Just a quick over-coffee addendum about the Clever Coffee Dripper.
I’ve had the third run of coffee from this gadget! I just had to know if the stirring at 1-1/2 (or so) minutes made a difference so I made one cup without doing that. It does, indeed, make a difference. Definitely a more complex flavor if you do the stirring.
On the third batch, I did make the grind just a bit finer and like that better too. I may try just one “click” finer on the grinding and see what that does.
I’m a coffee lover–as long as it’s good coffee and it’s brewed properly. That leaves out a lot of brewing methods, including the automatic drip coffee maker. I’ve tried different ways of brewing coffee (other than the standard drip coffee maker): Bodum vacuum coffee maker which I do like a lot but is not functional for work days; the Filtron cold-water brewing which makes great iced coffee in the summer, Chemex, Melitta, and, of course, a French press. I like the flavor of coffee from the French press, but the sediment just sets my teeth on edge for some reason–otherwise, the French press is my favorite coffee maker for flavor.
When I got my last issue of Cooks Illustrated (first of this month) I noticed that they had good things to say about something called a Clever Coffee Dripper. I’ve seen a lot of coffee brewing systems reviewed in Cook’s Illustrated; it usually comes down to them recommending the French press. I was surprised to read that The Clever Coffee Dripper was labeled “a success”. Curiosity and my dislike of the sediment in French press coffee finally got the better of me and on Friday I ordered a Clever Coffee Dripper.
I found it most inexpensively from Amazon.com; the price that Cook’s Illustrated quoted from that supplier plus the shipping was higher than I wanted to pay, so I googled the Clever Coffee Dripper. Amazon’s price was a bit higher, but the shipping was less, so I ordered it from there.
Over the weekend I had an e-mail saying that it had been shipped. I’ve been waiting rather impatiently for it to arrive. On my way home from work today I stopped at Harris Teeter and got some #4 cone filters, in hopes that it would arrive today.
On this wet, gray, rainy day I was thinking hot chocolate, but I found a package outside my door–the Clever Coffee Dripper had arrived. For an instant or two I contemplated waiting until morning to try it out–but that was really only a quickly passing thought. I knew I had to try it now!
It’s a very simple apparatus: a funnel-shaped top that looks like a Melitta or filter-cone coffee brewer, but with a few extra parts: a coaster for it to rest on, and a lid and a stopper/valve that is opened when it is set on a cup or carafe.
I filled it with water and checked to see if it leaked (it did not) and how quickly it drained without a filter or coffee grounds in it (it drained much more rapidly than the Melitta filter-cone).
I plugged in the kettle and ground some coffee while that was heating. I used a medium drip grind as the instructions said that too fine and it will drain too slowly; too course and it 
would drain too fast. I’m not sure how much of an issue that is since the water and the grounds stay together in the cone. According to the instructions on the box it will fit on anything with a diameter between 1-1/2 inches and 3-3/4 inches. That means it will fit on my thermal carafe. I got out my widest coffee cup to test that–also means my biggest coffee cup.
The instructions said to put in the filter and rinse to minimize the paper taste–which is something that I did even with the Melitta. I filled my coffee cup with hot water to warm 
it. The brewing time is essentially the same as the French press–but the instructions say to stir it after 1-1/2 minutes, then continue to brew for 4 minutes. After the proper amount of time, I set the thing on my coffee cup and watched 
it drain. I did follow the instructions, and I got a good cup of coffee! I haven’t done a side-by-side test with the French press, but to me this tasted like French press coffee without the sediment. No sediment, and easy to clean up. Definitely a keeper!
This is not going to make a lot of coffee at one time–unless you want to brew into a carafe–and brew several times. As Cook’s Illustrated indicated–it’s for small amounts of coffee. The heat loss during the standing time is about what you’d expect from a French press (unless you have the double-walled one). Overall, it seems to be a good prospect for my morning coffee–easy and tasty!
I think that many of us who do single-serving cooking are likely to live in smaller places, and have less drawer and counter space in the kitchen. With storage space at a premium, we need to consider that when tempted by gadgets and single use items. Before I buy it, or even bring home a freebie, I try to ask myself if I will really use it, and if so, how often. Many times that item gets left right were I originally saw it, I probably don’t even miss it.
