KitchenSavvy

Brewing Tea

When my Mom used to make tea, she would always rinse the pot out with boiling water before putting the tea leaves in, and she always measured out a rounded teaspoon of tea for each person plus "one for the pot."  Is there any reason for either of these rules?

--Janice

First off, I'll bet your Mom was drinking black tea, which includes the most popular Orange Pekoe kind.  Black tea needs to be brewed at close to the boiling point for water.  Most sources recommend using water somewhere around 203°F (95°C) or warmer.  A porcelain or ceramic pot absorbs enough heat from the water to cool it down substantially. Black tea is usually allowed to steep between 3 and 6 minutes.

In a quick test in my own kitchen, I boiled water at 208°F (98°C).  I live nearly 2000 feet (610 meters) above sea level, so the boiling point of water is lower (see High Altitude Cooking).  When I poured boiling water into my ceramic tea pot without preheating it, the water temperature fell immediately to 195°F (91°C), well below the recommended brewing temperature for black tea.  When I repeated the same experiment but first rinsed the pot with boiling water and then filled it, it was a perfect 203°F.

Different types of tea need to be brewed at different temperatures and for lengths of time. Green and white teas are brewed at around 170°F - 185°F (77°C - 85°C) and steeped for about half the time as black tea.  Oolong tea is brewed closer to boiling temperature, but not quite as hot as black tea and steeped up to about 5 minutes.

All of that said, the rules for temperature, as well as amount of tea leaves, and pretty much every other tenet of what makes good tea varies from region to region and author to author.  McGee goes as low as 110°F (43°C) for brewing green tea.

As for the habit of adding "one for the pot," I almost suspect that to be a marketing ploy by the tea companies to make you use more tea leaves.  The only plausible reason I can come up with is that perhaps the "one for the pot" rule makes up for the fact that a smaller amount of water will cool faster because it will have a greater surface to volume ratio.  Using more tea would compensate somewhat for the lower extraction rate you would get at an on average lower temperature.  If that is the case, then reducing heat loss from the pot would make more sense than using more tea leaves.  The standard way to do that is with a Tea Cosy.

Other 'rules' for tea include always using fresh cold water, because it contains more oxygen which improves the flavor, and not using hard water, that is water with a high mineral content.  Minerals can cause the tannins in tea to precipitate out and form solids that float in the tea or form a scum on top.  Although I always use fresh cold water, I am not sure how much of a difference it actually makes.  It might be worth a blind taste test some day to see if I can really tell the difference.

Tastes in tea, however, are very subjective.  Some people prefer their tea to be darker and have a more bitter flavor than do others.  When I first met my wife, we would go to her parents on occasion.  Ruth and Norm drink their tea a lot stronger than what my Dad used to drink and therefore what I grew up with.  The standing joke at my future in-laws' house was, "Dave, we're about to pour the water into the tea pot, so you better get your cup ready."  A jab at the fact that I like my tea weaker and therefore didn't allow it to steep nearly as long as they did.

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

How Soda Pop Got Its Name

Is the soda that is in pop the same as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda? Thank you.

--Adell

The history by which soda pop gets its name is interesting, if a little confusing.  The original sparkling waters were naturally bubbly spring waters.  The most notable of these may be Seltzer water  from Germany.  Generic carbonated water, particularly the kind made at home with what is now referred to as a soda siphon, became commonly known as Seltzer even though it had no connection to the German origins.

Inventors from several countries tried to imitate natural sparkling waters by adding bubbles to still water.  Various techniques were invented using different chemical and mechanical methods.  One of these methods, patented in the United States in 1809, created bubbles by mixing water, bicarbonate of soda and an acid to make what was called "soda water."

Since then, the simpler technique of combining water with pressurized carbon dioxide gas has come to predominate the commercial market.  The word "pop" was added in the mid-nineteenth century and supposedly reflects the popping sound that is made when a carbonated beverage is opened.

Somehow, despite the fact that sodium bicarbonate is no longer used in their manufacture, the term "soda" has remained attached to the name for drinks made from carbonated water.  So historically it was the same soda, but that is no longer the case.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com



Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Brewing Coffee

There are so many appliances available nowadays to make coffee.  What is the best way to brew coffee in order to get the best flavor?

--Sylvia

If you like a smooth well flavored coffee without a lot of bitterness, then you want to use water that is just off the boil, somewhere around 200°F (93°C), give or take about 5°F (3°C).  Much cooler and the flavors aren't extracted from the coffee; much warmer and too much tannin and other compounds are extracted, making the coffee harsh.

Drip coffee machines typically heat the water from the reservoir in a pipe built into the heating pad under the pot.  Steam from the heated water pushes it up a tube and into the basket containing the coffee grounds.  Depending on the make and design, some of these may work well, but with others the water may be far too hot.

The traditional coffee perk, which pushes water up a central stem where it flows over into the basket holding the grounds, has two major faults.  First, because of the closed design the water is far too hot when it comes into contact with the grounds, especially toward the end of the brew cycle.  Second, because the water is recirculated, the already brewed coffee is returned to the boiling point repeatedly making the final product more bitter.

