Cut back on your Latte Factor® with homemade cappuccino
As David Bach says in several of his books, all of us have something small that we spend money on every day that has the potential to add up over time. For some people it is a Latte at Starbucks. It starts out as $3 per day, which adds up to $21 per week and before you know it you’ve spent $1,092 per year.
For me it was a cappuccino. I looked for an inexpensive, easy way to make them myself. I discovered for $30 and 5 minutes a day I could make my own and they taste even better. That’s less time than it takes me to drive to get one and wait in line.
Here’s what I learned. First, I didn’t bother with the expensive, counter-top-hogging electric makers. You can make espresso right on the stove top in a matter of minutes and it isn’t any harder than boiling water. To use a stove top espresso maker just fill the bottom with water, put espresso in the middle chamber and put it on the stove. The hot water is forced up through the grounds into the top chamber and you’re done. Turn the flame down when the water begins to push into the top chamber. You’ll know it is finished when the top chamber is full and steam begins to emerge.
While that is heating up you froth some milk. Sounds hard, but it is no more difficult than stirring a cup if you purchase a milk frother, which is a very small batter-powered contraption. You just pour some milk in a pitcher or glass, turn it on and stir. You’ll find that the lower fat milk froths up even better than whole milk.
It takes about as long for the milk to froth as it does for the water to boil up for your espresso, literally 5 minutes. From there you just pour the espresso in a cup, put some milk on top and you’ve got cappuccino. A dash of cinnamon makes it even better.
Cleanup is easy, too. You just rinse the frother in soapy water. It can’t be fully submerged because it has batteries at the top. Depending on what material your espresso pot is made of, it can either be put in the dishwasher or hand washed. Stainless steel is usually dishwasher safe.
June 21st, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Well, that was helpful. Thanks.