Recipe Thursday : Tassimo- Coffee and More

I read and interesting post last weekend, where the blogger had just received a new Tassimo Drink machine. Caite, at A Lovely Shore Breeze, left me a message reminding me that it was at her blog that I read that post.  I mentioned that I use my machine as a hot water source.  A few readers mentioned that they had not considered doing that.  In this post I am going to expand on my comments on that blog. (sorry I don't recall where I left the comments).

I buy the regular assortment of coffee disks.  I do enjoy the decaf, but it's not always available where I shop.  During the holidays I found a package of the Long Espresso (double shot).  Son says that it has a good kick.  He likes to make a coffee and then make an espresso in the same mug.  Same as he would order at the coffee shop, but several dollars cheaper.

One of my favourite drinks to make is the upside down Cappuccino.  I saw this on the Tassimo site and make it when I want a special looking drink.  You must use a clear glass mug for this to be effective.  I am using one that I bought ages ago from Princess House, and they are still in their current catalogue.

Every time I have seen a cappuccino made in a shop, the espresso is poured first into the cup, then the steamed milk and froth.

In this case steam/froth the milk first.

Now add the espresso and the magic occurs.  You end up with a beautifully layered beverage.

Have you ever used the cleaning disk that came with your machine?  I hope you didn't throw it out as I have heard from more than one person.  Ours get very frequent use.  We have a gas stove and I didn't want the kids using the stove to heat water, I had a fear of them lighting their sleeves on fire.  When they wanted hot water, they used the cleaning disk.  One press of the button, and it produces  six ounces (3/4 cup) of hot water.  It is not scalding hot as would come from the kettle.  It is the perfect temperature for brewing green tea.  We also make hot chocolate from powder this way.  The little paper package says to add six ounces, perfect.

Those little packages of oatmeal says to add 2/3 cup, so let the water flow into a mug first and then pour some of it into the bowl of oatmeal.
This temperature also works for the cups of instant noodles.  A frequent use in the winter, is warming up daughter's thermos.  Since the thermos is taller than the opening height, I hold the thermos at an angle and press the button .  It takes two cycles to get sufficient water.  I then put the lid on the thermos and let it warm, while the heat the food in the microwave.  After emptying the water from the thermos, I put the warmed food into the warmed thermos.

The final and most frequent use of the Tassimo, after making pod coffee, is making tea in my travel mug.  I put my tea bag in the mug and usually have to run the water cycle twice to fill the cup.  My tea is hot but not so hot that it takes hours to be cool enough to sip without burning my lips.

Next time you need a smaller amount of hot water very quickly, don't put on the kettle and wait, and wait, and wait, put in your cleaning disk and press a button.

I have been involved in discussions regarding whether you can recycle the used pods.  I do recycle mine and have since day one.  I use a small knife to slice around the inside edge of the pod to loosen the foil. I leave it to dry for a day or so and then dump out the coffee grounds.  Those go in my garden.  I pull off the foil and that goes into a container.  When I have a bunch of them, I wrap them in aluminium foil that has already by used and put them in my recycling box.  I toss the plastic parts in the recycling box.  They have always been accepted by the recycling truck.  I have since found that there is a Canadian Company that collects and recycles the pods. TerraCycle Canada.  There is a drop down menu on the home page that tells you in which countries they opperate.   Only issue is that you must send in a minimum 150 pods at a time.  The company pays the shipping and compensates you at a rate of approximately 2 cents per pod.  This is a great fund raiser for a school or church.  Won't work so well at home unless you drink a lot of coffee.  I am hoping to find other Tassimo users in my area (Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) who are interesting in recylcing their Tassimo pods.

Do you have another way your use your Tassimo, share it in the comments section.

Looking for more Foodie fun, be sure to visit Beth Fish Reads for her Weekend Cooking feature.  You are invited to add a link to your recent food related post.