I have a lot of cookware of various sorts, but some things are much more useful than others; some things I should give away or send to the Habitat ReStore, or even have a yard sale, since I’ve not used them in ever so long.
I was looking through a drawer the other day and found a couple of yellow plastic thingies that I may never have used–I may have gotten these for attending a Tupperware party in the (very) distant past. I do know that the one on the left is supposed to be an egg separator. The one on the right (especially since it’s a matching color) looks to me like a thingy that could be used to do something with an egg–scoop it out of hot water, or hold eggs when you are dying them (not likely–too broad on the arms), perhaps? (Why use that when I have a slotted spoon?) I think that I may have tried the egg separator once, but usually I either use the shell halves or my hand–why wash a gadget when it’s just not necessary? (I’m a firm believer that hands are meant to do more than hold implements in the kitchen.) I try not to have similar kinds of dishes around, because that really takes up storage space.
Just as I’m supposed to be able to multitask these days, I like multiple use things in my kitchen. I try to stay away from “disposable” items, too. I’ve already mentioned that I use Ball/Mason jars for storage containers for both pantry and refrigerator, and I’ve mentioned the cast-iron grill/griddle (which can double as a broiler pan); there are some basics that see a lot of use in the kitchen almost every day.
My most frequently used baking dishes are not fancy–most were obtained from the hardware store or the grocery store–while doing the every-day activities of keeping house and cooking for one; I did not have to go look for them in specialty stores. I’m sure a kitchen/cooking website like Cooking.com would have these basics as well. I like glass so that I can use them in the gas oven or in the microwave oven–again, space savers.
One of my favorites is a Pyrex rectangular baking dish with lid that I’ve had for ages and 
ages. Should I ever break it, it will take more to replace it than just a dish and a lid. It’s a small covered baking dish just the right size for about four chicken thighs to roast (on top of the right amount potatoes and/or other root veggies) with a lid which has ridges and a lip on one side (raised and smooth on the other) which works so well for cooking bacon in the microwave because it allows the fat to drain away (no, I don’t cook it on paper towels, though I do use a paper towel to cover it with). The glass lid fits well enough that it can also be used for storing in the refrigerator.
Another favorite is (also Pyrex) narrower baking dish (also with lid) that is just about the right width for single lasagna noodles so that I can have two servings. This one has silicone seal with vents in it so that you don’t have glass-on-glass contact.
Both these are a great size for cooking for one, allowing for some “leftovers” that can be used in other recipes, but not so large that there is too much space for baking or roasting.
I do have a larger and smaller oven-safe dishes (mostly Pyrex) that have plastic covers for storage. Of course, any kitchen must have the usual rectangular and square baking dishes and pans (the “usual” 9×9-inch and the 9×13-inch, but those get used much less frequently.
Another fav
orite of mine is a large round covered dish (yes, Pyrex) with a multipurpose lid. It has good wide handles on both the base and the lid. The lid has done duty as a pie plate for me several times. It’s a bit bigger than you average pie plate, but it’s got the right slant and approximately the right depth. The lid can also serve as a shallow baking dish.
I do have some Emile Henry bowls and oval baking dishes that see a fair amount of use, but some colored glazes cannot be used in the microwave; the plain glass or the white seem to be the real workhorses in the kitchen: oven, freezer, microwave, and refrigerator for storage.
I also have bowls that have vented plastic lids for use in the microwave so that I don’t have to reach for the plastic film every time I want to nuke something. The vents can be opened for microwave use, and then closed for storage. The plain bowl can do cooking and serving duty which is a real space saver, and a real cleanup help. The white bowl (below left) is also one with a vented lid for microwaving, baking, or refrigerator.
One of the most-used for my single-serving cooking at breakfast time and when soup is on 
the lunch menu is another with a vented plastic lid that is microwave safe. The cup (right) is just right for cooking single servings of hot cereal in the microwave. The vented lid means no plastic film wrap is needed. Admittedly some mornings I feel like I should use that cup for coffee because it bigger than the average coffee mug.
