how to use a percolator

As technology continues to develop rapidly, small devices like drip and one-cup coffee makers have become popular among many coffee lovers.

However, there are some older ways of making coffee that can never get out of fashion, including the use of electric percolators.

An electric percolator coffee maker is one of the simplest and easiest ways to make strong, rich-tasting coffee at home. It delivers an array of unique benefits.

At the same time, millions of coffee lovers around the world continue to search for efficient ways to make a perfect cup of coffee.

The truth is, using a Farberware percolator is an excellent solution for many people. It enables you to make a hotter and more flavorful cup of coffee.

If you want to learn how Farberware works and how to make the best coffee using this coffee maker, keep reading to discover more!

What is a Percolator?

A percolator is a device for making coffee that usually looks like an electric kettle. It comes with a pot in which boiling water is dispersed through a chamber that holds coffee grounds.

The percolator is filled with water which rises as it boils, and travels up the hollow pipe and moves through the coffee grounds.

There are two types of percolators, including the electric and stovetop percolators.

Electric percolators operate on a timer, and they are designed with a keep warm mode to ensure that your coffee doesn't get cold.

Stovetop percolators heat on the stove like a tea kettle, and they require more time to brew strong coffee than the electric ones.

Thus, most people prefer electric kettle as they are a bit faster, yet they make great coffee.

Most high-quality percolators are built from stainless steel to keep your coffee clean with no unpleasant flavors and harmful chemicals.

Farberware Percolator

A Farberware Percolator is an electric coffee making machine, built-in 1930 by Farberware.

It usually features a black plastic handle and base that connects into the wall socket with a detachable wire.

Farberware percolators are usually designed for coarse-ground coffee beans. They use stainless steel to prevent rusting and harmful chemicals from coffee.

The detachable cord makes it easier for cleaning, storage, and serving coffee with a Farberware percolator.

You can also find some Farberware coffee makers with a thermostat that monitors the coffee temperature when brewing.

Most Farberware percolators also include a 'Keep Warm' feature that helps maintain a specific coffee temperature.

This feature is ideal for cases where you want to brew more coffee to drink after some time.

Farberware percolators come in different sizes and models. They have proven to be the most reliable and durable percolators over their years of existence.

How Does a Farberware Percolator Work?

Like most percolators, a Farberware percolator comes with a simple structure that allows you to brew your favorite cup of coffee with ease.

It has a chamber where you put the ground coffee beans, and it's connected with a tube that allows the boiling water to rise through.

To brew coffee with the Farberware percolator, you need to fill the kettle with water and heat it to a specific temperature that will force the water to rise up via the tube.

Then the water passes through the ground coffee beans while extracting them to produce a strong coffee brew.

When the brewing is complete, the percolator will stop, and it automatically switches to 'Keep Warm' mode.

The setting keeps your brewed coffee hot with a fresh-taste and pleasant aromas.

If you want to achieve the best coffee flavor, ensure to remove the coffee ground basket, pump tube, and the spreader after brewing is complete.

However, you will want to be extra careful as these percolator parts are still hot, and they can burn you.

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Facts About Farberware Coffee Percolator

How Much Coffee to Use in a Farberware Coffee Percolator

Ideally, one cup of water requires about one tablespoon of coarsely ground coffee beans.

If you are using a coffee scoop to measure your coffee, you will need one scoop for every eight ounces of water. For instance;

An eight-cup Farberware Percolator will require you to use eight scoops of coarse grind coffee beans.

Using good quality coffee beans will also ensure that you make the best cup of coffee.

Keep in mind that low-quality beans will ruin your coffee, which will result in a wastage of time and energy.

Another important thing about coffee beans is the grind consistency. You should use a burr grinder as it delivers a consistent coarse grind-size for percolators.

How to Use a Farberware Coffee Percolator

Although there are other modern percolators in the market that have threatened to outwit percolators, they still remain the best for some people.

Percolator enthusiasts believe that it gives more tasteful and hotter coffee.

