grygomaca's Full Review: West Bend 58002 42-Cup Coffee Maker
Why I bought it:
I have always admired my mother-in-law's coffee percolator that she uses during the holidays. Everytime I see it, I tell myself that I really need to get one of those. But you know how that goes, once you're home, you forget about it. Since my husband and I are not coffee drinkers, I would use a percolator to serve coffee to guests. The last party we had, I brewed 30 cups of coffee with my 10-cup coffee maker - which was time consuming and quite frankly, a pain in the rear. Making it was tedious, but serving it was also a hassle. I had to pour each individual cup of coffee, this took too long. Longer than I wanted to spend in the kitchen, away from our guests. The West Bend 42-cup Percolator was the perfect solution, I am no longer a waitress!
What you get:
The West Bend 42-cup percolator is a light weight aluminum canister atop a black plastic base, with handles, a cover, filter/coffee basket and faucet all made of black plastic. The unit also contains an aluminum stem and a removable power cord. The percolator is 16" tall and about 7.5" wide. It has no buttons, just a small, orange serving light.
How does it work?
When you plug it in, the canister begins to heat the water. Eventually, the water boils. The stem acts as a pump for boiling water. Water rises up the stem and sprays out the top if it, into the filter. The boiling water turns into coffee as it passes through the coffee grounds and drips back down. Thr process continues until all of the water has been pumped through the stem. It's pretty amazing, actually, because there are no mechanical pumps or moving parts involved.
Ease of Use:
This percolator is very easy to use. First, you fill the canister with cold water, which is simple because of the cup level markings on the inside - so there is no measuring or guessing involved. Second, you fill the filter/coffee basket with ground coffee. Third, you insert the stem and the filter and close the lid. The next step is the easiest of all, plug it in! Then, you can go do whatever you want. There is a "serving light" that illuminates and it will turn off when the coffee is ready to be served. There's no need to monitor the percolator for any reason. You can just go and enjoy your company while the percolator does all the work. And when your coffee is ready, you (or your guests) simply hold a cup under the faucet and press the lever. No spills or drips! It really couldn't be easier.
What kind of cofee grounds?
You can use ordinary coffee in this percolator, such as "regular perk grind coffee" or "coffee ground for all coffeemakers." But steer clear of finely ground coffee, which will seep through the plastic filter holes and contaminate your coffee.
Other uses:
Although this is a coffee maker, you can also make other hot beverages with it. I have brewed hot tea using this percolator and it was easy. Not to mention the time it saved, since I didn't have to wait for water to boil over the stove and then add the tea bags, etc. With the percolator, I simply filled it with water, placed a few tea bags in the filter and closed the lid. You can also use this unit to reheat old coffee or to heat water for instant beverages.
Cleaning the unit:
Since the percolator is made of aluminim, you can use a scouring pad to clean it. This will remove any staining caused by the coffee. The filter, stem and cover can be easily cleaned with soap and a sponge or cloth. The faucet can be flushed by letting clean water run through it into the sink until it's clear. The exterior of the percolator can simply be wiped with a damp cloth or washed in the sink (with the power cord removed).
My recommendation:
The West Bend 42-cup percolator has been such a help to me when I entertain. It saved me a headache during my last holiday party, so I am very happy to have it. Since there are no moving parts, this percolator will last forever. I would highly recommend it because it is truly simple to use, it makes a tedious job a piece of cake and it is easy to clean.
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