Friday, March 23, 2012

PW's Iced Coffee With a Slight Twist (And Pump)

I like Coffee....no....no....no......I LOVE coffee. In fact I really <3 <3 <3 *Coffee*<3 <3 <3 Even better than just regular coffee is ICED COFFEE. Living in the southwest it gets very HOT and nothing is better than a cold drink to help combat the heat. I recently purchased the new Pioneer Woman's cookbook (PW stands for Pioneer Woman in case you were wondering) and in it is a recipe for iced coffee (she also has it listed on her website). I immediately made a B line to my local market to pick up everything to make it. I ran into two dilemmas. First, I could not find cheese cloth (used to strain the the grinds). Secondly, I did not have big enough containers nor the storage space to make as much as the recipe makes. Not a big deal about the second reason -- just half the recipe. Well, after some modifications I figured it out! I also changed the recipe slightly because I like me some Cowboy strong coffee and hers is much more creamier and silky. Mine is more of a "WOW! Now that is some strong Coffee." This is how I make it. Oh, and before you ask "Why not just brew it and then add some ice?" Basically, by cold brewing iced coffee it does not hurt your stomach. I have always ended up with a sore tummy after I brew coffee and put it on ice. Apparently I am not the only one that has that problem. It is really hard on your stomach lining. This coffee taste better and does not cause you any discomfort.

I used the Pampered Chef large pitcher that holds a gallon of liquid. I like it because you can pump it (so to speak) and make sure you get all the coffee grinds soaked in water. First, I empty one pound of coffee grinds in the pitcher and add water until it is full. I then pump it to make sure the grinds are thoroughly soaked. Let it sit for 24 hours on the counter. Any less time makes for weaker coffee.
 Next, you are going to strain it. I could not find cheese cloth to do this step so I just used my coffee maker and poured it right through. It strained it just fine (I mean that was what it was made to do, right?).
I have to empty out the basket after each pour because it is icky. Just make sure you empty the grinds in the trash and not your garbage disposal because it will end up causing problems with your pipes. I learned that the hard way.
 See, it strains it perfectly :-)
 Naturally, all that coffee will not fit in one pot. After each full pot of strained coffee I pour it in another container to just hold it. Oh, and yes those are PW cookbooks behind my pitcher.
 As the last portion of coffee is straining I wash the Pampered Chef pitcher because I am going to use it to store my coffee. The reason is because of the pump feature on it. See, I add about 1/3 can of sweet and condensed milk to the coffee.
 Now, add the coffee and pump away to mix it thoroughly. Every time I want iced coffee I can just pump to get it all mixed up again. Easy peasy :-)

 The finished coffee. This should last us three or four days and there are two of us that drink it. Not only do I like this better than my " Venti Iced Cafe Americano with Sugar Free Vanilla Extra Ice Light Water Upside down" from Starbucks it is also way more economical.
 My coffee. Totally love the Mason jar as a cup. In fact, I am going to replace all my cups with Mason Jars! Cute, cheap, and functional. I mean I can slap an lid on it and shake for a perfectly shaken beverage :-)

2 comments:

  1. Wanna know an even easier way???? Save your coffee from your morning brew. I have a gallon container in the fridge and I make a full pot every morning. Half of the pot goes in the fridge and is used accordingly. By the time we are ready for an "iced" coffee it is already cold so it doesn't get diluted by the ice, now if I make an "iced" before the coffee has been properly cooled it does, but that happens rarely.

    I don't use the "condensed" (sweet) milk cause I don't like it (way......way....too sweet for me), BUT the evaporated milk works great in place of cream.

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  2. Nina, So if I brew it and let it cool completely it won't be to acid for my tummy? My problem is, if I brew it I will just drink it hot :-( Not only that, but it is just to weak because I love love love ice in my cold coffee and I sip on it all day so the ice melts and weakens it. It also taste bitter when I turn my regular brewed coffee into iced coffee. That could be because I am not letting it cool on it's own....I don't know. I will have to try evaporated milk. Great suggestion! :-)

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