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Tips for Making Coffee with Optimal Water Temperature

Making delicious, acid-free coffee is all about balancing the variables. One of the most overlooked, but extremely important, variables is the water temperature. It’s also one of the easiest to control, adjustable factors.

Understanding how water temperature affects your coffee can do a few things for you. It gives you the knowledge you need to use water that is consistent and reliable. Let me give you an overview of the best water temperature for coffee.

How water affects coffee processing

As you probably already know, the hotter your water, the faster it extracts things from the coffee grounds. Near-boiling water only takes 2-4 minutes to achieve a balanced extraction. However, cold water can take anywhere from 3 to 24 hours to produce cold coffee.

The ideal temperature range for hot brewing is 90 to 95 degrees Celsius. This is hot enough to extract gently and quickly, but not so hot that it’s uncontrollable.

  • Coffee above 1 degree Fahrenheit tends to pull things out of the ground very easily, resulting in bitter coffee
  • Water below 95 degrees has difficulty in extraction, often resulting in sour, immature coffee

The 90-95 degree range is not the target standard for water temperature when brewing coffee. It’s just the spectrum that most people around the world use the most because it tends to make the best, most balanced coffee. You are always able to deviate from this tried and true temperature range, but I don’t suggest it unless you’re a seasoned coffee enthusiast.

There are quite a few coffee pros who use lower temperatures to get different results in their coffee.

The way to consistent and reliable water

If you’re really just looking for a way to get the water to the right temperature evenly and easily, that’s a good thing! Finding your water’s sweet spot is an easy way to reliably achieve the best water temperature. First, you need to determine the altitude of your place of residence. The boiling point at sea level is 100 degrees Celsius. The higher you are, the lower the temperature the water needs to be to boil.

If you live in an area where boiling occurs between 90 and 95 degrees, you’re one of the lucky ones. You can just take your water right off the kettle as it will boil at the ideal range. If you live at sea level, you should let your water cool for a minute or two after it boils before using it. I suggest using a thermometer and a stopwatch to see how long it takes your water to cool to an acceptable temperature. It could be as little as 1 minute, but it could also be 5, depending on your height and the size/material of the kettle.

If you’re near sea level, you can also skip preheating your coffee maker. If you then pour in your water, which is over 95 degrees hot, it will immediately cool down as the coffee maker absorbs some of the heat.

If you live at a very high altitude where boiling starts below 94 degrees, you risk running out of your coffee extraction by boiling with just a little too cold water. You may need to adjust your brewing style slightly to brew the best coffee possible. I suggest trying a few things:

  • Heat your brewing vessel very well to reduce the temperature loss when filling the water
  • Increase extraction by either grinding your coffee a little finer or increasing the brewing time

Change water temperature to improve the coffee taste?

There are ways you can use water temperature to achieve specific flavors, but it’s quite difficult to do this consistently unless you have a dedicated kettle that heats water to specific temperatures. These are very convenient, but they are often very expensive. If you’re looking to improve your coffee, it’s much easier to keep your water temperature in the ideal zone and instead use the grind size to make small changes. Adjusting the grind size is quicker and easier to control than adjusting the water temperature. You can also use the best fully automatic coffee machines for perfect coffee enjoyment.

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Lifestyle

The Optimal and Safe Sleeping Environment for the Baby

A safe sleeping environment for your baby is important. A baby spends a lot of time sleeping. Accordingly, not only the sleeping recommendations for babies but also the optimal environment.

The sleep phases are not only important for babies for their development. Parents can also use these sleep phases to get a little rest and gain new strength.

Improved sleep for your baby

A good night’s sleep is important for your newborn’s development. The little body collects new energy and strengthens its immune system. The growth hormone is also released during the deep sleep phase and important learning processes take place. It is also a good opportunity for parents to recharge their batteries. Accordingly, you should guarantee a safe sleeping environment for the baby and follow sleeping recommendations. But here, too, it is true that the baby’s sleeping rhythm can be very individual. Consequently, we have collected the most important tips for you.

1) Baby’s sleeping environment: bedroom

An infant really only needs its own room if the father’s or mother’s night’s sleep is disturbed by the sounds of breathing and movements. Otherwise, you can let your newborn sleep in the parents’ bedroom. Sleep experts confirm that babies love to lie close to their parents. They are not disturbed by their rhythmic breathing, rather these sounds have a calming effect on them.

The room temperature of the bedroom should be about 18 degrees, and there should be calm here. It is also important that there is enough fresh air in the room and that it is not too dry. The room should be aired thoroughly before the baby is put to bed so that it does not get too drafty for the baby. It is also important that it is a completely non-smoking room. Also, note other tips for a good and healthy sleep.