No matter what you’re cooking, it’s important to have the right size container. In baking or roasting, just as in stove-top cooking, too large and food will dry out; too small, and there’s an oven mess to clean up, or food is too confined and steams rather than roasts. In the microwave the right size and arrangement of food is also important. Cooking that breakfast cereal in a container that is too shallow can leave you with a really nasty mess to clean up–not a good way to start the day.
One of the things that is so important about food is good flavor, no matter if it’s for a crowd, or just a single serving. It always should be a son goût!
I’m back from the Durham Farmers’ Market–it was a great day, even though the market is not in full summer swing yet. The Piedmont BioFarm’s booth, which was right next to mine, had absolutely gorgeous beets. Unfortunately, they sold quickly so I didn’t get any today, but I’m told that there will be more next week, so I’m planning to bring some home with me then.
The sunshine and warm weather made me think about beet soup. This recipe was given to me years ago by a good friend, and it’s become one of my favorite summer things to have in the refrigerator for hot weather. It’s cool and refreshing, yet very satisfying.
I first experienced this soup when Casey brought me some, just when it was most needed: I was moving–in extremely hot, humid weather–from one apartment to another in the same building, so it was mostly carrying boxes and lugging furniture, all very hot sweaty work. Air conditioning was out of the question with the constant coming and going, with the doors open.
Cooking was also out of the question–mostly for reasons of fatigue, sore muscles, disruption of the kitchen, and the heat, and maybe even a dollop of laziness thrown into the mix. That soup was the most wonderful treat, particularly under those circumstances; I’ve made it many times since and it’s at least as good, if not even better, when had in much less dire straits.
It’s not a small recipe, but it holds very well in the refrigerator; a “left-over” taste is not a problem–and I think that the flavors actually blend and grow with standing. I suppose you could always halve the recipe, but it’s so good that I’ve never done that–I can easily enjoy it several days in a row!
Šaltibaršciai (Casey’s Cold Beet Soup)
Ingredients
Assembly
Wine suggestions, courtesy of Casey, were as follows:
I did not try the Corbières; overwhelming dill did not strike my fancy and I trust this recommendation. I can attest that Sauvignon Blanc is excellent with the soup. I’ve probably eaten this for breakfast, lunch, and supper, with wine, and without. It’s well worth the effort of making and it may well improve with standing a few days.
I have to confess that is a spate of utter laziness, I have replaced the potatoes with cubed extra-firm tofu with a very satisfying result. I have always thought that it’s the eggs and the potatoes that make this such a satisfying, but cool, meal. And, it a marvelous color, too–definitely shocking pink. I’ve not tried it with the orange beets, but that might be interesting, too.
Think it looks like a lot? Well, invite a friend. Friends are usually glad to help in cases of an excess food crisis!
A son goût!
Risotto is a favorite food–sometimes it’s comfort food and sometimes it’s a treat for a special occasion. I am addicted to that luscious, sensual, creamy texture. Depending on the additions it’s an all-season dish–veggies or shellfish in warm weather, or sausage and meat for cold-weather, stick-to-the-ribs comfort food.
There was a time when risotto was a special-occasion, dinner-with-friends dish for me. I’d invite friends for a meal and make risotto. One day while making spinach risotto to go with pan-seared tuna, supervised by the cat, stirring and adding liquid, stirring…and thinking…I decided that there must be a way to have risotto in single-serving quantities. Thinking of restaurants, I was sure that there was some “trick” that would allow finishing off one serving at a time; I needed to figure out what that was.
I’ve tried the recipe given by Barbara Kafka in Microwave Gourmet (p. 114) and that’s good for quick risotto but, to me, not quite as luxurious as the long slow kind. The advantage there is that she does give quantities for serving one or two. I kept going back to restaurant line cooking, and wondering how I would do risotto in that situation–I certainly would not be making it totally “to order”–I’d be finishing it off as ordered. As much as I like risotto, it seemed worthwhile to try to find a way to have it more often.