To get the best out of Farberware, some operation knowledge is necessary. Besides, using it in the right way will increase its longevity.

Here are some directions of use;

Step 1: Wash Your Percolator Thoroughly

If you have bought a new percolator, it's advisable to wash it thoroughly before use. This will remove dirt and germs that it may have acquired during the packing, shipping, and unpacking.

Moreover, even if your percolator is not new, it's essential to rewash it to maximize the chance of any dirt finding its way into your coffee.

If you are not sure of how to wash it, you can refer to the user manual for washing directions.

Step 2: Fill the Farberware Percolator with Water

Open the Farberware percolator and remove all the parts you see inside. They include the basket, spreader, pump tube, and cover.

Use tap water to fill the percolator up to your desired level marking. The level depends on the number of cups that you want to prepare.

The automatic brewing circle of the percolators is set on cold water. Thus, only cold water should be used.

One important thing you should note is that the bottom of the pump tube marks the highest capacity of the Farberware percolator. You should never fill water past the pump tube.

Step 3: Put Coffee

Before you put any coffee into the Farberware percolator, first ensure to wet the coffee basket to prevent any coffee particles from shifting through before brewing is started.

Return the pump tube into the Farberware percolator and ensure it is centred well. Put the spreader on top of the basket and replace the cover on the Farberware percolator.

Step 4: Connect the Percolator to a Power Source

The Farberware percolator has an electric cord that connects electricity from the wall socket to the percolator. Take this chord and connect it to a standard household 120 voltage AC power supply.

Flip the switch on, and brewing will start automatically. Farberware percolators will brew coffee at the speed of one minute for every cup.

Once it has finished brewing, it will stop by itself and will keep the drink hot for you.

Step 5: Enjoy Your Coffee

The percolator will keep your drink warm, or you can set it to keep it hot depending on your serving preferences.

Open the Farberware percolator and remove the spreader, coffee basket, and pump tube from the percolator to prevent over-extraction once you have finished brewing.

The metal parts can be very hot immediately when you remove them from the percolator. To avoid burns, use a glove to hold and remove them carefully.

You can now enjoy drinking your hot coffee by pouring the coffee directly into the serving cup.

Step 6: Wash Your Farberware Percolator

Once you finish enjoying your coffee, pour out any remaining coffee from the percolator. Wash the inside of the percolator using cool, clean and fresh water, and allow it to dry.

Cleaning after use will prevent any bitterness in your coffee while brewing.

One thing to keep in mind while washing your percolator is that the base has electrical cables. This is why you should never put it into the dishwasher.

5 Perfect Tips on How to use a Farberware Percolator

1. Read All the Instructions

Coffee makers are different, and you cannot apply the experience you obtained with a different percolator for your new Farberware Percolator.

It's vital to read all the instructions before using your Farberware percolator to avoid electrical hazards.

Reading all the instructions will also help you be able to make your favorite cup of coffee effortlessly.

2. Use Coarse Coffee-Grind

Unlike drip or Chemex coffee makers that require a finer coffee grind, Farberware percolator work best with coarse coffee-grind.

Farberware percolators require a coarse grind size to ensure that the brew doesn't taste bitter.

You can use a burr or a blade grinder to grind your freshly roasted coffee beans to a coarse texture. However, most people prefer a burr grinder as it delivers a more consistent texture.

3. Always Remove the Coffee Grounds After the Brewing is Complete

You should always remove the coffee grounds from the basket after brewing is complete to ensure that your coffee has the best flavor.

If you allow the coffee ground to sit in the percolator even when brewing is complete, your coffee might become bitter.

The grounds may also fall into your coffee as the filters in the percolators are not sufficient enough to block all the coffee grounds.

4. Don't Let the Coffee to Dry Out Before Cleaning the Percolator

If you love drinking fresh-tasting coffee, it's crucial always to keep your percolator clean.

You should always wash or rinse your percolator after brewing coffee to ensure that coffee doesn't dry out inside the coffee maker.