My personal favorite for making coffee is the French Press.  Ground coffee is placed into the container of the press and water that has been boiled and then allowed to cool slightly is poured over the grounds.  The mixture is stirred to make sure the coffee is fully in contact with the water, and then the cover is put on.  Built into the cover is a plunger.  After the coffee has sat for two to four minutes, the plunger is slowly pressed down, forcing the grounds to the bottom and extracting the brewed coffee which is poured immediately.  The result is a very smooth and flavorful cup of coffee.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Where to Store Ground Coffee

At work we order ground coffee from our supplier and keep it in a tin in the fridge.  Is this a good place to store it?

--Monique

Two major factors which can deteriorate coffee are oxygen and moisture.   If you store your ground coffee in the fridge, then every time  you open the can to make another pot you are  letting room temperature air come into contact with it.  Because the coffee is cooler than the air, small amounts of moisture condense onto it, reducing its quality.  Also, if your fridge is anything like most, it tends to get leftover, forgotten lunches and other foods left behind.  Odors from these foods can impart off flavors to the coffee.

Ideally, coffee should be stored as fresh whole beans and ground as needed.  I realize that may be difficult in an office environment.  The reason that whole beans keep longer, according to Harold McGee, is because they have carbon dioxide trapped inside of them, which helps prevent oxygen spoilage.

Whether whole beans or ground, coffee should be stored at room temperature in a sealed container away from heat and light.  Ground coffee will retain optimum flavor for only a few days, so it should be used as soon as possible.

If you order more coffee at a time than you can use right away, it should be frozen.  Use an airtight container with as little headspace as possible or store it in a resealable plastic bag that has as much of the air pressed out as possible.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Scones vs. Biscuits

Q: What is the difference between Scones and Biscuits?

-- Jolene

Opinions vary on this question.  Most sources avoid the question completely, referring to both as kinds of Quick Bread.

In the book Baking With Julia, based on the PBS series hosted by Julia Child, Dorie Greenspan says that "[Scones] are made in a manner similar to biscuits and, in fact, share biscuits' buttery-layered texture, but their name, their shape, and the fact that they're served with tea rather than gravy, lift them to the level of fancier fare."

A closer look, however, suggests that the difference is not quite so superficial.  Scones tend to be richer, frequently including both eggs and cream in the recipe, though not always.  Some biscuit recipes will enrich the dough with eggs, but use milk or buttermilk instead of cream.  Scones also use a bit more liquid than regular biscuits, which should make them a bit more cake-like in their consistency. While biscuit recipes may or may not call for sugar, scones typically use sugar, but not as much as sweetened biscuits.

Scones originated in Scotland and were made with oats.  The dough would be pressed into a round and then cut into wedges, and cooked on a griddle.  While scones may contain dried raisins or currants, they are traditionally not made with other ingredients that have become de rigueur in many pastry and coffee shops.

Opinion also varies on the pronunciation, either as "sk-on" (rhymes with 'gone') or "sk-own" (rhymes with 'bone').  Either is acceptable.  Scots almost always use the first pronunciation, while in Great Britain, generally, "sk-on" is preferred 2 to 1 over "sk-own".  Some references suggest that the latter pronunciation is more "upper class", although no clear citation is given for this claim.

One final note - according to Baking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America, scones may benefit from being frozen prior to cooking.  They can be frozen individually and baked, as needed, straight from the freezer.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Black vs. Green Tea

Q: What is the difference between black and green tea?

-- Josie

Tea, whether green or black, is made from leaves of the plant Camellia Sinensis.  Beverages made by infusing the leaves or parts of other plants, such as rose hips, chamomile or mint, are technically tisanes.

In making black teas, the leaves of the tea plant are left to wilt, for a period of minutes to hours.  Withering is usually done on racks or screens.  Next, the leaves are pressed to break down the cell structure, allowing the release of natural enzymes.  These enzymes darken the tea leaves, much as enzymes turn the flesh of a freshly sliced apple brown, and at the same time cause changes in flavor, color and body.  When the enzyme action has reached the desired point, the leaves are heated to inactivate the enzymes, by allowing heated air to pass through or around the leaves.

In green tea, the enzymes are not allowed to react with the leaves.  They are inactivated early by pan-firing the tea, or air drying it.  In Japan, the leaves are steamed after picking, which destroys the enzyme, while retaining the fresh, grassy flavor of the fresh leaves.

In both cases, the final step is to dry the tea completely to prevent spoilage.

Oolong tea is a mid-way process, where the enzyme actions are limited.  The process is slightly different from that described above.

My favorite, of all teas, is Lapsang Souchong, which is a black tea that is dried over a smoky pine fire adding a distinctive aroma.  My wife, however, refers to it as "smelly moccasin tea"  because of it smoky smell!

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

I Just Don't Get It

OK.  I confess, I just don’t get it.  Admittedly, I am not a fan of low-carb diets, but I’ll leave the debate to the doctors and nutritionists.   Personally, I lean towards "Your lips are the gatekeepers of your hips", also known as "If you don’t eat it, you won’t wear it."

But what has me scratching my head today is low-carb peanut butter.  I was just in the grocery store and saw this product.  Just down the aisle was regular peanut butter made by the same manufacturer.  Here’s the side-by-side comparison of their nutrition labels:

Wine 'Legs'

Q: What does it mean when people say that a wine has “legs”?

In wine, “legs” refer to the way that wine swirled in a glass runs down the inside surface. Fill a wine glass one quarter full and gently move the glass in a circular motion so that the wine swirls up the sides. Hold the glass still and look at the wine as it runs down. It may flow down in a fairly even sheet, or it may pull into more concentrated rivulets. These are what are referred to as legs, or sometimes tears.

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