I was using one of the recipes from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (pp. 242-245) as usual–still stirring, thinking, and stirring…. Maybe I could take some of the risotto out while slightly undercooked, before adding the cheese and butter and any final ingredients and freeze it for later use. (Can you see the light bulb appear above my head with this though?)
Judging that there was more than enough for two of us in the batch that I was working on, I grabbed a small container and took out a single serving (fairly large single-serving), sealed it carefully so that there was no air space, and put it in the freezer.
A couple of weeks later, I pulled it out of the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator. Now to see if I had something edible. I’d taken it out of the original batch when I though I had about ten minutes of cooking time left. Now, back into a pan, add some broth, and more stirring. It took a bit of effort to get it mixed with the liquid as it was stiff, but after that it seemed to be a good consistency. As soon as the rice had that bit of “bite” –tender outside, but still firm at the center, I added the parmigiano-reggiano, and a bit of butter and it was ready to eat.
I have not done a side-by-side tasting with this method and the microwave risotto or with risotto freshly made with the classic technique, but I felt that this was a bit creamier than the microwave method, and it took about the same amount of time.
Rice for risotto needs to do two things: to have soluble starch to dissolve in the liquid to give the creamy texture of risotto, and to have enough insoluble starch to have that “tooth” or “bite” at the center of the grain that makes risotto such a sensual (and sensuous) delight. I’ve most often used Arborio rice for risotto, and that’s what I used for this, and for the microwave trial, and from the same batch of rice. Two other varieties of rice used for risotto are Vialone Nano, and Carnaroli. These three varieties offer a bit of difference in the consistency of the risotto due to differences in the kinds of starch that predominate. The Vialone Nano has enough e “bite” while having enough soluble starch to have the creamy texture of risotto, albeit looser, and maybe a bit less creamy. The Carnaroli has an even firmer “bite” with the creaminess, with the Arborio being sort of in between, and the most readily available (and the least expensive) of the three. I have not tried this technique with either the Vialone Nano or with the Carnaroli–maybe that’s a future experiment, but with the Arborio I was pleased with the result.
There are so many variations that make risotto a meal in itself: you can add meat, vegetables, fish, or shellfish easily as you finish the thawed risotto and vary the seasoning easily. Quick-cooking vegetables could be added as you start the finishing step; harder vegetables can be sautéed or partially cooked before you add the risotto to finish it.
One surprisingly good addition to risotto (from Marcella Hazan’s recipes) is celery! I’m always looking for things to do with the celery that’s left after I use the one or two ribs called for in recipes; when I saw her recipe for “Risotto with Celery” I just had to try that variation on risotto. Her recipe (p. 249 in Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking) calls for 2 cups finely diced celery for six serving of risotto. It’s added in two different stages (if you’re making risotto in the classic way): half at the beginning when the rice is added, and the remainder when the rice is about half-cooked so there is some texture variation. This is a great side for grilled meat or fish. I really liked it to accompany a grilled lamb shoulder chop. (I’m starting to feel that celery may be an under-appreciated vegetable and not just an aromatic seasoning.)
For finishing liquid, if the original batch of risotto was made using broth, you could finish it with water, though I find I usually have some broth in the refrigerator. I’ll concede that you may not have the melding of flavors that you would have were the veggies or meats cooked with the risotto for the entire cooking time, but the result is good enough when you consider the shorter time, and the fact that you can have this in single-serving quantities.
Another lovely “comfort” food with Arborio rice that is a favorite of mine is “Boiled Rice with Parmesan, Mozzarella, and Basil” (again from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (pp. 258-259). Here is a summary of the recipe:
Boiled Rice with Parmesan, Mozzarella, and Basil
Servings: 4, but halving the recipe works well.
Ingredients:
Preparation:
It’s not risotto, but then you don’t have the constant stirring that goes with classic risotto, while you do get a great texture given the soluble starch of the Arborio and the cheese melted into the hot rice.
I’ve yet to try the Cook’s Illustrated baked risotto, but that looks like another possible alternative and perhaps adaptable to smaller quantities. As well as I like rice and risotto, I have a lot of exploring to do to find out what works best for single-serving cooking.
A son goût!
a-single-serving.com 