Fench press: what is it and how to use it?

In the kitchen of any hostess there is always a lot of devices that can facilitate the work of preparing food and beverages, as well as become an interior decoration. To this type of products can be attributed, and the French press, which today is a popular kitchen appliance, due to the fact that it is compact and convenient, and most importantly - almost any family member will cope with it, no special skills are needed here.

French press is designed for brewing hot drinks: tea or coffee. It should be immediately noted that in our country this kitchen appliance mostly acts as a kettle for tea, while in the United States of America, as well as in Europe, they prefer to use a French press for making coffee. However, one cannot fail to say that coffee prepared in such an unusual way will differ from a strong drink that was brewed in a specially designed coffee maker or turk.

Description of the preparation of a drink using a french press is quite simple. So, for the beginning it is necessary to pour tea (you can use sheets, granules, etc.) or ground coffee in a glass flask of the kettle. After that, the dry substance must be poured with hot boiled water.

Immediately start drinking is not worth it. First you need to wait 5 minutes until the drink is brewed and the water is filled with taste, and then with the help of the piston you need to squeeze the unwanted sediment. To do this, it is necessary to press on the plunger with effort - it will fall down, and the sediment (coffee granules or tea leaves) will be rammed at the bottom of the flask.

Generally speaking, a French press is a kind of kettle for brewing various kinds of beverages. Its design consists of several integral elements:

• glass flasks;
• filter;
• the plunger (a special piston, which is necessary for spinning, it is equipped with a small handle that facilitates the process of its operation).

If you study the device of this device in more detail, you can find that regardless of the specific model of the device, the French press has some universal characteristics that remain unchanged. So, for example, a glass flask, which is the main container of a kitchen appliance, cannot change in diameter, but it is different in volume. Thus, we can note the fact that the higher the kettle, the more capacious it is (and vice versa).

The main glass container is usually placed in a special case. The body can be made of different materials (for example, metal or plastic). Also, the kettle has a lid, which ensures the earliest possible brewing of tea or coffee. Attached to this cover is a plunger that moves vertically and acts as a press for spinning.

At the bottom of this plunger (which in its essence is an ordinary piston) there is a grid that acts as a filter, a small element made of steel, and also a spring that is fixed by a bolt.

French press is used to prepare drinks: first of all, tea and coffee. In order to make coffee in this unit, you should follow a certain sequence of actions:

• boil water;
• pour coffee in a flask french press;
• pour boiling water over coffee;
• wait some time;
• slowly lower the piston to the bottom;
• pour the drink into cups.

The mechanism of making tea using this unit is the same.

Despite the fact that the kitchen appliance is quite popular among a wide range of consumers, a French press is not considered an ideal device for making hot drinks. He has both positive characteristics and negative. Consider the pros and cons of the French press in more detail. To begin with, it should be noted that the number of advantages significantly exceeds the number of negative sides. Often, users distinguish such positive characteristics of this type of kitchen appliance:

• affordable price - Buy the French press can buy representatives of the most different social strata, with different levels of income;
• ease of care and maintenance - this characteristic is especially important for housewives;
• there is no sediment in the drink - this property of the French press is due to the presence of a metal filter that effectively copes with its task;
• compactness - the device will fit even in the smallest kitchen, will not take up a large amount of space and clutter it;
• beverage variability - not only that with the help of the device you can brew both tea and coffee, so you can also adjust the strength of the drink as you wish.

However, despite the positive characteristics, this device also has negative features. These include:

• fragile material - the glass is quite easy to break, scratch or damage, so the device requires a careful attitude;
• mechanical principle of operation: the process of making a drink is done through human effort, not automatically;
• the french press does not have the function of heating the water, therefore, you will need additional household appliances to make the drink, and it will not be able to keep the cooked drink warm.

Depending on the material used to make the case, there are several types of French presses:

• glass;
• metal;
• ceramic;
• plastic;
• from stainless steel.

However, the differences can be not only in the material, but also in the device. For example, some appliances may have strong double walls.

Today on the market there is a huge variety of French presses. That is why it is quite difficult to navigate in such a wide range of devices. Our rating will help you to choose the most suitable model.

Danish brand Bodum offers its customers a wide variety of devices of different colors and volumes. The devices are comfortable to use and are durable.

French presses from Bialetti are of high quality and widely known among consumers. One of the main advantages of the device is the presence of durable and reliable handles.

This brand produces a wide range of various dishes and kitchen utensils. He is also known for the production of high-quality French presses. Japanese tea and coffee makers have a modern, attractive design.

Despite the fact that this brand is Chinese, it has a fairly good reputation.French presses of this manufacturer are not only functional and practical, but also attractive from an aesthetic point of view.

The main advantage of this company is the affordable price.

This brand has earned love and recognition not only among coffee and tea lovers, but also among world-class chefs who use Röndell devices in their restaurants.

By preparing a drink in a device from the company Vitesse, you can truly discover the exquisite taste of strong coffee or the pleasant aroma of herbal tea.

It is rather difficult to choose a high-quality French press that will fully perform its functions, and it will also serve you for quite a long time. That is why when buying a device should pay particular attention to some points.

• First of all, experts advise to purchase a french press only for those brands that have already managed to prove the quality of their products and have a good reputation. We talked about them above.
• It is important to pay attention to the reliability of mounting the bulb inside the device. If it staggers or is not strong enough, then the purchase of such a device should be abandoned.
• Analyze the appearance of the flask. It should be made quite high quality. Assess the condition of the glass: it should not be scratches, chips and other damage.
• Check that the mesh, which serves as a filter, is tight enough to adhere to the flask. It should move gently and smoothly, without any jerks.

In order to enjoy the delicious drink that you prepared yourself with the help of a French press, It is necessary to follow a number of simple rules during the operation of the device.

• For brewing coffee, use only coarse grains. The fact is that the filter of the French press will not be able to hold the coffee, which is ground too finely. Thus, your drink will not be pure and homogeneous, but will have a sediment.
• It should brew a quantity of coffee that you can drink at a time. If the drink will stand in a French press for a long time and brew for a long time, it will become bitter and unpleasant in taste.
• Do not be too zealous with the use of the piston - do not squeeze all the liquid to the last drop.
• In order to thoroughly wash the device, it must be disassembled, and after washing it must be properly assembled. The kettle can be washed both manually and in a dishwasher (however, this should be a separate mark in the instructions for use and assembly).
• As mentioned above, a French press can be used both for making tea and for making coffee. However, if you plan to prepare different drinks, then for this it is better to use different devices. Otherwise, there may be an unpleasant taste and smell from another drink.

Thus, we have considered all the features, advantages and disadvantages of such a popular device designed for brewing hot drinks, like a french press. Today, a similar unit can be found in almost every kitchen. It is very popular among the younger as well as the more mature generation. It allows you to quickly and easily prepare a tasty drink for yourself, households and guests.

To learn how to make coffee using a French press, see the next video.