Coffee is a perishable product. In order
to have it at its best, one should purchase it
in small quantities, so that the supply will
last little over a week, if possible. This
means that for the small family it should be
purchased a pound at a time.
Decaffeinated Coffee. There are at
least two well-known brands of decaffeinated
coffee on the market. This coffee is available
in pound cans. It is of good quality, with
nothing added and a large percentage of the
caffeine removed. The amount of caffeine
remaining depends somewhat on the amount
that was present originally. According to
the manufacturers, about three per cent of
the caffeine is left in this coffee.
Soluble Coffee. For ease in preparation
soluble coffee has been available for a num¬
ber of years. The quality of this form of
coffee improved and its use increased dur¬
ing the Second World War, and it has been
gaining in popularity. The emergency ra¬
tions of the army contained soluble coffee,
to save both space and time of preparation.
It is sometimes called "instant coffee,” since
it can be made in an instant in a cup. The
number of brands of soluble coffee available
has been increasing. Soluble coffee is to be
had in tin and glass containers of from two
ounces to a pound. Two to four ounces of
soluble coffee are equivalent to a pound of
regular coffee, making the cost per cup com¬
parable. This form is manufactured by va¬
rious processes. Some brands contain only
the dry coffee infusion while others contain
added materials to facilitate drying or for
[337]
special flavor. Soluble coffee is useful when
small amounts of coffee are needed, since the
ground product deteriorates rapidly.
Decaffeinated coffee also is available in
soluble form.
Care and Storage. Green coffee improves
with age, but as soon as it is roasted it begins
to deteriorate. The coffee flavor (caffeol)
escapes with the gas (carbon dioxide) which
was formed in the bean during roasting. For
coffee to have its maximum flavor, it should
be freshly roasted and ground just before
brewing. Most homes of two generations
ago had their coffee mills, and the homemak¬
ers of those days ground their own coffee
each morning. Some hotels and restaurants
follow this practice today. The modern
homemaker, however, prefers to eliminate
that step from her coffee-making. Every
precaution, therefore, should be taken to
insure the freshness of this perishable product.
When coffee is purchased in paper bags or
cardboard cartons it should be transferred to
glass or tin cans with tight-fitting lids as soon
as it reaches the kitchen. Air is the great
enemy of coffee. It has been found that
ground coffee stored in paper bags and card¬
board containers may lose as much as 65 per
cent of its freshness in a week. By the tenth
day a disagreeable flavor of staleness is
noticeable, which develops rapidly for the
next 10 to 15 days. When the quantity pur¬
chased will last longer than a week, the
tightly closed container of coffee should be
kept in the refrigerator. Like any other fat,
caffeol, the aromatic oil which gives coffee
its flavor, deteriorates on exposure to air,
light, and warm temperatures.
Page 311
Presented as published in 1935. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Coffee is a perishable product. In order to have it at its best, one should purchase it in small quantities, so that the supply will last little over a week, if possible. This means that for the small family it should be purchased a pound at a time.
Decaffeinated Coffee. There are at least two well-known brands of decaffeinated coffee on the market. This coffee is available in pound cans. It is of good quality, with nothing added and a large percentage of the caffeine removed. The amount of caffeine remaining depends somewhat on the amount that was present originally. According to the manufacturers, about three per cent of the caffeine is left in this coffee.
Soluble Coffee. For ease in preparation soluble coffee has been available for a num¬ ber of years. The quality of this form of coffee improved and its use increased dur¬ ing the Second World War, and it has been gaining in popularity. The emergency ra¬ tions of the army contained soluble coffee, to save both space and time of preparation. It is sometimes called "instant coffee,” since it can be made in an instant in a cup. The number of brands of soluble coffee available has been increasing. Soluble coffee is to be had in tin and glass containers of from two ounces to a pound. Two to four ounces of soluble coffee are equivalent to a pound of regular coffee, making the cost per cup com¬ parable. This form is manufactured by va¬ rious processes. Some brands contain only the dry coffee infusion while others contain added materials to facilitate drying or for
[337]
special flavor. Soluble coffee is useful when small amounts of coffee are needed, since the ground product deteriorates rapidly.
Decaffeinated coffee also is available in soluble form.
Care and Storage. Green coffee improves with age, but as soon as it is roasted it begins to deteriorate. The coffee flavor (caffeol) escapes with the gas (carbon dioxide) which was formed in the bean during roasting. For coffee to have its maximum flavor, it should be freshly roasted and ground just before brewing. Most homes of two generations ago had their coffee mills, and the homemak¬ ers of those days ground their own coffee each morning. Some hotels and restaurants follow this practice today. The modern homemaker, however, prefers to eliminate that step from her coffee-making. Every precaution, therefore, should be taken to insure the freshness of this perishable product.
When coffee is purchased in paper bags or cardboard cartons it should be transferred to glass or tin cans with tight-fitting lids as soon as it reaches the kitchen. Air is the great enemy of coffee. It has been found that ground coffee stored in paper bags and card¬ board containers may lose as much as 65 per cent of its freshness in a week. By the tenth day a disagreeable flavor of staleness is noticeable, which develops rapidly for the next 10 to 15 days. When the quantity pur¬ chased will last longer than a week, the tightly closed container of coffee should be kept in the refrigerator. Like any other fat, caffeol, the aromatic oil which gives coffee its flavor, deteriorates on exposure to air, light, and warm temperatures.