There are eight coffee makers in my kitchen. To give you some detail here, there are two of the electric drip type, one small, one large; two French presses, again of different sizes; one tiny stainless steel espresso maker (mysteriously still in the original packaging); one camping coffee pot, of the type where the hot water comes up in the middle and drips down through the ground coffee; and one super automatic espresso maker that grinds the beans and steams the milk and gives you the perfect cup of frothy good coffee.
The Bialetti Mochaa Pot
The eighth coffee maker is, of course, the Bialetti Pot. First designed in 1933 by Alfonso Bialetti, the espresso pot is still made in the same design with the only changes being the handle and the knob on top. The range of available coffee makers from Bialetti has expanded, but the classic coffee maker is still used extensively, especially in Europe. One of the reasons for this is that it goes on and on. Looked after properly this pot will still be good 20 years later. The Bialetti Mocha Pot is not just a design icon but has deeper meaning in the political evolution of Italian society.
Use of the Coffeepot
Before using this pot, make a couple of dummy runs of coffee using yesterday's coffee grounds. Fill the bottom container with water up to the valve but not covering it. Drop the filter cone in and add finely ground coffee, adding just enough to fill the cone. The steam must be able to move through the ground coffee, which will expand when it gets wet. Italians often poke the dry coffee three times with the spoon handle to make sure the steam can properly infiltrate. Then you screw the top container on, making sure the gasket is in place and ready to go. Place on medium heat for the best results, using either an electric or gas stove, but not induction. If you have an induction stove go for the electric Bialetti. I have also used this on a pot-belly wood stove. When the pot starts to make gurgling noises take it off the heat immediately and allow it to finish gurgling before pouring.
Care of your Bialetti
When the Bialetti has cooled down, unscrew it, empty the grounds out and rinse it with very hot water. That's all. No scouring, no detergents, no putting it in the dishwasher. The oils in the coffee will add a patina to the coffee pot which will protect the aluminum and prevent your coffee from being tainted with the metal. Every year or so, use the pot without any coffee just to give it a good pressure clean, but a hot rinse will be sufficient if you use it frequently.
Replacing the gasket
The rubber gasket will wear out, so buy silicon gaskets which are less expensive and last much longer. It is not a good idea to put the coffee on and wander off and forget it, even for a few minutes. This will burn the coffee, make the kitchen smell of burnt coffee and damage the rubber gasket. I haven't tried burning it with the silicon gasket yet. Edited October 14, 2011 ... today I burnt the coffee again, and the silicon gasket was unharmed. If you do leave it on for too long, let it cool down, rather than plunging it into water. You will risk warping the metal by cooling too quickly. Did I do that? No, I let it cool, then made another pot and stayed in the kitchen until it was done.
Steamed Milk
It really is nice to have steamed milk and you can buy a milk steamer quite inexpensively, but despite having the collection of coffeepots we are not really coffee geeks and I heat milk in the microwave while my husband prefers to use a saucepan on the stove. When I'm alone I use cold milk.
Sally Anne Lewis - Sally has master's degrees in science and journalism, is fascinated to a degree in most things. Always something to learn.
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