I am a regular coffee drinker (although I recently switched to caffeine-free beans), and a day doesn't really begin until I've started sipping a cup of warm, milky coffee. Which is why I was frantic when I broke my 12-cup coffee carafe earlier this week!
I immediately started looking online for a replacement, which would (new) run me about $25, not including shipping! As I was stewing about this added cost during a month when I'm trying to buy holiday gifts while staying within a budget, I suddenly realized that I could probably find a suitable replacement at the Salvation Army or Goodwill.
Unfortunately, it's been snowing off and on for a few days, and the streets are incredibly icy, making it dangerous for me to get out to the grocery store, let alone a thrift store. That's when I remembered that I have a french press, which I purchased years ago for camping. Luckily, it is one of the few rarely-used kitchen items that I decided not to sell at my garage sale a few months ago.
I pulled it out of the cupboard, dusted it off, and with some experimentation, figured out how to make a cup of joe that is at least as good as the coffee my expensive, programmable Cuisinart makes! Added benefits? I can control how hot my coffee is (I boil the water in my teapot before adding it to the press), meaning that it stays warmer in my thermos. Also, I don't have to use a paper filter---it's built in! This is a truly 'green' coffee maker!
Once I'm mobile again (hopefully this weekend there'll be a break in the weather) I'm still going to head out and try to find a used replacement carafe. The beauty of my french press is that I can continue to drink coffee without rushing around desperately trying to find the carafe model that will fit my coffeemaker. I know if the press hadn't worked out, I would probably already have ordered an over-priced, new replacement carafe. This way I can take my time in finding a new one. And who knows? Maybe I'll like my french press so much I won't go back to the fancy programmable Cuisinart!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
A frugal replacement. . . .
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5 comments:
I love french presses. My grandfather used to use one and it always made the *best* coffee.
Well done - I echo Frugalchick's comments, it does make the best coffee. For coffee addicts like myself I can judge how bad the morning is going to be by how many small cafetiere's I have...
: )
Fru x
Very clever of you! And you're right, our local thrift store always has a ton of carafes. We bought one as a back up and we're glad we did because we eventually needed it!
I'm not much of a coffee drinker but I frequently have guests who are. I should get a coffee maker so I don't have to subject them to instant. Good idea to check out the thrift stores.
I began using a french press 3 years ago and have not used my coffee maker since. Coffee tastes so much better in a press.
Hope you are still using it.
Also, I bet you could find a cheap replacement on ebay ( if you must)
Cheers
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