Subscribe now and choose from over 30 free gifts worth up to £49 - Plus get £25 to spend in our shop
Ok so we now have a glorious induction hob cooker - so far so good. Head chef has realised that our espresso is too small for the smallest ring on the hob so we need to get one of those metal plates that goes between hob and espresso to make it all work tickety boo.
Anyway, I had located a suitable device made by bialetti and all looked good however I have subsequently read a number of reviews that say the plate gets very hot and has damaged the hob in some instances. This seems to be the case for other brands too.
So what do other people do? They basically all look like a variation on the same theme. I had considered just running my small pocket rocket with the espresso on it next to the cooker but head chef does not approve.
Clearly you need to buy a bean to cup espresso machine
Clearly you need to buy a bean to cup espresso machine
No, no, no!
A separate burr grinder and dedicated espresso machine if you will.
I should also add that HC says no electronic gadgets!
In honesty if the op thinks their bialetti makes espresso they may as well just buy a kettle and a cafetiere.
Or maybe an aeropress. Just like the bialetti, "I've got an aeropress" can be used to bore friends and as the wrong answer to [almost] every question asked about coffee.
can be used to bore friends
E.g. telling them their espresso is actually no such thing 😉 ?
I should also add that HC says no electronic gadgets!
Fnarr, fnarr.
Ironically posted straight after Finbar's post
E.g. telling them their espresso is actually no such thing 😉 ?
That's just education.
The flair neo can be had for £100 on https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08FKML975/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_H12G5MS0KPPGDAN1BCPF?_encoding=UTF8&psc= 1">Amazon of that's your thing, I seem to recall it being well liked though I've no experience of one.
Just get a bigger moka pot. Is yours definitely too small or just not induction compatible? I have an induction compatible Bialetti that works fine on my induction hob:
Bialetti Venus Induction 'R' Stovetop Coffee Maker (10 Cup) https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0009Q1DUQ/
I don't understand the "too small" thing? I use a very small saucepan (and coffee maker) on my hob and it works on any "ring". As Gray says...is it induction compatible?
In honesty if the op thinks their bialetti makes espresso they may as well just buy a kettle and a cafetiere.
Or maybe an aeropress. Just like the bialetti, “I’ve got an aeropress” can be used to bore friends and as the wrong answer to [almost] every question asked about coffee.
My spidey sense is telling me you could out coffee bore them
My bialetti works ok on an induction hob, it's tiny but being induction it only works on contact area. Inductions are amazing, v controllable as no latent heat in hob.
Checked all pans were induction friendly before I bought it, they were.
My spidey sense is telling me you could out coffee bore them
This argument has arisen before, we'll be discussing extraction rates and temperature gradients of aluminium heat exchangers before you know it, as if people have been enjoying coffee wrong for the past however many hundreds of years!
Although I'd agree my Bialetti 3-cup doesn't really make 3 espressos, it just makes one sort of very long weak espresso, or alternatively a very short strong americano. Both excellent options though and what I now ask for in coffee shops (I don't know the Italian for it so I just say double espresso with same amount of hot water again please).
9barista or flair as above, plus the niche zero compliments any kitchen.
(I'm a pretentious d-bag and I'm ok with it)
My spidey sense is telling me you could out coffee bore them
Possibly, but despite what Shakespeare tells you, Rosa rubiginosa won't smell as sweet when everyone else calls them Amorphophallus titanum
When they are on the ropes and about to nod off, you hit them with a right left combo of horticulture and the bard? That's top flight, respect! 😉
don’t know the Italian for it
Long black. You're welcome ;o)
Ok, not Italian but it generally works.
Nah, that's just too soften em up a bit. When they really don't think they can take any more it's time to break out discussion of hombrewed IPAs, just to teach them how much they can suffer.
It's all for the better though, I mean I've pretty much only ever had to speak to each of my in-laws once.
That induction Moka sounds like the way forwards for most people. I was interested in making espresso then I read this and realised that actually I just like quite strong coffee flavoured water, usually with milk, and I really don’t want coffee making as a hobby.
If you’re wavering about home espresso, it’s not too late to bail. Shawn Steiman, author and scientist, with a PhD in tropical plant and soil science (with a focus on coffee), suggests some easier and cheaper options to strong coffee: “Most people who want to drink drinks from an espresso machine actually want a milk drink—get a moka pot and a manual milk frother, you can make an okay milk drink.”
I've heard of a few folk having issues with induction hobs and moka pots - my suspicion is that not all induction hobs work quite the same way. If you like the coffee you get from your moka pot and you can get one to work then do that for sure. Whether or not it's 'true espresso' doesn't matter if it makes coffee that you like.
If that doesn't work out for you, the closest options in my experience are:
- The ubiquitous aeropress. With the right recipe you can make a really similar coffee to a moka pot. It'll tend to be less bitter for the same bean/grind which may or may not be your preference. In my experience easier to use & clean than a moka pot. Cheap.
- Flair Neo. A lever espresso machine that uses a clever wee spout to generate pressure for making your coffee. It'll make shorter & stronger coffee than your stovetop. I had one of these for a while and managed to make some decent shots without needing a fancy grinder. They're about £100 and take up a wee bit of counter space. Really fun to use.
