams-Sonoma, and Crate & Barrel, among other retail outlets.

Two of the most important aspects of choosing a knife is how it is balanced and the sharpness of the blade.  Shun knives execute these two features flawlessly.  The larger knives, where balance is key, are always perfectly balanced and feel comfortable in your hands.  The blade is razor sharp and hardly ever needs to be sharpened on a stone.  Both of these factors are huge when cutting delicate foods such as tomatoes all the way up to cutting through a thick meat.  In a future post we will go through how to select a knife.

Food Network star Alton Brown has an excellent video describing his love for Shun knives as well as providing a lot of knowledge on selecting a knife and what sets Shun apart from their competition.  After watching the video, consider investing in just one Shun knife and we are sure you’ll never turn back!