Allowing the coffee to dry out in the percolator will make it hard for you to clean the machine.

5. Never Immerse the Base of a Farberware Percolator

When cleaning your coffee percolator, you should never immerse the base as water could damage this essential part.

Keep in mind that not all parts of the percolator are dishwasher safe, including the body and base.

To clean your percolator, you can rinse all the parts thoroughly and dry them.

If some coffee grounds lodge at the bottom of the pump tube, you can rinse them off with running water.

Other percolator parts like the cover, basket, spreader and pump tube are okay to wash in water. You can even put them in a dishwasher.

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Facts About Farberware Coffee Percolator

How to Clean a Farberware Coffee Percolator

It's essential to clean your Farberware percolator before and after every coffee brewing session.

A clean Farberware percolator will always give fresh and tasty coffee as it prevents bitterness. Besides, cleaning before use will remove any dirt and dust available in the percolator.

All the cleaning instructions are available in the user's manual.

However, if you cannot access yours right now, here is a complete guide on washing a Farberware percolator:

If you want to clean your Farberware percolator after brewing coffee, ensure to unplug the cord from the percolator and the wall socket before you start washing it.

Allow it to cool down to avoid burns, and then remove the spreader, coffee basket, and pump tube. Pour out any remaining coffee and rinse it with clean water and detergent.

These removable parts can be washed by hand or in a dishwasher.

The Farberware percolator should never be immersed in water or be put into a percolator because the base has some electrical connections.

Wash and rinse all the parts and allow them to dry separately.

After using your percolator for a while, remove the accumulation of oil and coffee stains that may cause a bitter taste to your coffee.

You can use a special cleaner like the Dip-It, and be sure to rinse well after cleaning the percolator.

Benefits of Brewing Coffee with a Farberware Percolator

High Brewing Speed

The Farberware percolators have a rapid brewing speed of one cup per minute. You don't have to wait for too long before you quench your thirst for a hot cup of coffee.

Better Tasting Coffee

Coffee made with a Farberware percolator has an unbeatable flavor. In this percolator, water gets much hotter compared to other coffee brewers. This then fully extracts the coffee beans' full flavor, resulting in a creamier and smooth tasting coffee.

Durable

Farberware is made of very durable stainless steel that can last for many decades.

Additionally, stainless steel does not react with coffee like aluminum and plastic.

Ease of Maintenance

Farberware percolators are super easy to clean and maintain. When you are done brewing, you only need to remove the inner parts, pour out remnant coffee, and rinse it with water and soap.

All you have to ensure is that you don't submerge it into water or put it into a dishwasher.

Plastic Base and Handles

These percolators are made of plastic handles that are easy to handle even when it's hot without using pads.

The base is made of plastic too. You will have no fear of the percolator damaging your counters and tabletops by scratching or burning.

Bigger Brewing Volume

With the Farberware percolator, you can brew one cup or more cups of coffee. It has a capacity of 12 cups. You don't need to spend money to buy many different sized percolators.

Safety Considerations for Using a Farberware Percolator

When using a Farberware percolator, it's essential to follow various important safety considerations.

Some of these safety considerations include:

Don't use your coffee maker when the cord is wet as it could lead to electrocution.

If you notice any breakage or damage to the cord, such as splits don't use the percolator

Do your coffee preparation activities like grinding the coffee beans while the machine is still unplugged.

Perform regular maintenance to your percolator to keep it clean and efficient for making good coffee. This includes descaling the machine with water vinegar.

Always use the right amount of coffee beans to avoid bitter coffee.

Contact the manufacturer when your Farberware percolator is damaged for repair or replacement.

Conclusion

Brewing coffee with a Farberware percolator may seem outdated, but it provides you with a stronger cup of coffee than most brewing methods.

The best thing with Farberware percolators is that they allow water to run on the coffee grounds a multiple times to achieve stronger coffee.

Use the tips and the guidelines provided above to make perfect coffee with a Farberware Percolator.