Cool Things to Do With Coffee in the Kitchen
My first impression of coffee was that it was this super strong serum that had the magical ability to make human beings become functional in the morning. I blame Hollywood for this. However, these movies were not too far from the truth because coffee contains caffeine, which is a nervous system stimulant that makes the brain more aware and alert. Simply put, it is a drug.
I can’t exactly remember my first cup of coffee, or how it tasted...but I do know that I rather enjoy the flavour and coffee > tea. And by tea, I mean teabags steeped in hot water and not the Nigerian ‘tea’ which is actually hot chocolate. I enjoy that as much as the next person. I think coffee is on a different level, however, and it is a widely accepted beverage. The flavour is quite unique such that it is used in cake, candy, yogurt, ice cream and even chewing gum.
People do some really cool stuff with coffee, like mixing it with other ingredients and making iced versions and calling the drinks some fancy names that makes you want to try it all. Heck, whole brands have been created around coffee drinks. Think Starbucks and Cafe Neo. However, there are some even cooler stuff you can do with coffee outside of drinking it, so I thought I’d share with y’all:
Sweet Little Rain
The first one is a classic coffee drink, and is a special in a cafe called Mellower in Singapore. Called Sweet Little Rain, this cup of Americano is served with a ball of cotton candy suspended over it which enables the steam from the hot drink to melt it, simulating raindrops as it melts into the cup of coffee. It is undeniably cute, and instgrammable to a T.
Marinade
Like i said earlier, (and as I’m sure you know) coffee has a lovely, distinct flavour that is perfect for accentuating spices when grilling meat. Apart from using coffee grounds to enhance the spices on a piece of meat for grilling- which causes a nice caramelized crust which seals in moisture and flavour, brewed coffee can also be used as a marinade. Soaking the meat in coffee can let it act as a tenderizer and will infuse the meat with that distinct flavour. Z-Kitchen, in VI, has a coffee rubbed steak on the menu.
Deodorizer
You know how the smell of onions always lingers even hours after cooking with it? Well, If you find it as annoying as I do, using coffee is apparently a good way to get rid of the scent. The smell of coffee can be relaxing and fresh; and it also acts as a good deodorizer, which means that you can get rid of all kinds of odors or smells from onion-y hands, to animal urine, and even the weird smells that fridges have; with it. All you have to do is scrub with old coffee grounds and the smell is neutralized. Another clever way to do this is infusing the grounds into homemade candles.
Gardening
Coffee can also be useful for people with green fingers. It is a great fertilizer, because it contains nitrogen which adds nutrients which in turn aids the growth of plants.
Skincare
Another great way to use coffee grounds is by adding it to your skincare routine or products. Coffee grounds in DIY face scrubs has benefits and this is aided by caffeine which contains antioxidants that helps with aging.
There are so many other ways to make good use of your coffee outside of drinking it; and the fact that most of them require coffee grounds means that you should invest in a coffee beans, or grind and none of that nasty instant stuff.