2) The right sleeping position

You should lay your baby on his back to sleep for the first year. Because that’s the best way for it to breathe. Meanwhile, lying on your side and stomach is discouraged. This is intended to counteract sudden infant death. However, if your baby likes to fall asleep in these positions, you should turn them onto their back as soon as they fall asleep. You can also find out which is the healthiest sleeping position for adults.

3) safe sleeping environment with a matching baby bed

At first, it can be a suitable extra bed, later a bed of your own. For an optimal sleeping environment for the baby, nests, bed canopies, pillows, and large cuddly toys do not belong in the baby bed. Because these objects can slip on the child’s face and impede his breathing. A high-quality mattress is also very important for the baby bed. It should be a firm but at the same time, elastic base so that the baby lies on it in an anatomically correct manner. Since small babies are very sensitive, it is advisable to only choose a mattress that does not contain any harmful substances. Here it is advisable to pay attention to DIN standards and seals of approval. Also, read our comparison of different bed types.

4) Baby sleeping bag or blanket

Many midwives recommend a sleeping bag instead of a blanket. Its advantages are obvious. An infant can kick off a blanket but not a sleeping bag. Sleeping uncovered for a long time can cause health problems for a sensitive baby. Furthermore, the blanket can easily slip over the infant’s head and obstruct breathing. In contrast, a sleeping bag does not slip. But here the size of the sleeping bag is decisive and should be chosen carefully. Here you will find further useful information about baby equipment.

5) Optimal sleeping environment through appropriate clothing

The right clothes for sleeping are also important for the baby. Consequently, your baby’s clothes should not be too thin and not too thick. While your baby will notice when he’s too cold, overheating can be more challenging to spot. To find out the baby’s temperature, place your fingers between your child’s shoulder blades. It shouldn’t be too cool and sweaty here. A diaper and pajamas are usually enough for sleeping. In addition, note our useful tips for newborns.

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Lifestyle

Yoga – The Optimal Sport for at Home

Yoga exercises ensure improved well-being for the body and soul. Yoga has long been a popular sport worldwide. And in times of Corona and lockdown more important than ever. Because with the right exercises and accessories, you can effectively do something for your health from home.

The philosophical teaching comes from India and combines mental with physical exercises. The yoga exercises and mediation techniques can have a positive effect on your well-being. Negative thoughts can be driven away and you keep your body fit. Now in lockdown is the best time to start yoga.

The positive effects of yoga

Regular practice of yoga has positive effects on our mind and body. The various exercises are intended to reduce anxiety and have a positive effect on depressive moods. Additionally, many people report numerous benefits this type of sport brings.

Accordingly, the exercises lead to improved sleep, more serenity, and more zest for life. The immune system should also be strengthened and the ability to concentrate improves. Overall, you can improve your own body and self-esteem through this sport. And another positive effect is better to stress management. Especially in today’s world, you should reduce stress effectively. So it’s high time to start doing it from the comfort of your own home.

The right yoga accessories

Yoga exercises are good to do at home. And even for beginners, it is not difficult to get started. You can often start with simple exercises and later increase the level of difficulty. You should also get basic equipment so that you can carry out your exercises successfully. Therefore, you should definitely have comfortable yoga clothes and get a non-slip mat. Other accessories can also be very useful. If you want to do yoga in the sun when the weather is nice, a yoga bag is a must. It is best to use the home yoga accessories checklist as a guide.

How to learn yoga at home

If you start as a beginner, you can use different media to learn yoga. You can find numerous videos on Youtube or on individual websites. But various apps for learning Indian philosophical teachings also show you how it works properly. You have to decide for yourself which medium is best for you. You can also find online courses on the Internet. The disadvantage here is that such courses can be quite expensive. In contrast, most Youtube videos or apps are free and just as effective. Also, note our article on sport and fitness in summer.

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Lifestyle

Storage and Optimal Drinking Temperature of Sparkling Wine

The optimal drinking temperature of sparkling wine. So that every sparkling wine is a pleasure. Also useful tips for the correct storage and preservation of sparkling wine in sparkling wine bottles. Sparkling wine in the fridge is also possible without a cork.

What is the optimal drinking temperature for sparkling wine?

The taste of sparkling wine (with the exception of red sparkling wine) develops best when it is generally drunk at a temperature of between 6 and 8 degrees Celsius. If it is warmer than 8 °C, the carbon dioxide evaporates too quickly and it tastes bland. If it is drunk colder than 6 °C, the taste buds will go on strike. The best drinking temperatures depend on the type of sparkling wine:

  • White sparkling wine between 5 – 7 °C;
  • Rosé sparkling wine between 6 – 8 °C;
  • Red sparkling wine between 9 – 11 °C.

