The Brewing Hack That Simplifies The Cleanup For Your Coffee Percolator

Anyone who has ever brewed coffee with a classic stovetop or plug-in percolator will know that cleaning the basket afterward can be a chore. The coffee grounds are wet and stick to the metal like glue. You can get most of the grounds out with a few good shakes, but you'll still need to give the basket a decent wash to make sure everything is cleared away. Luckily, there is a very easy, annoyingly obvious, time-saving hack that will make basket cleanup an absolute breeze. 

If you don't already have some at home, go out and buy yourself some basket-style paper coffee filters. Yep! The ones you use for drip machines. These filters fit just as well in the basket of a percolator as they do in the basket of a drip machine. 

What the filter does is that it is able to collect the coffee and keep it from being in contact with the metal basket. So, when you're done with your morning brew, you need only lift the paper filter out of the basket, and dispose of it. This trick literally saves you an entire wash cycle and is very easy to pull off. All you need is a pair of scissors. 

Now, before we go further, if you are wondering whether or not the presence of the filter will affect the strength and taste of the percolated coffee, it will not. It merely adds an extra level of filtration, so you're not worrying about finding nasty dregs at the bottom of your cup. The paper will also catch any bitter, oily residue, leading to an overall smoother coffee. 

In order to outfit the paper filter for the percolator basket, you need to remember exactly how a percolator is constructed. It consists of a basin that's filled with water, a suction tube that draws the water up, and a perforated basket that holds the coffee grounds. The suction tube extends up into the basket in order for the water to reach the coffee. So, you are going to need to cut a small hole into the center of the paper filter with a pair of scissors in order for it to properly fit in the basket. 

Once the filter is in place, you can fill it with coffee, place the cover on it, and proceed as normal. You should still get that distinctive strong cup of coffee that is so indicative of the percolator. The only difference will be that it might taste a bit smoother, and the basket will be 10 times easier to clean.