Is grinding your own coffee beans for an auto-drip maker generally less expensive than buying pre-ground?

Sunday, March 21st, 2010 at 2:55 pm

We received a coffee grinder for Christmas and I just haven’t collected the numbers to compare whether grinding your own saves money or if pre-ground is the cheaper alternative. I know the main reason for grinding your own beans is the increased freshness you achieve. I’m just curious if a second benefit might be saving money too.

I also appreciate how some beans are more exotic or sought after and carry a higher price, so even when you grind your own, you can spend more than budget pre-ground coffee in a can.

And I am not talking about instant coffee or percolated coffee here — just the standard coffee maker with the paper filter you add ground coffee to — FYI.

What is your experience and what would you advise if we wanted to use this as an opportunity to save a little money?

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did you know these cleaning hints? are they good ones?

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 at 6:28 pm

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Household Hints
Floors
No-wax floors:
To wash no-wax floors, add ½ cup of white distilled vinegar to a half-gallon of warm water.
Carpet stain removal:
A mixture of 1 teaspoon of liquid detergent and 1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar in a pint of lukewarm water will remove non-oily stains from carpets. Apply it to the stain with a soft brush or towel and rub gently. Rinse with a towel moistened with clean water and blot dry. Repeat this procedure until the stain is gone. Then dry quickly, using a fan or hair dryer. This should be done as soon as the stain is discovered.
Windows & Walls
Streakless windows:
Simply wash with a mixture of equal parts of white distilled vinegar and warm water. Dry with a soft cloth. This solution will make your windows gleam and will not leave the usual film or streaks on the glass.
Washing woodwork:
You can ease the job of washing painted walls, woodwork and Venetian blinds by using a mixture of 1 cup ammonia, ½ cup white distilled or cider vinegar and ¼ cup baking soda with 1 gallon of warm water. Wipe this solution over walls or blinds with a sponge or cloth and rinse with clear water. Dirt and grime comes off easily and the solution will not dull the painted finish or leave streaks.
Water or alcohol marks on wood:
Stubborn rings resulting from wet glasses being placed on wood furniture may be removed by rubbing with a mixture of equal parts of white distilled vinegar and olive oil. Rub with the grain and polish for the best results.
Kitchen
Garbage disposal cleaner:
Garbage disposals may be kept clean and odor free with vinegar cubes. Vinegar cubes are made by filling an ice tray with a mixture of 1 cup of vinegar and enough water to fill the ice tray and then freezing it. Run the mixture through the disposal, and then flush it with cold water for a minute or so.
Coffee maker cleaner (automatic):
White distilled vinegar can help to dissolve mineral deposits that collect in automatic drip coffee makers from hard water. Fill the reservoir with white distilled vinegar and run it through a brewing cycle. Rinse thoroughly with water when the cycle is finished. (Be sure to check the owner’s manual for specific instructions.)
Clean the microwave:
Boil a solution of 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar and 1 cup of water in the microwave. Will loosen splattered on food and deodorize.
Deodorize the kitchen drain:
Pour a cup of white distilled vinegar down the drain once a week. Let stand 30 minutes and then flush with cold water.
Clean the refrigerator:
Wash with a solution of equal parts water and white distilled vinegar.
Clean and disinfect wood cutting boards:
Wipe with full strength white distilled vinegar.
Brass polish:
Brass, copper and pewter will shine if cleaned with the following mixture. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of white distilled vinegar and stir in flour until it becomes a paste. Apply paste to the metals and let it stand for about 15 minutes. Rinse with clean warm water and polish until dry.
Ant deterrent:
Ant invasions can sometimes be deterred by washing counter tops, cabinets and floors with white distilled vinegar.
Getting Rid of Fruit Flies/Gnats in Your Kitchen
Place a bowl filled with ½ quart water, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar and a couple of drops of dish soap to attract the fruit flies. Always eliminate the source of attraction, i.e., ripened produce.
Cleaning Stainless Steel Appliances
Apply vinegar with a soft cloth to remove streaks from stainless steel appliances. Try in an inconspicuous place first.
Cleaner Dishes and Glasses
Pour 1 ½ cup to 2 cups white distilled vinegar in the bottom of dishwasher, along with regular dishwasher soap. Wash full cycle.
Remove Refrigerator Smells
Place 1 cup apple cider vinegar in a glass and set in refrigerator. Within 2 days, any smell is gone!

Bathroom
Bathtub film:
Bathtub film can be removed by wiping with white distilled vinegar and then with soda. Rinse clean with water.
Shower doors:
Rub down shower doors with a sponge soaked in white distilled vinegar to remove soap residue.
Toilet bowl cleaner:
Stubborn stains can be removed from the toilet by spraying them with white distilled vinegar and brushing vigorously. The bowl may be deodorized by adding 3 cups of white distilled vinegar. Allow it to remain for a half hour, then flush.
Unclog the showerhead:
Corrosion may be removed from showerheads or faucets by soaking them in white distilled vinegar overnight. This may be easily accomplished by saturating a terry cloth towel in vinegar and wrapping it around the showerhead or faucet.
Lawn/Garden
Kill grass:
To kill grass on sidewalks and driveways, pour full strength white distilled vinegar on it.
Kill weeds:
Spray white distilled vinegar full strength on tops of weeds. Reapply on any new growth until plants have starved.
Increase soil acidity:
In hard water areas, add a cup of vinegar to a gallon of tap wa
some one sent to my e mail so i copied & pasted & posted here
im going to try a few or more myself
how about others?
i also printed it out as i forget easy lol
thanks for taking time to read all of this

help me!!!!!?

