When you buy something new, do you consider how much it will cost to care for that item or how much work it will take to clean?
My husband and I received a coffee maker for a gift that has a built in coffee bean grinder. Since I sort of have a coffee addiction, this was a perfect gift! Let me tell you, it makes fantastic, ultra-fresh coffee! Pour the coffee beans in, the grinder works its magic and the coffee maker automatically transfers the freshly ground beans to the coffee filter. Voila!
There is one problem though: it’s quite time consuming to clean. You see, when we had a separate grinder, we would grind up the beans, use the amount needed and go about our day. We didn’t need to wash the grinder daily…or even weekly for that matter because the extra coffee grounds would be mixed up in the next batch.
However, when you have a coffee maker with a built in grinder, there’s an opening between the coffee filter and grinder. Seems logical since the coffee grounds need to get to their final destination. However, as the hot water transfers over the coffee grounds and into the carafe, a lot of steam is created. Can you guess what happens next? The steam rises up into the coffee grinder which is full of coffee bean particles. This creates a sticky, gooey mess that doesn’t dry out. The coffee grinder can’t be used again until it’s washed and dried completely.
Something that should eliminate a step actually creates a few extra steps!
So, I’m curious, do you ever consider how difficult something is to clean or how often you’ll have to clean it before you bring a new item into you home?
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iDreamOfClean
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From the looks of that picture I think we have the same coffee maker and I would agree it’s a pain to clean, plus I use the reusable filter so that has to get cleaned too!
Ever since I got the original George Foreman I always consider this….I loved the idea of lowfat cooking…but it was a total pain to clean…so NOT worth the hype!
Absolutely, when it comes to new little gadgets. Since I am …ummm…an unreliable duster, I consider, too, how east a knickknack will be to dust and how much dust will collect in it’s design.
Thanks for the tips-We’ve not purchased this coffee grinding/brewing system since feared this cleaning issue a possibility–more cleaning than convenience worth! We just grind our beans fresh BEFORE brewing. Takes 10 minutes more each AM, but worth the savings in cleaning effort!
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