If there is no cold sparkling wine in the fridge for a suitable occasion, do not put the bottle in the freezer, but preferably in a water bath or champagne bucket cooled with ice cubes for about 20 minutes.

How long can sparkling wine bottles be stored?

In contrast to quality wines, sparkling wine does not improve with storage! Over the years, it can lose bound carbon dioxide and pressure. Therefore, the sparkling wine should be drunk as soon as possible; he is a young drink. Sparkling wine in bottles can be kept for a maximum of 3 to 5 years, provided it is made from high-quality base wine. It also plays a role in whether a natural or plastic cork was used. With natural corks, the pressure is retained longer.

Store sparkling wine without a cork

If the cork can no longer be found and there is still something drinkable in the champagne bottle, there is the following trick: Put a teaspoon in the champagne bottle and the carbon dioxide remains in the champagne. This way you can drink and enjoy the champagne as if by magic even days after opening it a tingling experience;)

What does the right champagne glass look like?

A wonderfully sparkling glass of sparkling wine tastes best in slim, thin-walled glasses. They should have a tulip or flute shape so that the full bouquet can develop well. Deep champagne glasses that are slightly roughened on the bottom, the so-called mousse point, are ideal. The mousseux unfolds and rises to the surface as a pretty string of pearls. Champagne bowls, which were popular in the 1950s and 1960s, are taboo today. Glasses with wide surfaces are a taste killer for enjoying sparkling wine, as the bouquet escapes very quickly.

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Optimal Crockery Drying without Water Stains

Even if most people can no longer hear the advertising slogan “Then it’ll work with the neighbor too” of the beaming housewife with a sparkling wine glass in the camera, the nagging envy tells us all: “I also want to have clean glasses like that .”

However, today’s cleaning lady thinks economically and avoids environmental pollution wherever possible. This commendable attitude is in no way opposed to the Clean Glasses plan. Here are a few tips on how glasses, cutlery, and porcelain, and especially stainless steel, can shine in the kitchen cupboard without water stains.

How are water stains formed?

The given tips work against contamination on dishes, which are usually due to incorrect treatment. Water stains occur when the water cannot flow freely down the clean dishes. Therefore, very well cleaned dishes can air dry without forming water stains. Usually, this condition does not last very long, so it is advisable to dry the dishes well right away.

1. What the dishwasher really needs

Unfortunately, this is often the case: the dishes come out of the dishwasher unclean. On the one hand, this can be due to the wrong acknowledgment, but more often the lack of salt is the devil in the details.

Dishwasher owners should therefore always make sure that there is enough salt in the filling device provided for this purpose. Although the “Minna” washes with hot water alone, the composition of the rinsing water contains magnesium and calcium ions, depending on the degree of hardness, which is deposited in a light layer on the dishes.

The dishwashing salt prevents this process by precisely separating these ions and leads to clean dishes that do not show any streaks when dried with a clean tea towel. Also, note tips for descaling and cleaning the dishwasher.

2. Washing by hand: Crystal clear, environmentally friendly

It’s not the amount of detergent that causes clean dishes. It’s washing dishes with your head. For people who have their own household for the first time: First, the glasses, then the plates, then cutlery, pots, and pans, as these are the dirtiest, in the end. The glasses should be washed so hot that you almost (!) burn your fingers. It is enough not to let the sink fill up completely with water.

Once briefly cleaned underwater with a kitchen sponge inside and outside as well as on the handle, a small amount of cold water can always remove the foam. This means that the washing-up water also has a more bearable washing-up temperature for the dishes that follow the glasses. The other cutlery and dishes are then treated in the same way before they are wiped dry with the tea towel.

3. Tea towel is not a hand towel

Before using them for the first time, new tea towels should be washed just like another laundry, as the textiles often contain chemical color pigments. Not only are these unhealthy, but they also leave a film on the dishes that make spot-free cleaning difficult. Failure to do this first wash can lead to smeared dishes that cannot stand up to scrutiny in the sunlight.

Surprisingly, many people, mostly men, students, and trainees, do not know the difference between a hand towel and a tea towel. In the industrial processing sector, too, this differentiation is no longer made exactly, since they are both almost the same size. However, the tea towel is made of thin cotton or linen fabric, while the hand towel, as a category of body towels, is made of less absorbent but thicker cotton fabric. Since cotton fibers fluff easily, the long-fiber linen tea towel with a dense weave structure is the better choice for drying glasses and good china.