Long black. You’re welcome ;o)
Ok, not Italian but it generally works
My private browsing history would concur.
my suspicion is that not all induction hobs work quite the same way.
Pretty sure they do. The problem might be that not all moka pots are the same. If a magnet sticks to it, it'll work on any induction hob. If not, it won't...not all stainless steel works on induction hobs
Pretty sure they do. The problem might be that not all moka pots are the same. If a magnet sticks to it, it’ll work on any induction hob. If not, it won’t…not all stainless steel works on induction hobs
Problem appears to be solved with a quick magnet test, cheers. Our stainless steel moka isn't magnetic.
They sell one specifically for induction hobs. I have one you could have, but postage from sydney would probably be prohibitive
Ha ha cheers batfink. I am searching for a suitable replacement as we speak
They sell one specifically for induction hobs. I have one you could have, but postage from sydney would probably be prohibitive
🙂
Previous post with Amazon link to induction one
Bloody linky things. Maybe that works now. If not, just scroll up - I linked to the induction-specific one a few posts ago!
cheers Mr Gray
Coffee will still be shit tho 😀
so i'm told
Long black. You’re welcome ;o)
Ok, not Italian but it generally works.
Will try that next time. I'm usually getting coffee en route to my new office in Glasgow now so am very conscious of sounding like some effette Edinburger and being mocked for being needlessly cosmopolitan!
That said I thought maybe this would be a Cafe Lungo, but google tells me a Lungo is just an espresso pulled with twice as much water, so technically still a single shot but the same amount of liquid as a double shot.
So really I should be ordering a Doppio Lungo! 😁
HC says no electronic gadgets!
In that case tear out the induction cooker & install an Aga
Technically (here we go) a Lungo is an espresso with more water and a longer extraction time, so the flavour profile is intentionally overextracted. I suspect most 'baristas' will just give you a standard shot and top it up with water because it's easier to do that than faff with changing the machine settings, which is ironically what you're after.
Perhaps what you need to ask for is an "Americano but with half as much water as you usually do".
Whats about an Electric Bialetti? Less faffing (and quicker too in my experience!).
Exactly the same top half they just have a little base with an electric heating element underneath. Absolute doddle.
Exactly the same top half they just have a little base with an electric heating element underneath. Absolute doddle.
I'm not seeing that being a good option for the induction hob.
Will try that next time. I’m usually getting coffee en route to my new office in Glasgow now so am very conscious of sounding like some effette Edinburger and being mocked for being needlessly cosmopolitan!
Ah, what you're looking for is a bovril.
our espresso is too small for the smallest ring on the hob
Our induction hub is the cheapest we could get, and one of the rings is designed to work with a stove top coffee maker. All the slightly more expensive ones we looked at were as well. Are you sure one of the rings doesn't automatically adjust down to a small area for this purpose? Ours has an icon of a moka pot in the middle of the ring that reduces down, and a hexagon showing the reduced area... to make it super obvious. If you have something slicker and posher, it might be cleaner/simpler and not show you with print on the glass top. Check your manual... I'd be shocked if it's new and can't do the job without messing around with metal rings etc.
Our stainless steel moka isn’t magnetic.
Did you check the bottom chamber? The Bialletti stainless steel one we have has a magnetic lower half, non-magnetic top half.
Have you considered a new head chef?
Are you sure one of the rings doesn’t automatically adjust down to a small area for this purpose?
They all do this..it's how they work...they can only generate heat when in contact with ferrous metal (might be the wrong term)...the bit of the ring not in contact will stay cold
Did you check the bottom chamber? The Bialletti stainless steel one we have has a magnetic lower half, non-magnetic top half
The plot thickens. I double checked and the top and bottom halves are different, although the bottom is only feebly magnetic.
Ah, what you’re looking for is a bovril.
This made me imagine a bovril with steamed milk, so thanks I guess.
I just replaced the washer in the stove top, as steam was escaping mid heating, had no idea there was a metal filter above the washer so the good lady in the shop replaced that too. Cost a whole 2 euros. Bialetties say 4 years old so c 2000 uses.
Thinking about it the steam escape was too much pressure so a blocked filter. You can probably clean it but for a quid I cba.
the bit of the ring not in contact will stay cold
Makes sense.
I double checked and the top and bottom halves are different, although the bottom is only feebly magnetic.
Hmm... bottom half should have magnets cling to it no problem. Any markings on the base?
Yeah I've got a saucepan that is only very slightly attracted to the magnet...barely works on the induction hob. Something to do with different ways of making stainless steel...Google it if you're curious (or bored)
yeah I was bored so I googled it. Basically my moka is feebly magnetic which explains why it won't work on the induction hob.
the bit of the ring not in contact will stay cold
The ring doesn't get hot to heat the item above. That's not how induction works. Any heat in the ring is waste or heat that has transferred from the cookware into the hob surface.
The ring doesn’t get hot to heat the item above. That’s not how induction works.
Yeah I know that....not really what i meant