Saturday, March 27th, 2010 at 3:00 pm

Comments (1)

1. During the percolating cycle of a coffee maker, the heating element should keep the water at a minimum temperature of
A. 220 C (720 F).
B. 380 C (1000 F).
C. 1000 C (2120 F).
D. 2300 C (4500 F).

2. The small gear that is driven by the motor shaft of a rotisserie is called a
A. ring gear.
B. sleeve gear.
C. planetary gear.
D. pinion gear.

3. The percolating temperature of an automatic percolator is kept at the desired level by the
A. ON/OFF switch.
B. thermostat.
C. automatic valve.
D. low-heat element.

4. When testing a plugged-in but partly disassembled toaster, you should push the rack down with a
A. wooden stick.
B. piece of wire.
C. finger.
D. narrow wrench.

5. What may happen if the threaded heating element in a percolator is not very tightly mounted?
A. The coffee may be too weak.
B. The heating element may be open circuited.
C. The heating element may be short circuited.
D. A leak may develop.

6. Wires used for electrical connections in a rotisserie should be insulated with
A. mica.
B. hard rubber.
C. thermoplastic.
D. fiberglass.

7. If a cylindrical heating element has bare connecting wires, they should be protected by sleeves made of
A. fiberglass.
B. varnished cambric.
C. mica.
D. plastic.

8. A recommended cleaner for the bowls of coffee brewers is
A. a baking-soda solution.
B. scouring powder.
C. abrasive soap.
D. a vinegar-water solution.

9. Which one of the following tools should be used to remove the nut from a threaded heating element?
A. Vice grips
B. Nut driver
C. Socket wrench
D. Gas pliers

10. A heating element for a cooking appliance is stretched too far during installation. What action can be performed?
A. Dispose of the element and purchase a new one.
B. Chill the element in a freezer to shrink it.
C. Recoil the element over a rod.
D. Cut the element to shorten it.

11. The toasting cycle of an automatic toaster is started by
A. turning on the built-in switch.
B. pushing the bread rack down.
C. setting the thermostat knob.
D. pushing the start button.

12. What is the most likely cause of a percolator’s failure to pump water?
A. The water is too hot.
B. The basket is damaged.
C. There is too much water in the percolator.
D. There is coffee sediment in the well.

13. The LIGHT/DARK control of an automatic toaster is placed at a particular setting. The toast at this setting will always be the same color because the toaster uses
A. guard wires.
B. a compensating thermostat.
C. rack springs.
D. a heavy metal shell.

14. When plug prongs are connected to the metal case of an appliance, a part that should always be placed next to the case is a
A. flat metal washer.
B. hexagonal aluminum shoulder.
C. steel nut.
D. mica washer.

15. Which one of the following faults causes the coffee in a brewer to keep boiling after the brewing cycle is finished?
A. An open circuit in the heating element
B. Welded contacts on the thermostat
C. A leak around the gasket
D. A short circuit at the terminals

16. When you check a toaster with a digital or analog VOM, which one of the following indicates dirty contacts on the thermostat blade?
A. Current higher than the rated current.
B. Full deflection on the ohmmeter or a reading of zero ohms.
C. Current lower than the rated current.
D. No deflection on the ohmmeter or high resistance on the display.

17. An appliance plug can be distinguished from other plugs by its
A. female terminals, thermostat, and probe.
B. three prongs.
C. permanent attachment to an appliance.
D. metal construction.

18. A digital clock on a small cooking appliance keeps time by
A. using an internal crystal oscillator at 60 Hz.
B. locking on to the power line frequency.
C. creating its own 60 Hz. squarewave.
D. monitoring the frequency of a quartz-timed oscillator

19. If a rotisserie motor hums but the spit does not turn when the rotisserie is started, the cause is most probably
A. a lack of supply voltage.
B. overheated elements.
C. a defective motor.
D. jammed gears.

20. Why can some electric appliances be immersed in water without damage?
A. They use a ribbon heating element on a mica sheet.
B. The heavy aluminum shell protects the thermostat.
C. The thermostat and the timer are in a sealed compartment below the pan.
D. The heating element is sealed and the control is in the detachable probe.

21. The purpose of the probe on an appliance plug with a thermostat is to
A. connect the plug electrically to the heating elements.
B. give mechanical support to the plug.
C. transfer heat from the pan to the thermostat blade.
D. connect the thermostat with the timer.

22. The time required for epoxy-resin cement to set is about
A. 1 hr.
B. 2 hrs.
C. 3 hrs.
D. 4 hrs.

23. The housing at the side of a rotisserie contains
A. one heating element, the spit handle, and two skewers.
B. the motor, the gears, the timer, and the thermostat.
C. the racks, the timer springs, and the pilot lamp.
D. two heating elements and the switch.

24. The two outputs of a digital controller for an automatic drip coffee maker are for the time
A. and water temperature displays.
B. and date displays.
C. display and relay output.
D. display and pilot light.

25. A hammer should not be applied to the gear shafts of an electric rotisserie because the shafts may be made of
A. brass.
B. aluminum.
C. steel.
D. copper.

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Plz. Help COOKING APPLIANCES?

Thursday, March 25th, 2010 at 10:13 pm

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