How to Clean a Blackened or Burnt Coffee Pot

Steps

1. Place 1 teaspoon of salt into the coffee pot.
2. Add 2 cups of ice into the coffee pot.
3. Swish around the solution to start melting the ice. If the ice isn't melting, add a little bit of cold water into the coffee pot.
4. Continue to swish the mixture in multiple directions. You should begin to see the burned color coming off of the pot.

Tips

• If the pot is severely discolored you may have to repeat this several times, but eventually it will come clean.
• The swish motion is important. Make sure while you're swishing that you are doing this over all the discolored areas. Missing areas will not get the pot entirely clean.

Warnings

• When adding additional water, it is important that it is cold. Hot water mixed with the ice will cause the pot to crack or shatter.
• Salt and ice mixture on the skin can freeze it so make sure to keep them separate until you put it into the pot. Frostbite is painful and the skin can take several weeks to heal.
• Do not use cleanser, although it seems faster. Coffee pots often have lips that could hide a bit of the cleanser even when it is rinsed. Those bits could end up in your coffee. Think hygiene and not eating grit. This is especially important in restaurants where customers expect sterile equipment.

Things You'll Need

• A discolored coffee pot
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups ice
• Cold water

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Clean a Blackened or Burnt Coffee Pot. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.


Serv-U proudly offers coffee makers and accessories by leaders in the industry (think the likes of BUNN brewers, Hamilton Beach urns, and Service Ideas French presses for example). 


And if you're ready to free your inner barista (hey, even McD's is doing it!), we've got a great selection of grinders and espresso machines to choose from.  You'll be producing latte art in no time!

+
                      =
(Latte art pic courtesy of "adactio" on Flickr.)

Ah, Day 3 has arrived.  Today's is the last of our three-part series about hot beverage servers.  Today's featured construction?  Glass.  Thanks for all the good info, Service Ideas.

Glass-Lined SERVERS

Handling

For optimal retention, remove lid and preheat server with warm water. Empty water and refill with hot beverage. Server will retain optimal retention for 8+ hours.

Cleaning

Service Ideas, Inc. recommends that all products with vacuum insulation be hand washed. Exterior: Wipe with a soft, damp cloth, follow with a dry cloth. Interior: Clean with lukewarm water and mild detergent and rinse with hot water. Never submerge in water, place in a dishwasher, use a brush that may scratch glass liner or use harsh chemical detergents.

Storage

Best if stored in a cool, dry place away from any heat sources.

Trouble shooting

Moisture between the outer shell and bottom plate or leaking, in most cases is a result of server being immersed in water or liner not secure within body. Liner may be adjusted by tightening bottom plug.

Yesterday began our three-part series about hot beverage containers (courtesy of Service Ideas).  As promised, today brings Part 2: Stainless Steel.  Stay tuned for the final installment tomorrow!

STAINLESS-LINED

SERVERS

HANDLING

To obtain optimal retention, remove lid and preheat with warm water. Empty water, refill with hot beverage and replace lid.

CLEANING

Exterior-wipe with a soft, damp cloth and follow with dry cloth. Interior-clean with warm water and mild detergent. Rinse with hot water. Never submerge server in water or place in a dishwasher. Lids may be rinsed with hot water.

STORAGE

Product is best stored in a cool, dry place away from all heat sources.

TROUBLE SHOOTING

If your server is not holding heat and the above procedures are followed, it may be a result of a broken vacuum. A strong impact and dishwashing may contribute to breakage of vacuum.

Facts About Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is an alloy that starts with basic iron with up to 8 alloys added, depending on the quality. The major alloys in stainless steel are chromium and nickel. The chromium provides rust and corrosion resistance, and durability. Nickel provides additional rust resistance, strength, and high polishing characteristics.

The number 18/0 indicates 18 percent chromium and 0 percent nickel. 18/8 indicates 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel. 18/10 indicates 18 percent chromium and 10 percent nickel. The higher the percentage of nickel, the higher the grade and the higher the costs. While 18/0 is not necessarily unsatisfactory, it is not considered to be corrosion resistant.

This past weekend, central Illinois was hit with an ice storm.  As luck would have it, I was visiting my parents’ house when the storm struck.  They live in the country, but my dad had gone into town before the storm to take care of the family business for a few hours.  When the ice hit, my mom called him with just one request—to stop at her favorite coffee shop to get coffee beans…because it might be days before they would be able to drive back into town.

Coffee?  An ice storm hit and our priority was coffee?  But I understand; that particular coffee shop has the best brewed coffee in town.  And these days, consumers are more and more willing to go out of their way for a good cup of joe. 

Coffee is becoming more popular in the US and American coffee tastes are changing.  Consumers are becoming better informed and more discriminating in their tastes.  Case in point: even McDonald’s offers a premium coffee these days (and the March issue of Consumer Reports Magazine rates its taste better than Starbucks).  But what does it take to make great coffee?

The first step to good coffee is good beans.  Shop around and do some taste testing.  Have your coffee snob friends do a blind taste test.  Once you’ve selected the beans, it’s time to brew:

• If possible, buy whole beans and grind your coffee fresh.
• Use clean equipment, free of oils and residue from washing or previous use.
• Use fresh water, preferably filtered, not just tap water.
• Brew at the correct temperature.  Ideal water temperature for brewing is 195°-200° F.  Bring your water to a boil, wait at least 1-2 minutes, and brew.

Commercial coffee makershelp you get the perfect java by holding the correct temperature.  While coffee’s flavor starts to deteriorate after only 20 minutes, it can be safely held for several hours with the right equipment.

Temperature retention for hot beverages:

• For plastic insulated servers, temperature will drop approximately 20° F in the first hour, 10° F in the second hour and 10° F in the third hour.
• For glass insulated servers, temperature will drop approximately 2° F to 5° F every hour.  Results are based on pre-heating servers with boiling water prior to use.

And how long will the temperature hold in the various coffee containers?  According to Service Ideas, Inc's website:

Q: How long does temperature hold in plastic?
A: 2-3 Hours

Q: How long does temperature hold in stainless vacuum?
A: 6-8 Hours

Q: How long does temperature hold in glass?
A: 8 Hours

So coffee holds longest in glass, but stainless steel is far more durable.  Your restaurant or bar's needs will determine which material works best for you.

A quick tip: never reheat old coffee.  It will become highly acidic and may pick up a burnt flavor.