Cutlery and stainless steel can also be perfectly polished with it. The extremely absorbent microfiber cloths are just as powerful. However, when washing at 40 or 60 degrees, they must never get fabric softener on them, as the remains lead to the formation of streaks and the absorbency of the microfiber cloth is reduced by the fibers being pressed together. To ensure that dishes are cleaned as germ-free as possible, the tea towels should also be changed regularly. In addition, note how you can remove coffee and tea rims from cups.

4. When the dishes “take a hit”

If the enamel is broken, it is unfortunately not possible to have a flawless tableware appearance without a professional repair. If, on the other hand, water or dirt stains have formed over a long period of time due to incorrect treatment, which is becoming increasingly clear under the barely visible layer that is not so easy to remove, pure vinegar or citric acid can work wonders.

However, these household helpers, which can effectively replace almost all special chemical cleaners anyway, require a little more exposure time for stubborn dirt. Concentrated vinegar or vinegar essence with 75% water content or acetic acid is easily degradable and the somewhat unpleasant scent disappears in no time. However, this cleaner is powerful against calluses, grease, and limescale and even makes blind glasses and mirror surfaces shiny again.

For burnt pots or greasy pans, a dash of vinegar essence diluted with a soda can be spread over the surface with a sponge. After a short exposure time of about 10 minutes, this mixture, which has practically absorbed dirt and lime, can be easily washed off. Even stubborn burnt residues, such as those often found on grills or in ovens, can be removed in this way without having to scrub.

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Cooking Tips

Cooking Broad Beans: Tips And The Optimal Cooking Time

Cooking broad beans isn’t difficult, but it does take time and patience. With the right preparation, you too can use the delicious beans as the basis for many vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Broad beans, also known as broad beans, horse beans or fava beans, are a particularly healthy and tasty source of protein – not only for vegans. You can use them for various dishes, for example for salads or stir-fried vegetables, but you can also process them into puree. Although they require some prep time, cooking fava beans isn’t difficult.

There are two different ways to cook broad beans: you can use either dried broad beans or fresh broad beans. In both cases, you need a little patience when preparing. In contrast to the dried version, you can prepare fresh beans on the same day: they do not have to be soaked overnight.

Before you buy fresh broad beans, you should pay special attention to the quality of the beans. Look for those that don’t have empty shells. The smaller ones are sweeter and contain less starch. Avoid dried out beans that are yellowed or even mushy. Buying during the season is also crucial for the quality: broad beans are in season from June to August.

Cooking fresh fava beans: this is how it works

Cooking fresh fava beans is quick and easy. Just the preparation takes some time. Before preparing, prepare and set aside the following:
1 tsp salt
an extra plate for the beans and the shells
a bowl of cold water and ice cubes
How to cook fresh fava beans:
Break open the pods with your hands.
Use your fingers to peel the broad beans out of their shells.
Take your saucepan and fill it with water (about enough to cover the beans). Add a teaspoon of salt.
Boil the water.
Blanch the broad beans for a minute or two.
Take them out of the pot with a sieve and let them drain briefly.
Afterward, shock them with cold water in your ice tray to stop the cooking process. Drain them again.
Now you can remove the leathery skin by slightly slitting it with your nails and pressing it away with your fingers.
Boil the broad beans in salted water until done. This takes about ten to 20 minutes.
Now they are ready for further processing for bean salads, stir-fries or puree.

Cooking dried fava beans: you need to know that

Cooking dried broad beans is a bit more tedious: you can’t cook them right away, you have to soak them overnight before cooking. The amount of water depends on how many broad beans you want to cook:
1 liter of (cold) water per 200 grams of beans
1. How to prepare the dried broad beans for cooking:
Rinse the dried beans under cold water using a sieve.
Get a large bowl or saucepan and place the dried beans in it.
Pour in the measured amount of cold water.
Let the beans soak overnight.
2. Cooking dried fava beans:
Even when cooking, pour about 1 liter of water for every 200 grams of beans in a large saucepan and bring to the boil.
Add a teaspoon of salt.
Now put the beans in the pot and cook them for about ten minutes on high heat.
Now set the stove to low heat and let the broad beans cook. Their cooking time is about 45 minutes.
At the end of the cooking time, use a fork to check if the beans are cooked through. If they tear apart easily, they’re nice and soft. Caution: It’s important that you cook beans properly, as they contain toxic lectins. These can only be rendered harmless by fully cooking them.
Be careful when draining: drain the broad beans gently to avoid crushing them and turning them mushy.
You can now process the cooked beans for a broad bean recipe of your choice.

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