Perfect for my Loose tea
Written: Dec 17 '07 (Updated Feb 06 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: You are available and I can find you when I need you.
Cons: Kids want to get a hold of my strainer and play with it.
The Bottom Line: Oh, I highly recommend and HAVE to have my KitchenAid Strainer.
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| LILvoyce's Full Review: KitchenAid Strainer |
I swear, I must be the only person that drinks Thai tea in my entire town and surrounding areas. I had to drive 2 hours away to even be able to find loose Thai tea. I was so excited to be able to find it I stocked up. I bought about 20 pounds at the Oriental Market. I went to purchase a sleeve/sock for straining and they did not carry them! I went all over the place looking for something to strain my tea. Finally at one market I was able to find a two cup pot that strains the tea for me. I purchased it, but just wasn't happy with it. I have a family of five now, and they want their tea. They can drink at least two gallons a day. No, this little pot wouldn't do.
I went to my favorite Thai restaurant and upon the advice of the chef, he told me to run to Target and pick up a KitchenAid Strainer. He told me to get a huge pot and let the water boil. Brew my tea for at least 30 minutes on low, and then strain with this strainer. VOILA!! Finally!
Description
You can find the KitchenAid Strainer through target. You can find it online, or through the store. I am wanting to say I paid only $8 for the 7-inch strainer. Prices seemed a bit higher through their website. I believe they are close to $12 if you purchase online. I did not see the 5-inch strainer in the store, but was able to find it online for around $10. Mine comes in red, and the strainer part is not colored. The KitchenAid Strainer is made of sturdy stainless steel. It is basically a strainer with a handle on it. The strainer screen is small enough to use with teas or coffees.
My Experience
First I will let you know that I am serious about my Thai tea and my KitchenAid Strainer. No one in the house is allowed to touch my strainer..lol. I don't want it used to strain anything other than my tea. I am picky. I don't even use dishwashing liquid on my strainer or my cook pot that I use for tea. I always rinse my strainer out with hot water and on occasion boiling water to keep it sanitized.
Basically I boil up a huge pot of water, add my loose tea, and wait for the tea to bubble. Once it is bubbling I turn it to a low simmer for at least a half hour. During this process the loose tea starts to break apart even smaller than what I started with. I need to have a strainer that will work well enough to pick up those small pieces. The Kitchen Aid strainer is able to do that for me. The task is tedious but worth it. After about 30 minutes I shut the pot off. I wait for the majority of the leaves to settle to the bottom. That takes about ten minutes. Then I start pouring the tea into a glass pitcher while straining with my Kitchen Aid Strainer. When I start to get to the bottom of the pot I just let that little bit of tea go. The tea breaks apart so much that if you continue to pour you will have grit that pulls through the strainer. The only thing that could eliminate that would be one of these socks or sleeves that I am not able to find any place. I am happy with doing it this way and don't mind losing a half a cup of tea. I can continue re-using my strainer where as I am guessing the sleeves you can't re use. So I am probably saving money there.
Anyway, I will ice down my tea, add a can of sweetened condensed milk, and OH MY HEAVENS, you have got the best Thai tea in the world! You might think that $8 or even $12 is to much to pay for a KitchenAid Strainer. I am here to tell you I would have paid more. When I go to my favorite Thai restaurants, I am paying between $6 and $7 for a glass of Thai Iced Tea. Now I can make it at home for a fraction of the cost. A pound of tea runs me about $2.99 plus the gas it takes to drive 2 hours away. For me it is worth it. I hide my KitchenAid strainer because it is a precious commodity in my home..lol. Thanks Kitchen Aid!
Also, this strainer is actually pretty sturdy. Other strainers will bend and are actually not as great. Even the strainer in my little tea pot doesn't have the quality that the KitchenAid Strainer does. I suppose you get what you pay for though. I hang mine in my kitchen cupboard. You can hang if you wish. I recommend that.
Overall?
Yeah, I am sure you can use this product to strain and drain other food items. I don't, that is just my preference. If you are a serious tea or coffee drinker I highly recommend this product. I do also make Thai Iced coffee as well, and I brew my beans not as long, and it basically works the same way as I do with the tea. I have a seperate KitchenAid strainer that I use for my Thai coffee.
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KitchenAid Strainer
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
LILvoyce
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Member: Barbara
Location: FLORIDA
Reviews written: 664
Trusted by: 505 members
About Me:
Its time to find the Healthy Me...... This is my year to do that:-D
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